A Shower Fresh Garden

Meet Mallory

2012-01-22T20:32:00.000-06:00

Why does unpacking always take so much longer than you think it will? On Saturday afternoon I tackled unpacking the heaps of stuff that we'd shoved into the office. I started sorting through it all around 3 pm, and I didn't finish until almost 11 pm. Then, this morning, I found two more heaps of mail and documents that needed sorting through. I can now say that I have a home office that is clean and organized, and I only have one bin of stuff left that needs to be put away. I feel so accomplished!

Anyway, that's not the point of this post! I started this post to show a little peek into my living room. The living room is the room we started decorating first. Before we even moved in Chip's parents promised to give us a great sectional sofa, and I started placing furniture in my mind around that. That's about the time I decided I needed a pair of chairs for this spot in my living room, and I fell in love with the Mallory Chair at DwellStudio.

On Christmas Eve Eve, Chip and I were hitting up the Everyday Gourmet in the Township in Ridgeland to buy provisions for a family wine and cheese happy hour. That's when I spotted the chairs -- MY chairs, the Mallory chairs that I had been drooling over online -- inside SummerHouse. Of course, I went in so I could sit in them and drool over them some more, this time in real life. Then the unheard of happened. They were on SALE. For about $250 less EACH from the online price. Chip took one look at me and knew that I would be buying them.

I can't tell you how happy I am with these chairs. They fit the room perfectly. I'm currently sitting in the one on the right, blogging while we watch the NY Giants game.

We only have a couple things left before this room is done - a rug, a lamp for the side table, and a lamp shade for the buffet lamp. All were purchased online last night and are on their way! I can't wait to show everyone the finished product! In daylight!

My New House

2012-01-11T21:36:00.001-06:00

I feel like I've been in a constant state of flux over the past few months, but I can finally say... I am settled. Almost as soon as we moved back to Oxford we began thinking about expanding our house or moving to a larger house. Specifically, one with a garage and a little more storage. We met with an architect to look at plans for an expansion, and also started looking at houses with a realtor. Then, we fell in love. With a modern-looking house built in 1975. In a neighborhood with big trees and a one acre lot. And a pool. :)For those of you who know me and know my style, I'm a solid Anglophile. I love everything English and England, like cottages and cottage gardens and David Austin roses. For me to fall I love with a house in the modern style (with a pool, no doubt, if you've heard my rants about the last pool) is a little unlike me. But, the house is fantastic.

This photo is from the house listing from the summer. I really love the landscaping in the front. I have two (or three?) Japanese maples. I've always wanted a Japanese maple, but I never wanted to spend the money to put one in. I'm so excited that I have them! I have azaleas that bloom in the spring and fall (I saw them in bloom this fall). I have camellias by the front door, and sweet olives on the front walk. I can dig that. My absolute favorite space, though, is the kitchen. I love, love, love cooking in here.

The kitchen and the living room are really the only two spaces that we have "finished" decorating. I say "finished" with quotes, because really, decorating is never DONE. I'm excited about sharing the rest of the house, but we still have work to do. I'm really excited about sharing the living room! More to come...

Old House Depot in Jackson, Miss.

2011-11-29T06:30:00.000-06:00

On Friday, we wanted to do some shopping for the new house, but we wanted to avoid the Black Friday hoopla. What better way to join in on the fun than to hit up a few local stores. First we went to the Old House Depot where they were celebrating five years in business and the house cat's first birthday. Old House Depot is an architectural salvage warehouse, meaning they have reclaimed building materials from windows and doors to bath tubs and mantels. I love this place. They really know how to make their favorite cat feel special.

If you are familiar with Koscuisko, Mississippi, you might recognize this "Building Materials" sign. It decorated the front of Scarborough Building Supply on Highway 12 for many, many years. Now I didn't confirm with the owners that this, in fact, was the Scarborough sign. But as many times as I've seen it, I'm pretty sure it is.

An antique hand-painted sign, bread peel, and screen doors.

Doors and shuttered windows with patina.

I was in awe of this old wooden door that once graced the entry of a church. I really wanted to take it home.

The lighting in this photo is bad, but you can barely make out another dark wood door nestled in the back there that is even more fantastic than the previous one. Look at that arched transom window above the swinging doors with iron lining the panes. I imagined it came from an old train depot.

As we browsed we were tapping our feet to the tunes of the Jamie Weems Trio featuring Tim Avalon and Tyler Kemp.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I know I did. I relaxed a BUNCH and ate way too much.

Chance of Snow

2011-11-28T21:29:00.001-06:00

So, what do you do when it is cold and rainy and there's a chance of snow?

You make hot chocolate. With bourbon. Or, in my case, Malibu rum. The recipe, complete with cardamom pods, was inspired by chef Maria Hines at Tilth Restaurant in Seattle. YUM.

Spooky Door Wreath

2011-11-22T18:21:00.001-06:00

I got inspired by Casey's Halloween wreath and made one of my own. I know, I know, Halloween was almost a month ago. I am such a lazy blogger lately.

I got the fake crow at Michael's. I had the wreath and moss already.

I'm in the process of making a Christmas wreath. Since we close on a house on Dec 5th, I don't know if I'll have time for a tree this year. Yep, we will be moving for the second time this year. Ugh. We're crazy, but the house is worth it. I'm in love!

-- Post From My iPhone

It's Been A While...

2011-10-09T11:12:00.003-05:00

So I am going to try to ease back into this. Today I am testing brunch recipes for a baby shower I'm hosting in a few weeks for Leah. I made my favorite muffin recipe - Morning Glory muffins - and modified it for mini-muffins. Morning Glory muffins are filled with goodies: carrot, apple, pineapple, raisins, nuts, and cinnamon spice. Little nuggets of fall.

-- Post From My iPhone

Hiatus

2011-06-11T14:25:00.003-05:00

I am taking a break from blogging. We listed our house with Century 21 on May 3rd, and we had our first offer on May 5th. The contract was finalized on May 11th. We close on June 17th.

I do hope to compose some final blog posts about my garden at some point. However, right now life is just too hectic, and I may break into tears if I try to write about this garden that I've put so much time into. So, some distance... and some time...

Later gators.

Chipmunk

2011-05-18T17:59:00.000-05:00

Right when we moved into this house, we found a little chipmunk drowned in the pool. So sad! He was such a cute, tiny little creature, and I felt so awful that he had fallen in and couldn't find his way out.
To continue the wildlife saga... yes, we have a chipmunk. Maybe even a family of chipmunks!
Apparently the chipmunk family made their way back to our yard. I was sitting in my office chair a few weeks ago when Walle started going nuts. I looked our the front window and saw this bad boy running across the front porch.

I've spotted this chipmunk (or maybe its relatives) numerous times over the past few weeks. Sometimes it is in the backyard, making its way across the back porch. Sometimes, it is on the front porch sniffing around for its next dinner. I do enjoy seeing these cute little creatures in my yard.

Oppossum

2011-05-10T07:58:00.000-05:00

Yep. An opposum lives in our trees in suburbia. Wanna see?

The photos aren't great because it was fairly dark outside, and I was very cautious about getting too close to him because I didn't want to scare him away. Chip and I were sitting in the backyard on a cool April evening, enjoying a tasty beverage. We heard something scratching around on the fence, and we initially both assumed it was Meowmers, the neighbor's cat. But as I started to look closer, I realized this animal was much larger than Meowmers. I thought at first, "Holy crap, that is an oppossum!" But, to tell you the truth, I don't see so good, so I doubted myself.

The animal continued to walk the fence. When I saw him illuminated against the back neighbor's house, I knew it was an oppossum.

He walked right along the fence, right into the next neighbor's yard. He didn't mind us at all.

Carolina Wren

2011-05-07T22:47:00.005-05:00

A pretty little Carolina Wren made its nest in the bird house hanging from a post on my back porch. For just a couple of weeks this spring I would go outside in the morning and evening to watch mamma bird feed her baby birds in the bird house. Anytime I got too close to the nest, mamma bird would let me know by giving her signature squawk.

Do you see her perching on the porch swing chain?

Then, all of a sudden, they were all gone.

April Iris Blooms

2011-04-26T08:23:00.006-05:00

In late March I posted about how excited I was about all the buds on my irises. Well, bloom they did! It has been a spectacular year for these pretty purple plants.

By April 1 the first iris blooms had opened up.
Previously, these irises were planted in a very shady part of the backyard garden. Once I moved them to the sun, they multiplied very quickly. I've had to divide them every other year so far. Talk about prolific. This year is a divide year, so after they are done blooming, I'll have some irises to share with some garden friends!
I've had quite a time trying to figure out the cultivar/variety. I have some guesses, but no clear identity. Isn't it a beauty though? I love the rich color. I think it is stunning.
They are the perfect component in my front porch bed.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T09:15:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I made an Easter Bunny cake for today's Easter lunch with my family.

It is a Carrot Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese frosting. The recipe is from "Come On In" (Junior League of Jackson, 1992).

Happy Easter, y'all. I hope you enjoy this beautiful spring day with your loved ones.

-- Post From My iPhone

English Rose Bouquet

2011-04-14T09:01:00.001-05:00

Lovely English Roses

2011-04-11T13:04:00.008-05:00

I love English roses. I can't even begin to describe how pretty the blooms are - pillowy and delicate with such lovely color. When I left for Oxford last week, I had shrubs that were covered in buds and a few blooms just opening up. When I got home on Saturday evening, the shrubs were covered in pretty yellow, peach, apricot, and blush pink blooms.

Golden Celebration buds on April 4th. Molineux just opening up, Monday, April 4th. Covered in buds on April 4th. On the left is Tamora. Molineux is in the center. Golden Celebration is on the right. Yesterday I grabbed some shots before heading to Sakura Bana for sushi. Here they are in full spring bloom on April 10th. In the back and right is Tamora. On the left is Molineaux. In the front and right is Golden Celebration. These are definitely the best blooms I've ever gotten from these shrubs. I transplanted Tamora all the way from Oxford. In January 2009 I moved Molineux and Golden Celebration just a few feet from their original spot to their new spot. The "before" photo from 2009 is telling - check out my Rose Victory post from May 2009. The fragrance on Tamora is amazing, very intense. This morning I cut some and brought them into the house, so I should have some pretty arrangement photos later in the week. Ambridge Rose is holding on. She's still very tiny, but she did produce two or three blooms this year. I really hope she takes off this year!

H.F. Young Clematis Blooms

2011-04-01T14:27:00.005-05:00

It's that time of year again. That time of year when I really need to post new garden photos every single day, otherwise you guys are going to miss something! Early this week as I was getting ready for work, I looked outside our bedroom window to see this beauty in bloom. I've gotten some lovely photos over the past few days. H.F. Young, also known as Horace Young, clematis grows on the fence around our pool pump along with an agressive jasmine vine. I have clematis blooms both on the outside and the inside of the fence.

When the blooms first open they are a deep, rich purple color. As they age just two or three days they lighten to a pretty violet. As they age even more, the center of the petals becomes almost white and the outside is almost blue. I think these color variations are just fantastic!

I think the best way to admire a clematis blooms is from up close, so I took at few close ups for you.
A baby bloom. Just opened today.

I have roses and irises blooming, too. I have taken a few photos, and will do a post on those soon. Maybe tonight!

Capturing Spring

2011-03-24T08:07:00.007-05:00

Can you believe I almost have roses? This bud is on my David Austin "Golden Celebration" rose. My Austins are covered in buds. I think by the end of the week next week I'll have many beautiful blooms to show off.
"Homestead Purple" verbena is blooming its little heart out under the irises.

And do you spot those iris buds? I should have iris blooms by next weekend!
But that's next week. Spiraea "Van Houtte" is enjoying the spotlight this week. It is covered in pretty blooms.
The bees love it.

Pansies are a staple in my spring garden.
I just love these with their purple, white, butter yellow, and lemon yellow blooms.
And then a pot of orange pansies to complement the new house color. The knockouts will be blooming soon as well. I like to sit here with a book and a cup of tea or glass of wine. Livin' the good life.
Thank you all for your comments about the house color. I am so glad that so many of you like it. I think it might grow on me. Maybe I am just shocked because it is so different compared to the old color. But, you know, I like it darn it. I can't wait to see what it looks like with lantana and knockouts in bloom.

What's Blooming Now

2011-03-17T06:39:00.005-05:00

I missed the official Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day on March 15... I always seem to... But I do have wonderful things blooming in my garden.

Carolina jessamine...

Daffodils... a 2009 Christmas present from my grandmother.
Sweet olive... I love sweet olive. The fragrance is amazing coming from such a tiny flower.
Pansies...
And a peeping tom... hehe.
Also, the blog isn't the only thing around here that has gotten an update. We got the house painted. Here is a before photo from January... before the paint and before I cut back roses and lantana.
And here's an after photo.
Yep, its yellow. It is Sherwin Williams Cupola Yellow (SW7692). I have mixed feelings about it. I really did not like the peachy, pinky stucco before. My plan was to keep the color in the neutral zone but lean towards the yellow side of the color spectrum... I don't think I exactly accomplished that with this color.

On one hand I say, "Damn, that's bright..." and on the other hand I say, "Of course it looks bright now when the lawn and perennials are dormant and drab looking!" Maybe once I have some hot pink knockout roses, bright yellow, orange, and pink lantanas, purple irises, and pretty white and yellow shasta daisies blooming it won't look quite so bright. Ha, am I kidding myself?

Opinions, please?! Be honest. I neither love or hate this color, and since we really only have two walls with this paint on it (front and back) it would be easy to change. Nevertheless, I am waiting until everything greens up to make my final decision.

Japanese Magnolia Tree

2011-03-13T08:46:00.000-05:00

This is my last post in the Japanese Magnolia series. These are all photos from last week when it was at peak bloom. Over the past year, I've concentrated most of my efforts in this part of the yard. I purchased three azaleas, purple fountain grass (dead in the pot though and needs to be replaced), two camelias, and a few lily of the nile. I still have some work to do (like replacing that dead fountain grass) and plan to do a nice, long post on all the improvements once I am done. Now back to the Japanese Magnolia tree...
I planted this tree four - maybe five - years ago. My plan was for it to fill this spot and provide some privacy in our suburban backyard. My understanding is that these trees grow to be 15 to 20 feet tall and wide. Just perfect for this space - towering over the azaleas, cascading over the fence, reaching to the sky to shield us from the neighbor's back windows.

But, this tree has been such a slow grower. I have definitely seen improvement over the years, but it hasn't grown to be nearly as tall as quickly as I'd hoped it would. I know part of the reason that it is growing slowly is that it is planted so near a large, established oak tree, its roots competing for water and nutrients underneath the ground.

I love its rich pink color. How that color pops in spring and coordinates with the new 'Spellbound' camelias. I do wish I had more blooms, though, and I guess that only comes with a larger tree. Are Japanese magnolias known to be slow growers?

Here, the blooms stand out against a bright blue sky.

And their pink shade glows in the sunset.

Japanese Magnolia Blooms

2011-03-09T12:27:00.000-06:00

I took these photos a couple of days ago when the blooms were at their peak. We've had crazy thunderstorms here over the past 24 hours, so many of the blooms have dropped.

Spring Buds on Mardi Gras

2011-03-08T07:28:00.002-06:00

Last year we had a really late spring. All the spring flowers seemed to bloom at once - irises, carolina jessamine, azaleas, phlox. This year many of the early bloomers are putting on buds and will flush into bloom much earlier than last year.

There are tiny, furry buds on the 'Purple Formosa' azaleas.

The clematis vines are budding, too. See all the pretty new leaves and hairy little buds?
The 'Van Houtte' spiraea is covered in tiny buds, too.
I pruned roses two weekends in a row - February 19th and 26th. Now they are budding out and are healthy looking. I hope to keep them looking healthy all year this year.

One thing missing from the garden this year is the pink creeping phlox. Photo below is from Green Gate Farms on the web...I just can't keep this stuff alive! I don't know what I am doing wrong. My guess is that the perennial bed where it is planted gets too much sun and too little water in August. I've bought and planted the pretty groundcover two years in a row because I really want it in my garden. Boo-hoo.

It is a rainy, stormy day here. The forecast has us in a flash flood watch with a possibility of severe weather. I guess I am getting my cool, wet spring after all.

Happy Mardi Gras everyone!

Japanese Magnolia Buds

2011-03-07T08:23:00.007-06:00

My Japanese Magnolia began blooming last week, and I was able to capture its pretty blooms over the course of three days as they were opening up.

It was very warm here last week - in the upper 70s and low 80s. Temperatures have dropped back down to the mid-50s, and I am glad. Spring is supposed to be cool and wet. I don't want a warm and dry spring.

More magnolia blooms tomorrow!

Home Brew Give Away @ A Five-Leaf Clover

2011-03-02T08:12:00.003-06:00

My friend Casey over at A Five-Leaf Clover is giving away some of their home brewed Stone Ruination IPA in celebration of her 100th post. Head over to her blog and sign up! And drop her a line of congratulations for reaching the 100 mark!

Valentine's Day Dinner

2011-02-24T22:05:00.007-06:00

Valentine's Day. It seems like it is everyone's least favorite holiday. This year we "celebrated" a day early by cooking a delicious meal, drinking some of our favorite wines, and watching the Grammy's together. Not super romantic but just our style.
Ah, this Kosta Browne Pinot is so amazing. Koplen Vineyard. Yummmmy.

Chip put these lamb chops on the grill. I used this Mario Batali recipe that I LOVE. So easy. Lamb from Madison county and rosemary from the backyard. I served it with crunchy baked fennel and honey-ginger carrots. But really, the wine was the star of this show...

When it comes down to it, Chip shows his love for me every morning when I wake up to a steaming cappucino in my favorite mug. I show my love for him by making healthy weeknight meals. They both feed the body and soul. Sounds kinda lame, but its true. Having a meal at home at a fully set table by candlelight is pretty nice, though.

I've been a crappy blogger lately. Not sure why. I am hoping that spring will get me in the spirit. Bring it on!

A Gardening Weekend!

2011-01-21T07:55:00.004-06:00

This weekend is going to be the perfect weekend to do all of those lingering late winter chores in the garden. I wanted to work in my yard last weekend, but it was cold, rainy, and nasty. I just could never make myself get outside. But this weekend, it will be cool and sunny. Yay!

I have a few chores on my list:

1. Get pine straw
2. Prune back the lantana and apply pine straw
3. Cut back ruella (Mexican petunia)
4. Turn compost and harvest any that is ready
5. Apply compost to my vegetable beds to get them ready for spring

Only 5 items, but I can imagine those will take me most of the afternoon on Saturday. I can be a little ADD when I'm out in the garden, always finding another chore that needs to be done. I need to transplant one "Miss Huff" lantana, but I'm not sure that this is the best time to do it. I might wait until early March after it has leafed out some.

Spring vegetable gardening is just around the corner for me down here in central Mississippi. I plan to start lettuce, sugar snap peas, carrots, Swiss chard, and beets in just a few weeks.

In 2010 I neglected my garden a bit. in 2011 I hope to be more involved. I have big plans and high hopes.

High On LeConte

2011-01-14T09:23:00.004-06:00

One of the blogs I link to in my blog roll is High on LeConte, a blog kept by the caretakers at the LeConte Lodge high in the Smoky Mountains. This winter has dumped many, many inches of snow on Mount LeConte. According to the National Weather Service, there is 32" of snow on the ground at LeConte now. Wow!

I am fairly obsessed with the Smokies, and I check the blog daily. Feast your eyes on these amazing photos that the caretaker, Alexander Hughes, has taken this winter. These are some of my favorites.

Deep snow drifts on the trail to Cliff Tops

Now this is what I call a winter wonderland! Can you believe that people hike up and camp at the backcountry shelters in these conditions? Woah!

Did you see the flash of light?

2011-01-12T07:46:00.003-06:00

http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20110111/NEWS/110111049/Mysterious-flash-of-light-causes-uproar

I saw it out of my bathroom window! It was about 9 PM CST and I was getting in the shower. I saw a flash out of the bathroom window. We have one of those large glass block 'privacy' windows. I asked Chip if he saw the flash (he didn’t), and I joked that I had a stalker taking my nekkid photo.

Really, I thought it might be the neighbor’s motion light acting up. Guess not!

According to a few other reports, it was a meteor that fell in Oklahoma.

Wok Wonderful Wok

2010-12-27T22:55:00.001-06:00

A few years ago I ruined my wok. I am a stir-frying maniac, so I was sad to see it go. What did it in? My love for tofu with a nice, crispy sear on the outside. My previous wok was not non-stick, and the delicious, crispy outside layer of tofu would stick to the pan every time. I never bought one after I threw the last one out, and I've been eating soggy tofu since.

For Christmas my mother-in-law got me a Breville electric (plug-in) non-stick wok. I used it tonight for a healthy tofu, asparagus, and mushroom stir-fry, and I think I am in love with this tofu! Look how browned and crispy it is!

The recipe is from the New York Times' "Recipes For Health" series.

What I am no so happy about is the non-stick "quantanium" coating. Non-stick surfaces are made with PFOA, a chemical that has been labeled a "likely carcinogen" by the EPA and has polluted water sources near where it is manufactured. Purchasing non-stick products has always been a big "no-no" for me because of the amount of PFOA that is used (and eventually discarded) during production.

I really like the results this appliance has shown so far. The heat settings seemed really accurate, and it was quick to heat-up. I'm just feeling a bit guilty at the moment about this pan. Dinner, though? A+!

-- Posted from my iPhone

Starry Night, With Love

2010-12-22T22:53:00.005-06:00

I drew and designed this star ornament using a cookie cutter pattern and a book of embriodery. The brown vines are a backstitch and a whipped backstitch. The berries are french knots. The two pieces of felt are held together with a blanket stitch.

I designed two other ornaments, but I haven't ventured to cut out and stitch those yet. My other designs are a bell and a dove. I hope to have those ready for gifts next year.

It has been a great experience learning all these new stitches and designing something on my own. I've given out handmade gifts to my family along with the store-bought gifts I've gotten for them.

I'm looking forward to a few days off! We are having friends over for an Iron Chef supper club tomorrow night. Secret ingredient? Cinnamon!

Christmas Eve is dinner at our house with lots of goodies: pear and arugula salad, beef wellington, rosemary roasted potatoes, roasted asaparagus with parmesan, and a caramel chess tart!

Merry Christmas, everyone! Have a safe and joyous holiday.

Finished Cross Stitch

2010-12-22T10:07:00.003-06:00

I had this framed in a wide, rustic wooden frame. I think it turned out nice. My brother and sister-in-law have a baby on the way due in April. I really hope it is a girl so I can stitch some of the cute girl patterns I have!

I've been embriodering felt ornaments as gifts for my family this Christmas. I plan to finish another one tonight and three more by Christmas. Can't wait to show you all my finished star ornaments!

Christmas Preview

2010-12-14T14:26:00.000-06:00

The decorating phase is over. We still have a bunch of presents to wrap, but I'll tell ya -- it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

-- Post From My iPhone

On A Cold December Night

2010-12-03T15:50:00.005-06:00

Tonight we will have split-pea soup and bread and an apple crisp for dessert. Then, we will decorate the tree!

All of that sounds nice and all, but I really wish I was in Portland to get a signed copy of Alicia Paulson's Embriodery Companion. I have been embriodering like crazy lately. Photos to come soon!

Tonight I will make an O Fizz (Oprah's favorite holiday drink) to enjoy while I deck the halls. Lately I keep discovering that I like the same things Oprah likes. Or maybe Oprah likes the same things I like? Its weird. I can't remember ever watching an entire Oprah episode.

Tis the Season! Here's a little Graceland and Elvis... Our "Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas" record would skip at 1:17...

"Lights a glow...ow...ow...ow... "

Love those Christmastime memories!

A Right Spirit

2010-11-27T08:07:00.006-06:00

I began a cross stitch for my nephew last year before he was born. Growing up I had a verse in my bedroom that my mother stitched for me, "A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance. ~ Proverbs 15:13"

I knew I wanted to do a verse for my nephew. I found a wonderful resource for cross stitch patterns and charts at Wyndham Needleworks. My favorite patterns are from La-D-Da. I bought about a dozen patterns and my first was A Right Spirit.

The pattern says that the model was stitched on 36 count "Nightingale" linen by Birds of a Feather using one strand of embriodery floss over two threads of fabric. I used 28 count evenweave fabric using one strand of floss over just one thread. Mine ended up being a little bit smaller than the model, but I think the finished work would have been too big if I had skipped over two threads on the 28 count fabric. I am happy with how it turned out.

I love the colors in this work. The gorgeous mix of greens in the leaves is so pretty. The rich browns, reds, and oranges are lovely. I improvised on the alphabet at the top. I stitched in my nephew's name and birth date.

There are a few mistakes in the finished work, but Daniel and Susan said they couldn't find them, so I'm not going to tell you what they are! Since this is only my second large work to finish (after many smaller works as a child), I am going to call this one a success!

A Week Off

2010-11-23T08:55:00.002-06:00

Yep - I took the week off! I can't believe it! Yesterday we did a little Christmas shopping in Vicksburg and Jackson. Today, I cook and bake! I am planning to bake Alicia's Oatmeal Bread. Then, I am making three batches of soup to freeze for winter suppers. A Tomato and Leek soup. A Split-Pea, Sweet Potato, and Kale soup. And a Chickpea and Kale soup. I picked out the kale recipes because I have mounds of mustard greens from my mother-in-law's garden that I am subbing for the kale. Yay! This is going to be a fun day!

An Autumn Walk in the Woods

2010-11-23T07:57:00.006-06:00

When the weather turns cooler all I want to do is be outside. I want to take long, quiet afternoon walks where I listen to the trees and the wind and gaze at the blue sky. On Sunday, November 14, the weather was beautiful. With blue skies and cool temperatures, the just-turning leaves in central Mississippi were calling me to take a walk. I'd been wanting to head over to Roosevelt State Park - a short drive from Jackson - but I knew that Chip would not really be up for walking around aimlessly in the woods.

I lured him out to Roosevelt with the promise that the Moccasin Bend Disc Golf Course was one of the best courses in the state. The disc golf course made the perfect autumn walk. I'm not very good at disc golf. I think it is fun, but I can't throw a disc straight. I do like doing things with my husband, so disc golf is perfect for us. I got to gaze at the colors on the trees, and Chip got to play a game he enjoys.
The course winds around the lake in the beginning. My disc ended up inches from the water's edge more than once which made me ponder the meaning of the course's name. I was not in the mood to meet any moccasins that afternoon.

Golden leaves and rusty pine needles swirled together near the bank.

Holes 7, 8, and 9 took us through a deep forest. These were my favorite. I didn't get many photos because my disc kept finding its way into a ditch with banks taller than I am.
The course ends up back on the water where the shots are open and the sky is big, big, big.

Rich autumn colors were reflected on the water.

I am so happy that we decided to head out to Roosevelt. We did walk a few of the nature trails, but the terrain on the trails wasn't nearly as good as the walk on the disc golf course. I would suggest the disc golf walk to anyone heading out to the area as a short day hike.

This Thanksgiving after the turkey and pie, get out and take a walk! Soak in the colors of the season. Let's not rush into Christmas quite so fast. Slow it down and take some time to be thankful for this great, green Earth.

Pay it Forward: Paid Back!!

2010-11-22T07:47:00.005-06:00

It has been more than a year, but I've finally finished and delivered the Pay It Forward gifts! If you don't remember this little game I played with some friends, then check out the Pay It Forward post I did back in February 2009.

It wasn't difficult for me to decide what I wanted to make. I have an awesome botanical field press that I got for Christmas many years ago. Remember that store The Nature Company? Why I didn't choose a natural science career instead of a computer science career is beyond me. I would spend hours in that store reading about fossils and playing with the telescopes and studying the maps... oh, the maps. I am still a map junkie. But I digress... I remember picking out that botanical press at The Nature Company and thinking it was sooo cool.

Over the years I've pressed flowers, leaves , herbs, and ferns using that kit. Also, I've always wanted to try my hand at making decorative paper. So, I combined the pressed flower idea with the paper idea and handmade some pretty blank cards. I purchased plain, blank notecards made from 100% recycled paper from Greenfield Paper Company. Then, I jazzed them up with my own creations.

All of the pressed plants on my cards were grown in my garden. I pressed pansies, ferns, lavender, and daisies.

I didn't have a kit to make the paper, so I made my own deckle using an old wood photo frame, window screen, and a staple gun. By adding dried cilantro and dried onion skins to the paper pulp, I gave the paper some natural color. After the paper was dry, I ironed it flat and cut it to size. On some of the cards, I burned the edges for a natural look. On others, I used decorative scissors.

Pasting the flowers to the paper was the hardest part. It involved special glue, a paint brush, tweezers, and a very steady hand. Given that I grew and pressed all of the flowers and made the paper in the summer of 2009, you can imagine how time consuming it was to arrange the pressed plants perfectly on each card then glue them down just so.

In the end, I had ten cards, just enough for three cards for each of my three Pay It Forward friends.

I made a great new friend by playing this game. Fellow Mississippian and gardener Ginger signed up on my post, and I am so glad she did. She made me a super-cool birdhouse as her Pay It Forward gift to me. I love the birdhouse and even had a bird in it this spring! I hope that my homemade cards live up to that high standard!

Pumpkin Parfait with Granola

2010-11-14T07:56:00.006-06:00

Casey, a good friend of mine and fellow blogger on A Five-Leaf Clover, has a link to a food blog called Healthy Food for Living. I was browsing through those recipes back in October and decided I had to try to the Pumpkin Parfaits. Mmmmm... Chip and I are big fans of yogurt and granola. With the addition of lightly sweetened pumpkin, I thought these would be divine. And they were!
I took a few shortcuts with mine, and they were still delicious. I have a few cans of organic pumpkin pie filling that I bought on sale at the grocery store last year that have been waiting all year for the perfect recipe. I added maple syrup and a little extra cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice to the canned pumpkin mixture. For the yogurt, I didn't have any greek yogurt on hand - just regular plain yogurt - so I lined a seive with paper towels and poured in the plain yogurt to let some of the water drain out. After 30 minutes of draining in the refrigerator, the regular plain yogurt is thicker and creamier. Then, I made the yummy parfaits. Pumpkin-spiced granola was sprinkled between layers of pumpkin pudding and yogurt. I topped the parfaits with local honey. Yum!

Paddling on the Pearl

2010-11-09T07:18:00.000-06:00

On my weekend off we ended up not going camping out at Roosevelt State Park. I really wanted to go, but it was in the 80s - crappy camping weather. I still want to check it out at some point.

Sunday, October 24, we headed to the Pearl River for some paddling. It was a beautiful day, about 11 AM when we finally got on the water. The temperature was already close to 80F, but with the breezes off the water, it felt good. The weather reports said a storm was rolling in that afternoon, so we decided that we'd stay on the water no more than two hours. Putting kayaks up on top of Chip's FJ Cruiser in the rain wasn't something we wanted to try.

Chip getting ready at the put-in

Lisa on the Pearl at LeFleur's Bluff State Park

We put in at LeFleur's Bluff State park and paddled about 1.5 miles up river. After about 1 mile, we were under the Lakeland Drive bridge. The sky was gorgeous that day. Clouds were rolling in. You can see how dry everything is in these photos. The river was really low and the banks were crisp from lack of rain.

Chip paddling toward the Lakeland Drive bridge

We paddled another half a mile and saw this huge alligator. From head to tail, I would say he was about 8 feel long. My camera is way zoomed in. We weren't really this close to him.

After we saw this gator we were a little freaked out and decided to head back. We knew going in that we would probably see some gators on the river - it is the Pearl after all - but that really didn't prepare me for seeing a live 8-foot gator 30 yards from my little boat. He didn't seem to move an inch as we turned around and headed back to LeFleur's Bluff.

On the way back, we were paddling down river but the wind was at our faces, and it was really picking up. While paddling up river, we were both pretty relaxed, taking in the landscape. While we were returning, our two pairs of eyes were glued to the bank, scanning for more gators. And we did see one more. This guy was tiny compared to the other gator. Maybe 3 or 4 feet long.

In that last photo, my camera is fully zoomed out, so you can see how far away these alligators truly are. Isn't the tail on this one impressive?

We were excited to get out on the water in the middle of the city of Jackson! I'm really not sure if we would do this paddle again, though. The water was fairly gross (trash on the banks), the landscape is a bit monotonous, and the alligators were just too much. I'm not sure what we are going to try next!

Chip paddling down river

Lisa on the river

Long Weekends

2010-10-22T08:20:00.002-05:00

October is my very favorite month of the year. I love it when the weather turns cooler. I decided last month that I would take a couple of Mondays off in October to spend some time with Chip, work in the garden, and possibly go camping. We were planning to head out to Roosevelt State Park this weekend for camping, hiking, and kayaking, but the weather forecast is looking less than ideal. Rain is predicted with highs in the upper 80s and lows in the upper 60s. Not really the perfect camping weather I was hoping for. We've found that when the rain fly is required (like this weekend), anything above the mid-50s is too hot for camping. I am a hot sleeper, and I need it to be chilly to fall asleep. Unless I want a restless night of sleep, cool weather is a must.

I think we are going to revise our plans and take the kayaks either out on the Pearl River or over to the lake at Roosevelt. It will really depend on the water level on the Pearl. If we do the Pearl, we will put-in at LeFleur's Bluff in Jackson or at the Spillway and paddle between the two locations.

I have made good progress in the "ugly" spot in the backyard. It looks MUCH better already. I plan to get mulch this weekend and make everything look nice and neat. Photos coming soon!

Dinner Recap

2010-10-15T13:01:00.004-05:00

So, here is how everything turned out.

The rice was really good. I used this recipe from the PBS show America's Test Kitchen. This rice turned out perfectly - not at all sticky. Very fluffy and flavorful.

The naan was AWESOME. These naan were chewy and had a great balance of salty and slightly sweet. I made the dough on Tuesday night and refrigerated it after the first rise. Then, on Wednesday while I made the other dishes I let it come to room temperature and rise again. Right before our guests arrived I pulled off bits of dough, rolled out the rounds, and grilled it on the grill pan. I really wish I had more time to make homemade bread. It just tastes so good.

The chicken tikka masala turned out really good, too. The sauce is really flavorful. I took the advice of a lot of the recipe reviewers on AllRecipes and cut down on the amount of salt. Also, I had to add more cayenne (to taste) because it just wasn't spicy enough for our bunch.

And lastly, the saag paneer. This dish was probably my least favorite out of all of them. I was rushed while making it, and I think that showed in the final dish. It really needed more salt and flavor. Now that we are eating the leftovers I've added more salt and it is MUCH better.

I have the next two Mondays off, and I am so looking forward to it! This weekend I plan to do some work in the garden. The area that I worked on earlier this year really took the hot, dry summer weather hard. All of the azaleas that I moved and planted are dead. The juniper is dead. Even the ornamental grass is dead. Fall is a much better season for moving and transplanting plants, so I hope I can finally put some life into this ugly spot in my garden.

Next weekend we are going camping at a local state park. I am really looking forward to kayaking on the lake and roasting marshmellows by the fire. Fun times!

More Birthday Dinner Photos

2010-10-14T08:21:00.001-05:00

Things got pretty crazy at my house after work yesterday. Chip came back from Louisiana with lots of beer. He assembled the cheese plate, and I cooked rice, heated up the chicken tikka masala, made saag paneer, and rolled out naan dough. When the first guests showed up, I was very close to having dinner finished. Chip poured me a glass of Riesling, and the birthday celebration began. I grilled naan on the grill pan and placed the completed dishes in the oven to keep warm.

I don't have photos of the finished dishes, but we do have yummy leftovers, and I plan to take some photos tonight. I did take some photos of the dining room after I set the table yesterday. I am proud of the way everything came together.

Homemade Paneer (Indian Cheese)

2010-10-11T22:46:00.011-05:00

Maybe I am crazy -- I don't know. I've finalized the menu for Chip's Indian birthday feast. So, here goes...

Appetizer/Cheese Plate: Roquefort, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Savannah Bee Tupelo honey with raw honeycomb, red Bartlett pears, toasted walnuts, crackers.

Dinner: Chicken Tikka Masala, Saag Paneer, basmati rice, Naan

Dessert: German Chocolate cake (purchased at Crazy Cat Bakers) decorated with candy corn and candles (by me)

Today, I made the paneer for the saag paneer and the chicken tikka. I've heard you can buy paneer at the Indian grocery store or maybe Fresh Market, but I didn't feel like driving all the way out there. The recipe did not look that difficult, so I gave it a try.

First, I had to heat one gallon of whole milk to a boil.

Milk very quickly boils over if you aren't watching it, so I had to watch it like a hawk and stir it to keep the bottom from scorching. As soon as the milk came to a boil, I took it off the heat and added 1/4 cup of white vinegar. The curds (solids) immediately began to separate from the whey (liquids).I let it cool for a few minutes while I lined a colander with cheesecloth. I actually couldn't find cheesecloth at Kroger, but Chip found some in the paint aisle at Home Depot.

I placed the cheesecloth-lined colander in the sink and slowly poured in the hot curds and whey, making sure the whey did not pool in the bottom of the sink.I lightly salted the top of the cheese curds, wrapped them in the excess cloth, and let them sit in the sink for about an hour while they cooled and drained.
Later, I placed another heavy pot on top of the cheese and put two 10-pound weights in it. This helped press out all of the whey so that I had a firm cheese that could be cubed.

I let the cheese drain under the press for about 4 hours. I think with the 20-pounds I had on top of it, 4 hours was a bit too long. The cheese was firmer than I would have liked it to be.Unfortunately, this is the point at which I forgot to continue to take photos. To finish the cheese, I cubed it, sauteed it in a little bit of canola oil, and let it drain and cool on a paper towel. Now my beautiful homemade paneer is in the refrigerator, just waiting to be eaten in some yummy saag on Wednesday night.

I also marinated and grilled the chicken for the Chicken Tikka Masala last night. Our house smelled amazing as it grilled on the grill pan.

Yum!!

Chip has band practice tonight, so I'll be busy cooking and getting ready for the party. Tonight, I am making the masala sauce for the Chicken Tikka Masala and making and refrigerating the bread dough for the naan. More photos to come!

Birthday Dinner

2010-09-21T12:49:00.002-05:00

My husband's birthday is October 13th, and I'm beginning to plan the birthday dinner party for him and his family. There will be six of us, and when I cook for six or more people on a weeknight, I generally like to do a one-pot meal (like gumbo, or chicken stew, etc) that I can possibly make ahead. For Chip's birthday dinner, I'm thinking about making Indian food.

I have a few go-to Indian dishes that I make regularly. I really like these Chicken Kebabs with Cilantro-Mint Chutney. I have two tomato-based chicken curry dishes that I go back and forth on, both from the All Recipes website: Indian Chicken Curry II and Fragrant Chicken Curry. Both are good, but neither of them really blow my socks off. So, I thought I'd ask you guys! Do you have a "blow-your-socks-off" chicken curry recipe that you can recommend?

So far, I am leaning towards this Chicken Tikka Masala recipe that was featured on one of my most favorite blogs, Posie Gets Cozy. It is by no means a healthy recipe (see that butter? that heavy cream?), so I probably won't be adding it to my regular rotation, but it might be good for a special occasion.

Chip's family all love Indian food and aren't scared of spicy dishes at all, so bring on the curry recipe recommendations!

Chicago!

2010-09-11T14:34:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago Chip found out that he had to go to the Chicago area for a work meeting on Monday. I'd been wanting to go to Chicago for quite some time. I'd never been but heard great things about the city. We decided to fly in Friday night, then I would head back home Sunday afternoon. Like all our trips, our focus was on eating!

Friday night we hit up Blackbird for a late dinner. In 2004 Blackbird Chef Paul Kahan won the Best Chef: Midwest James Beard award. I'd read about this restaurant in Food + Wine and was really looking forward to having dinner there.

Blackbird is very hip, modern, and sleek. The white walls are illuminated with soft hues from hidden lighting. The effect was a brightly lit dining room with lots of energy. The food is contemporary fare creatively plated using local ingredients. To start I had the fluke tartare, made with local fluke fish (which I'd never had). It was delicious, and the dish left me wanting more. Like, a lot more because it was 9:30 PM, and I was starving. Entrees came, and I was disappointed that again the portion was so small. I was still hungry, and the entree was over $30! I had a wood-grilled sturgeon with garlic-braised snails. It was served with overly salted napa cabbage. The fish was cooked perfectly, however, and the snails were really yummy. Yep. I said it. Those snails were great!!

My dessert was yummy, but after dropping over $200 on a so-so meal, we were ready to get out of there. We walked down the road to the Girl and the Goat, Stephanie Izard's restaurant and pub. For those of you that are Top Chef fans, you'll remember that she beat out Richard Blais in a close competition in season 4.

Girl and the Goat. Love, love the lighting in here! And how cool is that bar fixture (top left)?

We LOVED the aesthetic in her restaurant. Chip described it as a warm industrial design, and I think that description fits. When we walked inside what hit us first was the aroma of the wood-burning oven from the kitchen. Delicious. Chicago is a railroad town, and the massive dark wood beams and walls throughout the restaurant reminded me of tar-stained railroad crossties. I loved every bit of it. We didn't want to leave! (These photos are a bit too dark. I would love to lighten them a bit with photoshop, but I recently rebuilt my laptop, and I can't find the photoshop disk right now. Not good at all! I really hope I find it!)

Behind the bar at Girl and the Goat

We slept wonderfully in the Westin's "heavenly beds", and Saturday morning we walked to a delicious brunch at Orange (near our hotel). After brunch we headed to Michigan Avenue to walk around a bit and try not to spend too much time shopping.

Our hotel: Westin River North

Kayakers on the Chicago River. Looks like fun!

We walked down to Navy Pier then to Millenium Park to see "The Bean" (aka Cloud Gate). We rounded out our afternoon with a late lunch a Pizano's Pizza to have Chicago-style deep dish pizza, a long visit in the Art Institute of Chicago, and a stroll through Lurie Garden in Millenium Park.

Chip and Cloud Gate

Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago, overlooking Lurie Garden

A butterfly enjoys the last of the purple coneflowers

More kayakers on the river

Saturday night we tried our luck at getting a table at Frontera Grill, Rick Bayless's award-winning Mexican restaurant. We placed our names on the list at around 6:45 PM (hostess said a 2-hour wait), then headed to the riverside for drinks. We got back to Frontera around 8:15, grabbed a seat at the full bar, and had more drinks and some FABULOUS guacamole! We waited another hour for a table, and they finally sat us at a table IN THE BAR... I was a little pissed that we didn't get to sit in the dining room. Maybe that colored my food experience there, but the chicken mole just wasn't all that it was hyped to be. It was a bit cold. Maybe I just don't like mole? I probably won't ever order it again anywhere. Chip had duck and sweet potato enchiladas, and those looked really good.

Sunday morning we took an architecture river tour, and it was so cool! It was hot outside on Sunday, and we were glad we got on the 10 AM tour.

Trump Tower soars over the Wrigley Building. So different, but both are really beautiful!

Sears Tower - the tallest building in the USA

After the boat ride, we grabbed a quick lunch in the Oyster Bar at this great seafood place called Shaw's Crab House. The food there was great. I had some Conneticuit oysters on the half shell and shrimp cocktail. Mmmmm... then, I had to catch my plane back to Mississippi!

I can't wait to go back to Chicago! There was so much we missed out on because we really just did not have enough time there. Apparently there was a real 42,000-year-old baby woolly mammoth at the Field Museum and an awesome Hubble 3D movie on at IMAX. I hate to have missed out on those! When is Jackson gonna get an IMAX? I love the space and ocean movies!

Random Post

2010-08-16T19:52:00.004-05:00

I am calling this a random post because there isn't much going on in the garden. It has been extremely hot. 102F with a heat index of 119F hot, and I wish I could say I was exaggerating. But, God is good, and we know Fall (with a capital "F") is on the way. Pre-season Monday Night Football is playing in our house tonight - Giants vs Jets. You have no idea how happy Chip was to hear the theme song. He did a little dance while he cooked dinner. Eli received a massive hit and is getting 11 stitches.

I've been away from home a lot recently - for work - in Dallas. I feel like my gardens have suffered because of it.

I haven't had a chance to fertilize my tomatoes, so they have been prolific but small. I would generally like to apply Garden-Ville's Sea Tea once a week, but I haven't been doing it that regularly. We've been eating the tiny tomatoes in salads. If you remember, I planted my cucumbers later in the season. This decision ended up being a great one because the vine borer moth was gone, and it's babies didn't suck the life out of my cucumbers. I'll be harvesting my first cucumber this week!

If I sound negative, then it's because of all this darn heat and how busy I've been at work! I had to work all day Saturday (second Saturday in a row), but thankfully on Sunday I got some down time. I had a chance to take a walk in the early morning before it got too hot. Then I watered my coleus, vinca, and petunia containers. As I was moving the foliage out of the way of the hose, a mean ol' red wasp popped me on my left ring finger. It hurt like hell, and it still itches like crazy. Cortizone 10 has been my best friend lately.

Lastly, I am going to rant about a product I saw an ad for this week: Kleenex Hand Towels. Paper towels for your bathroom at home. Made from 100% virgin trees.

Do you know anyone who has ever gotten sick from drying her hands on a cotton bathroom hand towel? No? Me either. Is it really that difficult to wash and fold a load of clean hand towels anyway? That are probably only as costly as these disposable paper towels? Then why do we need paper towels in our home bathrooms? I know they are trying to take the cleanliness angle to market this product, but rest assured it is the obscenely lazy that will buy it.

I briefly bought in to the Swiffer craze a few years ago, but when it broke in two (because I had to press down so hard on it to pick up grime), I bought a real, NOT disposable mop. I am still embarrassed about ever buying one of those stupid disposable Swiffers. These days I use a bucket, hot water, eco-friendly soap, and a real mop to clean my floors, and it works better than any disposable mop ever did. Hot, almost boiling water works wonders on grime. The "disposable" trend drives me nuts. Do families really need to eat off paper plates every night? Believe me, there are people who do this. Do we really need paper napkins with every meal? Or styrofoam cups?

I try to be conscious of the disposable things I buy. To-go food is the worst offender in my house. Thankfully, many plastic containers can be recycled.

To my few readers: please, let's show companies out there that we aren't interested in buying more disposable products. Instead of buying cheap disposable crap, why not invest in an effective product that will last? Washing and reusing may not be the easiest option, but it is better for our planet.

Veggie Garden Update

2010-08-02T13:44:00.008-05:00

The vine borer moth and its wiggly offspring must be done wreaking havoc on my cucurbits this season. Since my last post, I have not seen any new eggs on my winter squash or my cucumbers. I am so relieved. I may plant a few new yellow squash and zucchini seeds this evening to see if I have better luck now.

What is producing now? I have Roma tomatoes but some of them have developed just a touch of blossom-end rot. I plan to go get some Rot Stop tonight to keep it from spreading. One of the tomato plants my grandmother gave me is still steadily putting on fruit. The birds are pecking at the green tomatoes, so quite a few of them have been damaged. I have a few yellow and mini-orange bell peppers, too, and those look good so far. I have one red bell pepper, but it has developed a sunspot this week.

It has been ridiculously hot. Temperatures are in the 100s with heat index readings between 105F and 113F. I am going out of town again this week, so I really must remind Chip to water! It is so important for my vegetables to have a steady water source in this heat.

Vine Borers Win

2010-07-25T09:13:00.006-05:00

What happens when you go out of town for a few days and can't fight the vine borers? The vine borers win.
Gnarled vines.
Shriveled fruit.

I pulled up the summer squash and zucchini vines yesterday. Poo. And now, the vine borer moth is laying eggs on my cucumber vines. I saw her yesterday by my cukes, and I freaked out. Sure enough, there were vine borer eggs all over my cucumbers. I picked them off and smooshed them, one by one. I've got to kill that moth. As soon as this rain lets up, I am going to sit outside by my cucumber vines with a mason jar, a fly swatter, and a stiff drink. I mean business.

I have 4 winter butternut squash 'Autumn Glow' planted now. Butternut squash is supposed to be more resistant to vine borers. I sure hope so!

My Grandmother's Garden

2010-07-13T15:20:00.001-05:00

On Saturday I stopped by my Grandma Cain's house in Sallis, Mississippi for a visit. July 10th is a significant day for us, so I wanted to see her and give her big hugs and kisses. She fed me lunch of homegrown purple hull peas, snap beans, corn, and squash dressing. There were mashed potatoes and baked chicken, too.

My grandparents' garden always amazes me. In their summer garden they grow tomatoes, yellow summer squash, zucchini, cucumbers, butter beans, purple hull peas, snap beans, and corn. I am sure there are other things that I am forgetting about. I don't think a single day goes by when there isn't at least one of those homegrown vegetables on the table. In the summer, you can usually find all of those vegetables on the table at one meal. And, they don't just grow a few of each of those vegetables. My grandmother grew up in a large family, and she has never wanted to scale back the garden. At 80 years old, she still grows enough produce for at least ten families.

Oh, I forgot to mention there are also plums, peaches, figs, watermelons, honeydew, and cantaloupe.

Her flower garden is dear to my heart. Since I rented my first house I've tried to recreate it on what ever patch of land I've had. In the back there are the dark orange sunflowers that she loves so much. There is a rose-of-sharon, yellow and peach gladioli, cleome, and marigolds. And then there are the zinnias. All in shades of purple, just like she likes them.

I brought some zinnias home with me and put them in a mason jar to remind me of her special home.

A Mountain Getaway

2010-07-11T10:36:00.024-05:00

I've been going to the Smokies since I was in college, each time exploring a new trail. Most recently, my husband and I have been exploring the southwest corner of the park. Last year we were new to kayaking and took our Pungo kayaks to Fontana Lake for a combined paddling and hiking trip. This year, I really wanted to see the azaleas in bloom on Gregory Bald. Our original trip plan was to spend two days paddling in the Nantahala area, then head up to the Smokies for a 3-day, 2-night hiking loop on Gregory Bald, staying in two backcountry campsites.

We arrived at the Nantahala Outdoor Center on Friday, June 25th at around 6 PM. We left home at around 8:30 AM Friday morning and really had hoped to make better time, but traffic in Chattanooga was awful. At dinner at Relia's Garden restaurant, we enjoyed local trout with freshly baked bread and homemade herb butter.

For Saturday we had booked the Discover River Kayaking beginner level whitewater kayaking course. We met up with our instructor, Drev, around 9 AM, and I was surprised to learn that Chip and I would be the only two people taking the course that day. Drev fitted us for boats, PFDs, and paddles. We were in Dagger Mamba river runner kayaks. Mine was 7.5 feet long. Chip's was 8 feet. The kayak was surprisingly comfortable given its small size, with well-placed foot pedals and thigh and knee padding on the inside. After a few instructions about the boats themselves on dry land, we packed up the van and headed to the head waters of Fontana Lake to get in the water and learn some strokes. We did a couple of wet exits where we had to flip the boats upside down, unattach our spray skirts, then slide out of the boat to the surface. Then Drev taught us how to do forward and sweep strokes the correct way. Since we are both basically self-taught kayakers, we had developed some bad paddling habits. I learned the best way to hold the paddle and how to rotate my torso more through my sweep strokes.

Chip in the van on the way to Fontana Lake for our Discover River Kayaking course

We ate sandwiches in the van on the way to the Little Tenneesee river where we would paddle down river to apply what we had learned. We put-in on the Little Tennessee River on Needmore Road, 1.5 miles past Wiggins Creek Road. We'd take-out at Wiggins Creek Road. The cabin that we'd stayed in for our past two trips to Nantahala was just up Wiggins Creek Road. We thought it was pretty darn cool that we were going to paddle the river we had been driving by for two years to get to our cabin. The paddle was enjoyable and challenging all at the same time. It was hard as hell to keep that short little boat straight. My Pungo 120 tracks straight so easily. It was difficult to get used to the fact that the whitewater kayaks aren't built to track straight. We both gave it everything we had and ran some fun but small rapids.

Near the end of our trip down the river, there was a rock with a good eddy line where we practiced eddy turns. Eddy turns were the hardest part for me. An eddy is basically a spot in the river where the current flows in the opposite direction because of a rock or some object in the river. Water will flow upstream to fill the spot that is obstructed by the rock. The eddy line is where the down and upstream currents meet. When done correctly, the opposing currents of the eddy line will turn your boat for you, and you just are along for the ride.

But, in order to do an eddy turn correctly, you have to lean into the turn, tilt the boat, and sweep on the outside. I was not at all comfortable doing this. Every time I'd try to lean into the turn, I'd get scared of flipping and my reflexes would snap me back out of my lean - which was probably the worse thing I could do. We practiced eddy turns on this rock 10 or 15 times, but I never felt like I got it right. Chip did the eddy turns very well. Drev was willing to stick with me until I nailed it, but it was getting on 3 PM and I was tired and frustrated. We had been paddling upstream in a moderately moving current over and over to get to the eddy, and I was just about beat. We packed up and headed back to the NOC where we had cold beers and watched the USA vs. Ghana soccer match.

I loved the kayaking class and being on the beautiful water. I'm still not convinced that whitewater kayaking is for me. I'm generally not much of a risk taker, so I think it would be difficult for me to expand my skills. And you can't really get better at it without taking some risks. I think I'm more of a "sit back and look at the view and water" kind of paddler.

Saturday night there was a band playing at the Pourover Pub at the NOC. We were planning to go after dinner, but I was exhausted. I convinced Chip to head back to the cabin where I had a cup of tea and enjoyed a magnificent sunset.

On Sunday we rented two single duckies (inflatable kayaks) and paddled the Nantahala River. Wow, was it awesome! We were both surprised at how much fun we had. I tried not to always take the "safe" line down the river and rode some great rapids. The Nantahala River is cold - about 53F - because the water is sourced from the bottom of a deep dam. It was a hot, humid day, and on the calmer portions of the river there was a deep layer of steam as the warm air hit the cool water. In those portions we floated down the river in a haze, and it felt like a sweet dream.

Enjoying beers and dinner after a fun day on the river

Monday morning we got all of our gear together for the hiking leg of our trip. We were both feeling a bit run down from two days of paddling, so we slept in a bit and took our time packing up. At the same time we both sort of wanted to go do the river again because we'd had so much fun. But, I could hear Gregory Bald calling me up to its summit even though the weather forecast wasn't looking too good. There was a 60% chance of rain on Monday and 40% on Tuesday.

Our trip plan:
Day 1 - Twentymile Ranger Station to CS#92 via Twentymile and Long Hungry Ridge trails
Day 2 - CS#92 to CS#13 via Long Hungry Ridge and Gregory Bald trails
Day 3 - CS#13 to Twentymile Ranger Station via Wolf Ridge and Twentymile trails

Beginning our hike at Twentymile Ranger Station

We started hiking at 12:45 PM from Twentymile - elevation 1300 ft - with temperatures in the high 80s. Right as we were starting our hike we passed a man and his son. The boy was wearing a bug net hat, and after about 20 minutes on the trail, I was wishing I had one, too. The bugs were really annoying. They weren't biting too bad but were buzzing all around my eyes, nose, and mouth. I sniffed up quite a few of them as we walked along. It was gross!

Twentymile Trail is a wide jeep road that follows along Twentymile Creek. We crossed over Twentymile Creek seven times on wide, wooden bridges. After 3.1 miles, we hung a left and walked another 1.1 miles to campsite #92, Upper Flats. In 4.2 miles we'd gained 1200 feet in elevation.

We arrived at an empty campsite at around 3:15 PM and immediately got out the tent and began to set it up. Clouds were rolling in and rain was threatening. Sure enough, we started to hear thunder, and about two minutes after we got the tent set up, a nice afternoon shower rolled through. We took naps in the tent while the rain gave everything a good soaking. As we were waking up, we saw a doe walk straight through the campsite about 20 yards from us. She was heading towards Twentymile Creek.
Later Chip got a campfire started, and I explored the campsite. There were two bear cable systems at the campsite, and on the other set of bear cables, I found at least six bags of trash hanging. In one of the other fire rings, I found burned beer and food cans. I don't understand why people think that aluminum cans burn. As for the trash, I do wonder if maybe some volunteers cleaned up the entire area and were planning to come back for the trash bags. I find it hard to believe that one group could pack in that much junk then leave all of the trash behind.

Trash hanging on the bear cable system
Self-portrait with camera timer

For our dinner I boiled water with my new Brunton kettle, and we had Mountain House Chicken a la King along with tortillas and peanut butter. It was really good, and with it we enjoyed a Coppola Merlot that we carried up in a Sigg bottle. Not the lightest thing ever, but it felt so good to relax with a glass of wine.
By 9:15 PM we had cleaned up after dinner and were watching the lightening bugs light up the forest when it started to rain again. We called it a night, hung our packs on the bear cables while it sprinkled, and retired for the night. We were still the only group at the campsite. It continued to storm all night. At one point the bottom really fell out of it, and the rain fell HARD. I was so scared our tent (Big Agnes Emerald Mountain SL3) would leak, but it never did. Unfortunately, the rain meant that we couldn't open the sides of the rain fly for a breeze, so we didn't get any cross-ventilation in the tent. It was a warm night, and neither of us slept too well in the wet, muggy weather.

For breakfast on Tuesday, we had oatmeal and trail mix with Starbucks Via and more peanut butter on tortillas. During breakfast, I decided that I wasn't feeling up to carrying a full pack. I wasn't feeling too strong and I knew that to get to Gregory Bald, we'd hike 4 miles gaining 2500 feet. Chip was happy to carry a pack with just lunch, water, and day hiking supplies.

We started up Long Hungry Ridge towards Gregory Bald around 9:20 AM. We kept our water shoes on for three wet crossings of Twentymile Creek, then changed to hiking boots. The next 3 miles were tough. It was another warm day in the 80s. After we passed through the Rye Patch at 4400 feet, the trail started to level off, and the sun began peeking through the canopy. Undergrowth really takes off in all that sun, and it was practically covering the trail. The trail wasn't hard to find, but it was difficult to walk through the weeds. They were up to my chest in some places. I wish I had gotten a photo of how overgrown it was.
Just after Rich Gap, we saw a doe just off the trail, maybe 25 feet away from us. She did not seem scared of us at all. I pulled out my camera to get a photo just as she was walking off.
Around 12:30 PM we reached the summit of Gregory Bald and immediately sat down for lunch (Tuna Bruschetta, a FBC recipe from sarbar). I was starving. It had definitely been a Long, Hungry climb. I probably should have eaten a snack on the way up. We sat in a grassy grove of tulip trees. It was so peaceful and cool. For a while, we were enveloped in a cloud. We saw one other couple having a picnic up on the summit.

Summit marker on Gregory Bald: 4949 feet

The views from the bald were amazing. Even with the cloud coverage that we had, I could clearly see Cades Cove to the north. The sky was dark gray, then baby blue in the clear spots. Most of the flame azaleas were past peak, but a few shrubs were still in full bloom. The blooms were amazing. The color is so vivid and rich. These shrubs with their bright colors are natural on the bald.

Cades Cove in the distance Chip is taking in the view Flame azaleas What I saw as I approached the summit. My favorite photo of the bald.

Around 1:45 PM we decided it was time to start heading down. I started feeling like crap about a mile into our hike back to the campsite. I think this was a result of getting too hungry on the hike up and then eating lunch too fast. My stomach was not happy with it. Given my state of well-being, we had to take it pretty slow on the way back to the campsite.

When we got to the campsite at about 3:45 PM, I was still feeling pretty awful, so we decided to pack everything up and head out. The forecast called for more rain still, and I was just not up for it. I rested for a bit, drank plenty of water, and started to feel a little bit better. Our goal was to be back at the truck by 6 PM. We'd already walked about 9 miles and had 4 more to go.

The last few miles down Twentymile Trail were hard. Thank goodness we were walking along Twentymile Creek. The sound of water crashing against rocks is so magical to me, almost hypnotic. We had stepped over Twentymile Creek in water shoes just a few miles back. By the time it reaches Lake Cheoah at the bottom of Gregory Bald, it is a strong, gushing stream that cannot be safely forged.

We made it back to the truck and started up the engine at 6 PM on the dot. Funny how things work out. We got Gatorade at Fontana Village, then headed over to Nantahala Village to find a room for the night. We were lucky to get one at the last minute. We headed back to the NOC for dinner and a late night at the pub.

Wednesday morning we slept late and bought a car full of beer at the Wesser General Store. We bought all kinds of wonderful beer that you cannot get in Mississippi. My favorite is the mini-keg of Bell's Oberon Ale. Chip's favorite is Dale's Pale Ale. We made our way to Birmingham where we ate at Highland's Bar and Grill, a 2010 James Beard Most Outstanding Restaurant nominee. I had a guinea hen with morel and porcini mushrooms and white wine sauce over yummy, buttery mashed potatoes. It was heaven on a platter. I really want to try to recreate that dish at home. Just looking for a supplier of guinea hen now.

Looking back, I really wish I had been able to make it up the mountain with my pack. I wish I would have trained more so that I could have better handled the weight and the climb. I so wanted to camp at Sheep Pen Gap (CS#13) and enjoy a sunset on the bald. Chip and I really need to analyze our pack contents to shave off weight, too. That probably starts with buying a scale. We don't even own one.

We are already thinking about our next trip up to the Smokies. I realized on this trip that Chip has never done any of the trails that made me fall in love with this part of the country: Alum Cave Bluffs, Chimney Tops, the AT to Charlie's Bunion. The views on those trails are what hooked me, and I think it is time I shared those experiences with Chip, too.

Want to see even more photos? View them on my Picasa.

Fabulous Fourth

2010-07-04T13:49:00.000-05:00

I've been on a wonderful, long vacation since June 25. Chip and I paddled two new rivers in North Carolina, camped in the Smokies, and climbed a mountain. Then on the way home, we had an awesome meal at a James Beard award winning restaurant in Birmingham -- Highlands Bar and Grill. And for the past couple of days I've been taking it easy. Gardening, cooking some delicious meals for my hubby, and enjoying some yummy beer (that you can't get in ol'Mississippi) by the pool.

This coming week I'll post some photos from our trip, but today I'm going to chill by the pool with a Mother Earth Weeping Willow Wit beer while we grill out. I just put some parmesan scalloped potatoes and fennel in the oven and am marinating some chicken in my favorite homemade BBQ sauce from Barefoot Contessa. I wish y'all were here to chill with me!

Have a safe a happy July 4th, y'all! God Bless America! We are so blessed.

-- Posted from my iPhone with BlogPress

Rain!

2010-06-23T17:54:00.005-05:00

I finally broke down this morning and pulled out the sprinklers to water the front lawn. I watered it really well for about an hour. Of course you know what that means. It started raining shortly after I put the sprinkler away, and we've had three good showers throughout the day.

My vegetables are certainly happy about it, even if I'm not thrilled with the timing. I've got beautiful Swiss chard, a teeny tiny yellow squash, two tomatoes, and a mini-bell pepper.

Now, call me crazy, but I don't love plain raw tomatoes. I adore them cooked in a sauce or in salsa or even chopped on a salad. When the first tomato ripens this season, I am going to slice it up, layer it with sliced mozzarella cheese and basil, then drizzle the whole thing with some balsamic vinegar, olive oil, a little kosher salt, and some pepper. That's a caprese salad, and I think for me it will be the perfect celebration of the summer's first tomato.

Hot June

2010-06-18T09:52:00.005-05:00

The weather over the past two-and-a-half weeks has been HOT and DRY. We've either topped or have been close to 100F heat indexes every day. I've been caught in pop-up thunderstorms all over the state, but none at MY HOUSE. That means I've been busy watering my vegetable and herb gardens and my new plantings in the patio and azalea gardens, but I have not yet watered the front porch beds or the lawn. Well, today it looks like I'll have to. Lacecap hydrangea in the shady front bed and shasta daisies in my perennial bed are looking pretty awful. In the spring I planted hot pink geraniums, dark purple petunias, and white sweet alyssum in these pots on either side of the front door. I was really hoping that by the Fourth of July, they'd all be bursting with color, and I'd have a creative red-white-and-blue container. The alyssum did great for a while, but it hasn't put on any new blooms. Any suggestions on how to get it to put on more? It is the lacey plant in the front.

Happy Friday! I can't wait to get out in the yard tomorrow. I've got a few things on my list.

Replace lantana in the front porch bed. I FINALLY finished weeding and cleaning out the bed, and now I need new lantana plants. Can you believe I haven't been able to find ANY 'New Gold' lantana at the garden centers this year? WTH? Three years ago the garden centers were drowning in the stuff. All I can find this year is some no-label lantana that is lemon yellow. But I want 'New Gold'!
Pull up fennel plants. Again, they never made bulbs, just started producing a flower stalk once it got hot. This year is the last year I try fennel in the spring. It just doesn't work. I am going to try it this fall, but it seems I never have enough space for it in the fall.
Plant butternut squash 'Autumn Glow' and beans 'Burpee's Tenderpod' where fennel was.

As hot as it is supposed to be tomorrow (96F is the high, with a heat index well above 100F), I am sure that will be plenty!

Another Summer Salad

2010-06-17T21:43:00.006-05:00

This week I pulled out another salad recipe from my summer arsenal. This recipe combines crusty wheat bread with feta cheese, basil, balsamic dressing, and tomatoes. The surprise in this recipe is the edamame. I clipped this recipe from Better Homes and Gardens quite a few years ago, and I have to admit that I didn't even try it until last summer. The combination of ingredients didn't really appeal to me at first. But out of necessity last summer to make something with some leftovers, I pulled out this recipe and gave it a try. I was so impressed! First of all, the feta, yogurt, and basil spread that goes on the bread is divine. I can eat it by itself with crackers. Then the sweet bite of the tomatoes and crunchiness of the beans really takes it up a notch. Definitely give this recipe a try soon!

EDAMAME BREAD SALAD
3/4 cup feta cheese
1/2 cup Greek yogurt or plain low-fat yogurt
2 Tbsp. snipped fresh basil
1 small clove garlic, minced
2 12-oz. pkgs. frozen soybeans (edamame)
1-1/2 lbs. fresh green beans, trimmed
1 recipe Balsamic Dressing, below
2 cups yellow cherry tomatoes, halved
12 slices crusty country bread, toasted
Fresh basil leaves

In bowl combine feta cheese and yogurt. Using fork mash into paste. Add basil and garlic, mash to blend. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate, covered, up to 8 hours.
In saucepan bring 8 cups lightly salted water to boiling. Add soybeans and green beans; return to boiling. Reduce heat and cook, covered, 6 to 8 minutes or until tender. Drain; cool. Prepare Balsamic Dressing.
Add tomatoes to bean mixture. Drizzle 1/2 of dressing; toss to coat. Refrigerate, covered, up to 8 hours. Toss before serving.
Spread feta mixture on bread slices; place slice on serving plate; mound bean mixture on top. Drizzle remaining dressing; sprinkle basil.

Balsamic Dressing:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons each balsamic vinegar and red wine vinegar
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, lightly packed
2 tablespoons whipping cream

In blender combine first 5 ingredients; blend until smooth. Add cream; blend to mix. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Summer Cocktails

2010-06-15T11:17:00.004-05:00

On Sunday night, Chip made us two yummy, warm-weather cocktails. For me, a Pink Salty Dog. For himself, a Blackberry-Mint Julep. Both recipes I'd clipped from Martha Stewart a few years ago.
My salty dog was so delicious! It reminded me of a grapefruit flavored margarita. I didn't try the julep because I'm not really a fan of bourbon, but Chip said it was delicious, too.

Summer Salads

2010-06-15T07:18:00.004-05:00

This week I've made two of my favorite summer salads, and I thought I'd share my recipes.

STRAWBERRY SALAD

1/4 cup water
1/4 cup cream of coconut
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp poppy seeds
6 cups baby spinach
3 cups sliced fresh strawberries
2 cups cubed fresh pineapple
1 banana, sliced
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

For dressing, in a small bowl whisk together water, cream of coconut, lemon juice, mustard, ginger, and poppy seeds. Cover and refrigerate the dressing until cool. To serve, toss together spinach, strawberries, pineapple, and banana with the dressing until coated. Sprinkle with almonds. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

CORN SALAD

1/2 cup lime juice
2 Tbsp honey
1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
3 Tbsp snipped fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp salt
6 fresh ears of corn, husked, and cleaned
4 cups baby spinach
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
3/4 cup seeded chopped cucumber

In a large bowl, whisk together lime juice and honey until well combined. Stir in jalapeño pepper, cilantro, and salt. Carefully cut corn kernels off cobs. Add to lime juice mixture. Add spinach, tomato, and cucumber, and toss to combine. Serve immediately. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

I made the Corn Salad on Sunday and served it with Mark Bittman's Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce grilled in a cast iron grill skillet in the house. It was way to hot to cookout on Sunday! Then, I made the Strawberry Salad on Monday. I think I clipped both of these salad recipes from Better Homes and Gardens magazine a few years ago. For the strawberry salad, you could definitely use canned pineapple and store bought poppy seed dressing to make a super easy side salad. The corn salad is a fantastic side with Tex-Mex or Mexican food. It is one of my very favorite salads and is a great way to use fresh corn, tomatoes, and cucumbers from the veggie garden or the farmers' market.

Chip and Lisa at Wormsloe Plantation in Savannah

2010-06-11T11:41:00.004-05:00

I just noticed I didn't post any photos of me and Chip from the Savannah trip. Well, here are a couple from the set. Fun times.

Signs of Summer

2010-06-07T09:25:00.006-05:00

I had a great day on Saturday working on one of the "bad and ugly" spots in my backyard. I'm about 70% done, and I can't wait to finish up this project and show everyone my accomplishments in this section of the garden! In order to finish it fully, I've got to wait for fall so I can divide some massive daylilies that were needing to be divided 2 years ago. I do love dividing plants. How cool is it to start with one big plant and end up with two, three, or four little plants that will grow into big plants?! I think it is GREAT.

Part of my "bad and ugly" rehaul this Saturday consisted of dividing four ornamental grasses (variety t.b.d.) into ten clumps, planting two 'Tropicanna' cannas, dividing two agapanthus (a.k.a. Lily of the Nile, 'Ellamae' variety) into 6 plants with some babies that I will try to root.

A couple weekends ago, I moved 3 junpiers. Two of them never took to the new spot, so I pulled them out and planted three new junipers in their place. Then, I remembered that I had two blue oat grasses drowning under all those daylilies, so I moved those, too. The oat grasses reseed freely, so I am hoping that they'll take off in their new spot. I have lots of space for them to fill.

During all of this work (oh, my aching back!), a nice rain shower came through to cool things off. I was working in the rain under a big oak tree, but then I started to get soaked, ran under the porch, and watched the storm pass. I started working in the yard around 9 AM and before I knew it, it was 3:30 PM and I hadn't had a bite to eat. I was really "in the zone"!

On Sunday it was pretty dang hot, but Chip manned the grill for a cookout and pool party with our friends. I made my fish tacos with baked fish, grilled pork tacos from a Rick Bayless recipe, and Chip made grilled banana splits! Everything was so good. It really feels like summer is here.

My perennial corner in the front garden is saying summer is here, too. Just this morning one yellow gladiolus and one shasta daisy ('Becky' variety) have opened up. It won't be long before this area is full of color. Last week, the echinacea popped open, too. This variety is called 'Sundown'.
And my mother-in-law brought me a cupcake and this gorgeous vinca because I'd had a tough week. Isn't she sweet?!
Happy Monday, y'all! Have a good week.

The Vine Borer Battle Continues

2010-06-02T21:53:00.000-05:00

This evening I found four holes in three of my squash plants and orangey sawdust stuff coming from the holes. After all my searching for and squishing vine borer eggs, I guess a few still hatched and ate their way into my plants. I extracted the icky worms and smooshed them. They were tiny, not even half the size of a pencil eraser.

One of the plants didn't need much repair at all, but two others needed major surgery. I washed out the holes, staked the plants, and mounded soil around the wounds. I need to keep a good watch over them because they are blooming, and that means I'm only a few weeks away from squash!

Some of my Swiss chard is ready this week, and I'm planning to cook a new dish with the chard, garbanzo beans, and feta cheese. If it turns out good, I'll post the recipe.

Who else out there is happy that we have a short work week? I know I am!

A Long Weekend In Savannah, Georgia

2010-06-01T17:54:00.005-05:00

When my friends Casey, Leah, and I get together, we always have a great time. We had a wonderful weekend at Casey's house in Birmingham back in 2008. Casey and Leah both got married last year, so we decided this year we would include our husbands in the "girls' weekend". This year Casey was gracious enough to have us meet up at her house again, this time in Savannah, Georgia.

Chip and I met up with the crew on Saturday morning and had a delightful lunch at Back in the Day Bakery. I had a ham and grueyere sandwich on rosemary ciabatta slathered with sweet butter. It really hit the spot after the drive in from Atlanta. We headed down to the River Street historic district where we shopped, drank Sweet Water 420 drafts, walked around, people watched, and chatted. The weather was perfect: breezy, not too hot and no chill in the air.

Saturday night Casey cooked dinner for all of us. She made a fabulous dish of roasted cornish hens stuffed with a wheat bread, ricotta, rosemary, and sausage stuffing. It was so delicious - seriously good! As if we weren't wowed enough, she plated it with roasted asparagus and arugula salad. It was divine. After much talking and wine, Casey whipped up some cream to top off pound cake with fresh strawberries and peaches. After dinner, the boys puffed on cigars on the deck and the girls watched a chick flick. So fun!

On Sunday we slept late and chilled before our 6 pm date with a kayak tour guide! Casey called and hooked us up with a guide from PaddleFish. I was pumped about the possibility of seeing dolphins and everyone else seemed to be excited about getting on the water, too.

Literally 3 minutes after we all got in the water, some dolphins came right up to the marina and really put on a show. I don't know how I didn't get any pictures! I guess I was just in awe of seeing them, and forgot all about getting photos. Two dolphins jumped in & out of the water and swam near the marina for a good 10 minutes. It was great!

After we saw the dolphins, we really had to dig in to make it to the tidal creek - the tide was coming in as we were paddling down river and the wind was blowing into our faces. Once we made it to the creek though, we had a nice slow paddle. And the paddle back was even easier. All we had to do was ride the tide in and paddle a stoke here and there to keep straight.

Michael, Leah, and Chip

Brian

Casey and Michael

Our group on the tidal creek

Sun setting on the river

Michael. Casey, Leah, and Brian

After some beers and dinner at Tubby's Tank House, we headed to a ghost tour of downtown Savannah. But this tour was special. We all hopped into the back of a hearse and listened to the guide tell us chilling stories about many of the haunted places in Savannah.

I am so lucky to have such good friends! We had a great time catching up and sharing some of the things we love to do. I can't wait to do it again next year!

Squash Vine Borer Eggs

2010-05-23T09:39:00.004-05:00

Yellow crookneck squash. Along with tomatoes and cucumbers, it is one of the foods that just says summer. If all goes well, then you are putting baskets full of squash in the break room at work just to get rid of the stuff. But if your vines are attacked by the hated squash vine borer, then you are kicking yourself wondering why it won't grow for you.

My battle with squash vine borers started last year. They ruined my squash, zucchini, and cucumbers. This year, I've done lots of research, and I am fighting back. I found a great post from a gardener in Texas who keeps a wonderful gardening blog called Rock Rose. She's been documenting her fight with the vine borers, and because her plants are about a month ahead of mine, I am learning what to do ahead of time. She's even found a squash vine borer moth in the act of laying eggs!

So, how do these awful bugs kill squash? A full grown larva or pupa will overwinter in the soil one to two inches below the soil surface. The larva pupates in the spring, and the orange and black moth emerges from the soil and lays eggs on the stems of squash plants. One to two weeks later, the larva hatches and quickly bores into the stems of the squash plant. They usually leave a trail of orange sawdust-like frass at the entry point. Inside the hollow stems of the squash plant, the larva feeds for 14 to 30 days before exiting the stem to pupate in the soil. In Mississippi, there can be up to two vine borer generations per year. Ew!

My fight this year starts with removing the eggs. I found and smooshed five eggs earlier this week and two more today. To show you how small there are, I left a piece of pine straw in the second photo. I've read that these eggs are only 1/32 of an inch!

Pink and Purple

2010-05-20T09:06:00.004-05:00

I love how Endless Summer hydrangeas tell you about the pH your soil by displaying either pink or blue blooms. Alkaline soil produces pink flowers. Acid soil produces blue flowers. I have some purple, some pink, but most of my blooms are pink with some purple accents. Yesterday evening, they were all ready for their close-ups.

More Veggies and Hydrangea Time!

2010-05-19T13:41:00.005-05:00

I have six hydrangea shrubs and all of them are blooming! Four of them are the Endless Summer variety, one is a white "mophead" type hydrangea (that doesn't seem to be an "Annabelle variety), and the other is a lacecap. I cut some of the Endless Summer blooms today to bring inside.

Over the weekend I harvested the rest of the carrots in order to make room for peppers.

Fennel, Swiss chard, leeks, and garlic are all coming along nicely.

New additions over the weekend:
Red bell pepper
Yellow bell pepper
Yummy bell pepper (orange mini-bell)
Roma tomatoes (4 plants - what was I thinking?!)

Sunday afternoon we found this little guy hanging out on the garden hose. He made lots of noise once the sun went down.

Thursday Night Kayaking Club

2010-05-14T09:18:00.005-05:00

We went out on the Yazoo River again last night, and it was great. I am calling it our Thursday Night Kayaking Club because we are trying to get a group together to go out on Thursday evening from the dowtown Vicksburg put in. Attendance at our first paddle was excellent. We had seven people show up to paddle. Last night, there were only three of us. We explored the western banks of the Yazoo River near Centennial Lake. Then, headed up near the port of Vicksburg.

I took some photos of our last adventure, but I didn't remember to take any last night. Here are the photos from our April paddle.

Early May Vegetables

2010-05-13T08:14:00.004-05:00

I have harvested a few vegetables so far this May. Four carrots (one was white??), a bowlful of lettuce, a sad little broccoli stem, and some sugar snap peas.

The broccoli never did much. I purchased broccoli transplants from The Tasteful Garden this year. They arrived on March 3rd (their earliest possible ship date), and I got them in the ground on March 9th. Very soon after that, we had highs in the 80s, so it was just too hot for them. According to the Mississippi Department of Agriculture's planting guide, I really should have the plants in the ground by February 12 and no later than March 1. I might try broccoli again in the fall and see how it does.

Today the lettuce is on its last leg because the temperatures are reaching the lower 90s this week. I can probably get one more good harvest out of it, but I need to do that today or tomorrow.

I've had my best carrot harvest yet. The white carrot was a bit of a mystery. Maybe it was a parsnip? Not sure how it got in the Scarlet Nantes carrot seed envelope.

And lastly, the sugar snaps are delicious! The photo above is our second harvest of about 10 or 12 pods. I think we'll get at least two or three more harvests.

A few more carrots and some of the Swiss chard leaves should be ready to harvest early next week. I'm really looking forward to it!

Help! Mexican Fan Palm

2010-04-30T09:20:00.004-05:00

My dear Mexican Fan Palm is on its last leg. We had a colder than normal winter, and lots of the tropical plants around here bit the dust. My neighbor had a gorgeous 6-foot agave that was the focal point of her front garden. It was in front of a pretty bay window and I oooed and ahhhed at it every time I walked past. I was in shock when I walked by one day last month and saw the whole thing in pieces on the sidewalk for the garbage men to pick up. It just got too cold for too many days, and it wasn't bouncing back. Boo-hoo!

I think my 8-foot Mexican Fan Palm may be about to experience the same fate, but, please! Say it ain't so!

When we visited New Orleans back in mid-February, my mom came by to feed Walle. And she decided to do a little yard work to "help" out. Well, two bad things happened that weekend. One - She pruned my spirea into nice, round balls. Lovely, right?

Two - She also cut back my palms. As in, she took off all of the fronds. Yes, the fronds were brown and not looking great, but I also know that the tree will continue to pull food from the fronds even as they are brown... so it has been my policy not to trim them until I see new growth popping out. After the trim, this is all I have left...

I do see some green peeking out on what is left of the fronds, so I can only hope that it has some life left in it. Does anyone have any advice about what to do? I am really at a loss. My other palm, which is only about 3 feet tall, is slowly putting out a new frond. But this one hasn't budged an inch.

More Clematis Blooms

2010-04-30T07:57:00.007-05:00

Last week I posted the gorgeous blooms of H.F. Young clematis. I really can't believe I bought that lovely plant on sale at Home Depot. I hope it continues to thrive on the pool pump fence.

This week my two other clematis vines are blooming. These vines are Franziska Marie (purple) and Henryi (white). I have them growing on a black iron obelisk-like trellis. You can hardly see the trellis anymore! These two vines were very slow growing the first few years. I bought them to hide the ugly kitchen range vent pipe.

I first planted them in 2006, and they were just a few feet tall by the end of the growing season that year. Last year the vines finally produced lots of pretty blooms. And now this year! Wow! The vines are huge.

They say clematis like their feet in the shade and their shoulders in the sun. If that is the case, then H.F. Young is in exactly the right spot. The other two - not so much. Those vines get around two to three hours of sun in the afternoon, and that's about it. Maybe that explains why H.F. Young took off so quickly, while the other two were very slow to develop.

Either way, I'm happy with the placement of these vines, and I'm happy that Henryi and Franziska Marie have finally grown so large.

Clematis Blooms on Earth Day

2010-04-22T08:44:00.001-05:00

As I watered my vegetable garden this morning, I couldn't help but think about how lucky I am to have this little plot of land on the Earth, so big and diverse. Today, do something to show your respect for the planet.

As promised, I went to the Mississippi Farmers Market on Saturday to check out what they had in mid-April. I was hoping for produce, but I didn't find much. I did, however, pick up farm fresh eggs from BobKat Farms in Florence, MS. I am most excited about my purchase of one half of a grass fed, free range lamb from Livingston Springs Farm in Madison county. This share includes a leg, rack, chops, ribs, a shoulder roast, and 2-3 pounds of ground lamb. The lamb will ready in early fall, just in time to try out some fall lamb recipes. I've never cooked lamb at all before, but Chip and I both like it. It will definitely be a new experience for me!

Ok, enough meat talk. Let's get to the flowers! Clematis H.F. Young is in full bloom. This vine is right outside my bedroom window, so it is the first thing I see when I open the blinds each morning. Soon the jasmine will be blooming, too.

- Posted from my iPhone with BlogPress

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

2010-04-16T15:31:00.000-05:00

While I was watering my veggies at lunch today, I noticed that one of my fennel plants was looking very bare.

Upon further inspection, I found this little guy chomping away. A little research tells me this is a Black Swallowtail caterpillar, and they love fennel, dill, and Queen Anne's lace.

I plopped him in a bucket and tossed him over the fence. I hope he doesn't come back! But, I do wonder how he found my fennel. Or, maybe the little eggs were attached to one of the plants all along? I need to inspect them better!

Garden Bloggers Sustainible Living Project

2010-04-15T07:52:00.004-05:00

In recognition of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22, Jan over at Thanks for Today is asking garden bloggers to post about ways they are actively practicing a greener lifestyle and contributing to protecting our environment. Jan calls it the Garden Bloggers Sustainable Living Project.

On Earth Day 2008, I described the things we do on a daily basis to respect the Earth and live a greener lifestyle. We recycle, buy CFLs, bring reuseable bags to the grocery store, use cloth napkins instead of paper, buy recycled toilet paper, and compost. We still practice these activities, and over the past two years, we've added a few others.

1. We eat locally when we can
I try my best to grow yummy veggies, and this fall I increased our plantable space by moving a raised bed. I am working on getting my produce yields up so that we will have more home grown produce. But, I am also trying to make the farmers market a priority on Saturday mornings. The Mississippi Farmers Market in Jackson is such a wonderful resource. Can you believe this is what they have this week? Cornish Game Hens, farm fresh eggs, buttercrunch lettuce, goat cheese, shares of free range and grass fed beef and lamb, local honey, fresh herbs, and strawberries! I am going to hit it up on Saturday morning. I can't wait to blog about what I got!

2. We eat less meat
There are many studies out there that show that meat production (factory farming) contributes to climate change. Cows especially contribute to climate change because of all the methane they put back into the environment. Recently, a study by the Worldwatch Institute found that half of the world's greenhouse emissions are produced by the livestock and poultry industry. I am not a vegetarian, but in our house we have chicken only once a week. Once a month we'll have beef or pork. The rest of the time I cook vegetarian or we have fish or shrimp. If you haven't seen the documentary Food, Inc. go rent it now. It will change the way you look at factory farmed meat and processed foods.

3. I shop secondhand
I've been trying to make this more of a priority lately. When I need something, I try to hit up the secondhand/antique/junk stores before I buy it brand new. I've found an awesome lamp, some pretty table linens, water glasses, even funky jewelry. You'd be amazed at what you can find in these places.

4. I reuse what I can
I bought this countertop plastic bag dryer at gaiam.com and it has more than paid for itself in ziplock savings! I don't think I've had to purchase any since we got this thing.

5. We get our butts outside!!
There's nothing that will encourage you to love the planet Earth like spending time with it will! I like to hit up the local Nature Center for a walk or the Natchez Trace for a bike ride or the Yazoo River to kayak. I adore Smoky Mountains National Park. Since I first ventured to the park as a 19-year-old on Spring Break, I've looked for excuses to return. I'm going back in June to see the azaleas in bloom on Gregory Bald. It will be my 6th trip. I encourage everyone to find something they like to do outside that is close to home. Even if it is just a favorite walk through a pretty neighborhood or forest. There are opportunities to enjoy Earth all around us!

Irises in the Evening Light

2010-04-14T08:06:00.008-05:00

This is probably my last iris post for a while. I don't want to bore y'all with photos of the same plants over and over. I am so happy with this part of my garden this year. It seems that after four years of trial and error, this area is finally looks how I always knew it could. I took these photos as the sun was going down, from 5:40 pm to about 6:20 pm.

I turned the compost pile yesterday evening and harvested over 15 gallons of gorgeous, black compost. I've already used about 5 gallons of it on my veggies. I plan to give some to my mom to supplement the clay-heavy soil in her vegetable garden. I'll find plenty of uses for the rest of it, I'm sure!

Irises in the Morning Light

2010-04-13T08:27:00.005-05:00

The irises are exploding into blooms this morning. I can't believe how healthy this patch has become. When I moved in to this house, the irises were in two shady spots, and I had just a few blooms that first spring. I vowed to move them to a sunnier location, so I built a bed around a gum tree and moved them on New Year's Day in 2008. In 2009 the blooms were just mediocre. Here are some blooms from this morning.

The morning light isn't the best, so I am going to try to take more photos this evening. I also have my first clematis bloom of the season. This variety is H. F. Young.

Irises in Bloom

2010-04-10T18:37:00.002-05:00

I got home from Oxford today and found that my irises are starting to bloom. Aren't they beautiful?

- Posted from my iPhone with BlogPress

Easter Morning

2010-04-04T10:28:00.006-05:00

My little garden in suburban Mississippi is coming to life. We've had a late spring. The azaleas, phlox, spirea, and confederate jasmine are just now blooming. I took a walk around my garden this morning and took photos of the flowers and foliage waking up to spring. Happy Easter!

Corner bed filled with perennials. Because we had such a hard freeze this winter, the verbena did not come back. I am missing their pretty cascading blooms.

Gladiolus (gladioli?) popping up. These are passalongs from Grandma. I received even more this spring.

Phlox

First iris buds.

Hydrangea, hostas, Autumn ferns, and cast-iron plant begin to grow in this shady spot under my mimosa tree.

Bridal Wreath Spirea blooms and frames the front porch steps. My mom top-pruned it a little too hard, so it lost some of its cascading shape. Ooops!She was just trying to be helpful.

Indian Hawthorne buds out.

Bridal Wreath Spirea blooms, in detail.

In the rose garden: Lambs' ears, shasta daisy, all-purple Mexican bush sage, and russian sage. Along with my yellow and peach roses: Ambridge Rose, Tamora, Molineux, and Golden Celebration.

Raised beds for veggies.

The new plum tree ain't lookin' so hot.

Isn't the color on these azaleas divine?

Azalea "Purple Formosa"

Carolina jessamine

Wild Plum

2010-03-31T16:47:00.004-05:00

My in-laws came over for dinner Sunday night, and my father-in-law said he had some wild plum trees that I could have. My FIL dropped by with a tall wild plum tree on Monday. Chip was off on Monday, so he dug the hole and planted the tree. And this is what it looked like when he was done.

Now, I hate to pick on Chip. I know it took him a long time to dig a hole big enough to accomodate the large taproot. But, c'mon. That's really crooked.

So, during my lunch break yesterday, I did what any gardener would do. I dug it up and planted it again. Straight this time.

I plan on working on this neglected portion of my back yard this spring. I've got lots of work to do, but a tree is a great place to start.

My Newest Furniture Project

2010-03-30T20:49:00.008-05:00

For the longest time I'd been looking for a sideboard for our entry way. I wanted something with lots of storage space and two or three doors with drawers. I browsed all of my favorite shops - Country Originals, Antique Shops of Jackson, Interior Spaces, and the High Street Antique Mall in Jackson. I visited Pette's Place and Bon Chic in Clinton. Each time I was in Oxford, I hit up the Mustard Seed and Sugar Magnolia. I never found what I wanted. Eventually, we began looking at the usual suspects - Pottery Barn, Wisteria, Ballard Designs, and NapaStyle - and I picked out a few that I liked.

The Benchwright Buffet from Pottery Barn...

The Solare Sideboard from NapaStyle...

But, the thing is, I wanted something unique and old, and these were both in the upper end of my price range, so I held out a little longer.

On a whim one Saturday, I went in Pette's Place again after yoga class. They are always so sweet in there! It was my lucky day, because I found exactly what I was looking for. It was a great deal, so I snatched it up.

This is what my new sideboard looked like on the day they delivered it. I didn't take an interior shot before I cleaned it out, but let me tell you, it was nasty. A family of mice seemed to have taken residence in one of the upper corners, so I had quite a time cleaning out all of the dust, dirt, and mouse poop. Maybe that's why I got the great deal? It took me two evenings to strip out all of the shelf paper, scrape off all the mouse poop, and wipe it down with Murphy's Oil Soap. Once it was clean, I decided to line it with folded burlap held down with brass tacks.

I relocated one of our paintings from the dining room to rest on top. I love this painting, but it hadn't found the perfect spot in our home until I set it on top of the sideboard. I am so happy with the placement now. This painting is by Sarah Robertson. She is a local artist and will be selling her work at Oxford's Double Decker Arts Festival in April.
Next, I added an orchid in a mirrored pot that I already had. Then I found a beautiful demi-john wine bottle in a old wooden crate at Interior Spaces in Jackson. I've seen these in all the catalogs lately, and I just love them. I placed the bottle on the sideboard. I put our green vase in the crate on the floor. I added a woven runner to tie in the burlap lighting, and then this area was coming together... I just needed one more thing.
I had been eyeing this little lamb at Wisteria, and I decided that she finally had a place in our home...

After I got all of this together (seriously, it took the entire month of February to find all the right pieces), we ended up getting new floors in the living area, entry, and dining area. The original plan was to rip up the stained carpet in the living area and replace it with hardwood to match what we already had. But projects like that rarely go as planned, and we couldn't find any wood to match. We ended up replacing the carpet and the existing wood with new wood.

I am so happy with my new furniture! I love all of the great storage I get with this piece. I am so glad I waited for exactly the right piece and didn't settle. So, here is the finished project (with new floors)...

Sheesh...

2010-03-24T20:44:00.001-05:00

With all this warm weather, the weeds are taking over my shady side garden! Agh! Somebody get in there and weed it! Somebody? Hello? Anybody?

Ok, I guess I'll do it myself.

What is this ugly weed anyway? Because my right shoulder is sore from yanking it out of the ground.

- Posted from my iPhone with BlogPress

Spring Veggie Garden in Progress

2010-03-04T20:40:00.004-06:00

Ladies and gentlemen, meet the spring garden.

garden letters from VivaTerra

On Sunday I seeded sugar snap peas, arugula, baby bok choy, and mesculn mix lettuce greens. Earlier this year I ordered early spring veggie starts from The Tasteful Garden. The Tasteful Garden is located in Alabama, just a little over 300 miles from my house. They aren't certified organic, but they grow their plants using organic techniques. I am happy with that. The store I ordered from last year - Mountain Valley Growers - is certified organic; but it is also almost 2,000 miles from my house.

My veggie starts arrived on Wednesday, and I am thrilled about how beautiful they are. The broccoli, fennel, and leek transplants were surrounded in cardboard, then the pots were wrapped in plastic.

I actually had forgotten that I'd ordered leeks this year. I guess it is time for me to fire up all those delicious Barefoot Contessa recipes with leeks.

Broccoli is my favorite vegetable. All I do is microwave it in a glass, covered dish for 3-4 minutes with a few tablespoons of water. Then, I'll top it with lemon juice and salt.

My favorite fennel recipe is from Giada. You can find it here.

I watered the pots after work today, and I'll put them in the raised beds on Saturday. Spring really is coming, y'all!

A Weekend In New Orleans - Day 2

2010-03-01T18:23:00.013-06:00

On Day 2 we started out early with breakfast in The Sazerac Restaurant at our hotel, The Roosevelt. We had drinks in the Sazerac Bar on our last visit to New Orleans, and decided we had to stay in this historic hotel which first opened in 1893. The lobby of the hotel is impressive. Our room was small but well-appointed. We didn't love the location - a little too far up Canal Street for our preference. We probably won't be staying here next time. It was expensive and definitely a splurge for us.

Baronne Street Entrance

Beautiful Lobby

University Place Entrance

Antique Letterbox

We did some window shopping on Royal Street and stopped to watch many of the street performers that New Orleans is famous for. We saw a jazz band playing from the heart and soul and a quartet singing The Temptations.

We strolled past the huge line for muffulettas at Central Grocery, hit up Greg's Antiques on Decatur Street, then decided we would have lunch at Bayona. On our way to Bayona, we laughed and gawked at the decorated porches, all celebrating Mardi Gras and the Saints. ANNOUNCING: HELL FROZEN OVER + PIGS FLYING... I love it!!!

Saturday lunch at Bayona was a fantastic choice -- one we will be making again. The food was exciting and the meal itself was leisurely-paced. Perfect for a sunny Saturday. We were seated in the courtyard, and (surprise, surprise!) I had a sparkling rose. The Saturday lunch menu features three courses for $25. I started with a simple bibb lettuce salad with a delicious, mustardy balsamic dressing and fine Parmesan cheese. My second course was Indian-spiced fish and chips with lentils and yogurt sauce. I was so happy that I ordered this. The portions were just right. The fish came out hot and was such a great compliment to the cool yogurt sauce and lentils. For dessert, I tried the smoked duck and cashew butter in puff pastry drizzled with pepper jelly. I loved the dish - not too sweet, but just sweet enough to finish a lovely meal.

After a little shopping in the afternoon, we headed back to the hotel to rest. I took my book (but, unfortunately, not my camera) to the cute roof top pool and patio at our hotel. Had it been warmer, it would have been packed, I'm sure.

Dinner Saturday night was at Restaurant August. I've been writing a lot about John Besh on my blog lately. We truly love his restaurants, and our meals at August are always wonderful, but the highlight of Saturday night's meal was the half bottle of Billecart-Salmon Rose. Yes, more sparkling rose. We are obviously addicted! And I really wish I could afford to be addicted to champagne! Just read this description from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate: "The NV Brut Rose is beautifully balanced in its layers of perfumed red fruit, berries and flowers. Clean mineral notes frame a silky, sensual finish. Billecart-Salmon’s NV Brut Rose is one of the most consistently delicious roses readers are likely to find."

As with every trip to New Orleans, I came home from this trip loving life. People there know how to live! Heh - or maybe it is all the lively places that people have to get buzzed... I don't know. But I do know that I am happy to live so close, and I can't wait to get back to try a few new places. Katie recommended Coop's Place and Pravda, and Ginger is trying Green Goddess (it looks delicious).

We don't have any trips planned for the near future. Memorial Day weekend we are visiting with Casey and Leah at Casey and Michael's home in Savannah. Then, in June we are headed back to the Smokies for kayaking classes at the NOC and some backcountry hiking on Gregory Bald. Something tells me that our Big Easy trip will tie me over.

A Weekend In New Orleans - Day 1

2010-02-23T17:07:00.000-06:00

I took some much needed time off this past weekend. On Friday, we headed to New Orleans and ate ourselves silly! We headed back on Sunday, then on Monday I did some spring cleaning that I've been putting off.

Friday's drive to New Orleans was great! I finished reading The Quiet Game by Greg Iles, and Chip listened to music and drove. We left around 11:30 am and pulled into the Crescent City three short hours later.

I read about folks doing a French Quarter "oyster crawl" on the New Orleans Chowhound boards, and I decided we had to try it out. Our list of restaurants to try was ambitious... our plan was to stop in at each spot, have a drink, and try their signature oyster dish.

Luke: raw P&J Oysters
Antoine's: Oysters Rockefeller (the original)
Red Fish Grill: BBQ (basically an oyster fried Buffalo-style... with Crytal hot sauce and blue cheese dipping sauce)
Desire (in the Royal Sonesta): charbroiled

We walked into Luke right at three o'clock and got some great news from our server: from 3pm to 6pm oysters are 25 cents each and drinks are half-off! I immediately ordered a champagne cocktail and a dozen P&Js. We were both starving from having no lunch, so we decided to try a cup of their seafood gumbo, too. I love Luke, and I always recommend it to folks visiting New Orleans.
The restaurant is pretty, with a classic French bistro vibe (although it is much bigger than most bistros in Paris). We've only been for breakfast/brunch/lunch because there are so many other great dinner choices in the area. We have probably eaten there six or more times over the past few years, and the food has always been great. The service... well that is another story. Often slow, sometimes painfully slow. But this time it was perfect! Our server was attentive and friendly, and the timing of the meal was excellent.

Another round of drinks later, and we were ready for the next adventure: Antoine's.

We stopped by the hotel to change into nicer duds (Antoine's is a fancy place after all), and footed it over Canal Street, down Bourbon, to St. Louis Street. We entered the main dining room at around five o'clock, and it simply sparkled! From the brass chandeliers on the ceiling to the mirrors on the walls, down to the pearl-white floors. So pretty! We told the maitre d' we were looking for the Hermes Bar, and we were led to a beautiful bar across a small hallway from the main dining room. Our waiter was fantastic. He was quick and seemed happy to be serving us on a beautiful Friday evening. I had another champagne cocktail - a French '75 - and ordered the Oysters Rockefeller. The food came, we had more drinks, and we watched guests arrive for a wedding rehearsal dinner taking place in one of the fifteen dining rooms at Antoine's. Given that neither of us really liked the oysters, we somehow spent two hours in the bar. As night fell, we observed the ebb and flow of the bar's regulars on a gorgeous Friday night.

At this point, things get a little fuzzy :)

We decided we were done with eating for a while, and we wanted to listen to some music. We headed across the Quarter to d.b.a. where a band was just starting up. Yes, we headed there. And yes, we made it there. But no, we did not make it in any reasonable amount of time.

After four champagne cocktails in four hours, what can I say? I did NOT make an efficient navigator. Somehow we made it down Royal Street, across Esplanade Avenue, and right across Frenchman Street within 30 yards of the bar, and then kept going... We ended up on Elysian Fields a little drunk, laughing our butts off because somehow we ended up in the middle of a movie set. With period costumes. And mules and donkeys pulling old-timey Mardi Gras floats. Hilarious at the time! We walked right through the set while the director was on a ladder with a megaphone. I wish I'd have gotten a photo of that!

We had a round and enjoyed the band, then at nine we were starving again. I was craving the BBQ shrimp that I'd heard about from Mr. B's Bistro. Chip was up for anything, so we headed fifteen blocks or so back up Royal Street for dinner.

The atmosphere in Mr. B's was bright and exciting. New Orleans BBQ shrimp are served shell-on, swimming in the butter-laced BBQ sauce. When my BBQ shrimp arrived, they came with a bowl for the shells, a warm, damp towel so I could wash my hands after peeling them, and a paper bib. My waiter wasted no time tying that bib on me! When I picked up my fork and knife to cut the heads off, he looked at me really suspiciously and asked, "Do you know how to peel shrimp?" Apparently he thought I was going to try to peel all of them with my fork and knife. Once I explained that I was just taking the heads off with the knife, but I fully intended to peel them with my hands, he left me to it. And wow - those were the best shrimp I've ever had! Perfectly tender and the BBQ sauce is to die for. I sopped up every bit of sauce with the delicious french bread, then ended the meal with their bread pudding.

We didn't make it to all or most of our spots on the crawl, but we did have three excellent experiences on Friday. The oysters at Luke were fresh and juicy. At Antoine's, I didn't like the licorice flavor of the Oysters Rockefeller, but I loved the atmosphere. I know now that they add a little herbsaint (licorice/anise-flavored liquor) to the rockefeller topping, and I'm not a fan of that flavoring. Mr. B's BBQ shrimp lived up to the hype, and you can make them at home! The recipe is on their website.

Recipes from My New Orleans by John Besh

2010-02-10T17:11:00.011-06:00

My brother-in-law and sister-in-law gave Chip and me John Besh's My New Orleans for Christmas. John Besh has many restaurants in the New Orleans area. We've been to Restaurant August two or three times, and we never miss brunch at Luke on our weekend visits to New Orleans.

Chip read My New Orleans cover to cover first, and I almost stole it away from him before he finished. As Chip was reading the cookbook, he read many of the stories and recipes from the cookbook aloud to me and would have my mouth watering every night right before bed. I probably dreamed of creole cooking for a week straight! I knew that this was going to be a cookbook I actually cooked from... unlike The French Laundry cookbook that I've ogled but have yet to try a darn recipe.

I made Besh's the Chicken and Sausage Gumbo for the NFC Championship, and it was mighty good! I left out the okra, though, because I just don’t love okra. For Chip's birthday back in October, I made Emeril's Chicken and Sausage Gumbo, and it was neat to compare the two batches. I cheated on the Besh batch because I pulled the meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken. For the Emeril batch, I used only thigh meat. The thigh meat was better, I think, but the recipes were really similar.

For the Super Bowl, I decided to make the Shrimp, Chicken, and Andouille Jambalaya and the Mardi Gras King Cake recipes from My New Orleans. The jambalaya was really good. It was a celebration of pork: bacon, andouille, ground pork sausage, and sliced smoked sausage. We don't eat much pork in our house, so it was definitely a treat. I used crawfish tails instead of shrimp, and that added a yummy twist.

Stirring up all that porky flavor!

I have some reservations on the King Cake recipe. The recipe said the baking temperature and time should be 375F for 30 minutes. I thought the temp was a little too high, and sure enough it turned out dry and a little too brown. I should have pulled it out of the oven earlier or baked it at 350F. Also, Besh's recipe had me sift the cinnamon and nutmeg into the flour. Next time I might try to roll out the dough, shake on some cinnamon sugar, and roll it up jellyroll-style so that there are swirls of cinnamon throughout the braids. But seriously, I can't complain too much, because with a few tweaks, it will be a showstopper. Just look at this cake!

I forgot to take photos until I had already mixed the dough, kneaded for 15 minutes (!), and let it take its first rise. And from there...

Rolling out the dough for the braid.

The recipe said equal lenghts. These looked equal enough for me!

Getting ready to braid.

The braiding begins. It was so FUN!

Braided and ready for its second rise.

Second rise done. Now it is ready for the oven!

Cooling before the icing goes on.

What do you think? Happy Mardi Gras!

Geaux Saints!

2010-02-06T08:37:00.002-06:00

The South is exploding with pride because our Saints are in the Super Bowl! Growing up, Sundays were football days, and we always watched the Saints play. I would sit in my daddy's lap in his chair, and he would teach me all about what was going on on the field. My little brother LOVED the Saints and had a 1991 NFC West Champions t-shirt that he wore out. My high school had a "Who Dat?" cheer (insert "Arrows" for "Saints"), and it was always our favorite way to end a pep rally.

We are having a Super Bowl Party at our house, and here is the menu so far:

Guacamole (football isn't the same without it!)
Buffalo Chicken Dip (Susan says it is the Devil! Can't wait to try it!)
Shrimp, Chicken, and Andouille Jambalaya (John Besh recipe from his new book, My New Orleans. I might throw in some crawfish tails, too.)
King Cake (I'm making one from scratch, also from My New Orleans)

Peyton and the Colts may tear the Saints apart, but I'm hoping that they hang in there and play a good game. Geaux Saints!

This is what happens when Chip has to work late...

2010-02-04T19:26:00.004-06:00

Dirty Gin Martini.
Dinner.
The English Home.

Why am I reading home design magazines? Well, I got something new, and I am trying to make it feel like mine. Y'all know how that is! I'm getting inspiration from some of my favorite sources. Unfortunately, my absolute favorite source is not around anymore. Cottage Living - my inspiration during my first few years of home ownership - is no longer in print. Sad, isn't it?

My dinner, however, is not sad. It is wonderful. Its a play on a dish from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Suppers. Whole Wheat Penne with Masses of Broccoli, Green Olives, and Pine Nuts. No kidding - that's the name of the recipe. I added some sauteed kale and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese. Yum! Next time, I think I'll add a chopped tomato, too.

Stay tuned for my new home project...

Cotton Bowl 2010

2010-02-04T17:29:00.006-06:00

I don't know how I let an entire month go by without posting the rest of our Cotton Bowl photos. That's not good!

We stayed at the Stoneleigh hotel in Uptown Dallas, and I loved this hotel! The location was great - within walking distance to some good restaurants and bars.

We arrived Friday afternoon - New Year's Day - and we were starving, so we walked over to Nick & Sam's Grill for a late lunch. They were one of the only spots open because it was New Year's Day. The great thing about Nick & Sam's Grill is that they had all-you-can-drink mimosas. Yes, please!

The hotel was very clean and stylish, and our room was quite large. I thought the color scheme was great, too.

When we got back from lunch, I was thrilled to find a chilled bottle of Veuve Clicquot Rose in the room! I know every girl loves Clicquot, but I really love it. Before we left for lunch, Chip secretly requested that the hotel place a bottle in the room. We relaxed, watched some New Year's Day bowl games, and sipped our champagne.

We were both craving some Tex-Mex that night, so we walked over to a spot called Mattito's and had a delicious meal, then had beers at the Gingerman.

The next day was the big game! You all know that story already... Rebs won!!

Cowboy Stadium is massive.

The jumbotron is massive, too. I almost needed a wide angle lens to capture the whole thing.

2010 So Far...

2010-01-20T15:32:00.003-06:00

I've gotten a good haircut, have been to yoga at least once (always a good sign for the month), and have started going to Zumba at my gym. I bought a car last week! I've cooked healthy meals for me and my husband, and we finally cleaned up the leaves covering the back lawn. I think most of my perennials lived through the seriously cold cold snap where ice was on the ground for a solid week. That almost never happens in central Mississippi. But now we are back to our normal January weather. It was in the 7os today, and I couldn't be happier about it. 2010 is really rolling by already!

I've started planning my garden, and in just a few short weeks I'll be sowing my first seeds of the year... beets, kale, lettuce, spinach, sugar snap peas, and Swiss chard. I also purchased transplants of broccoli, fennel, and leeks from The Tasteful Garden.

Tomorrow is Friday, and I have to write out bills in the morning before work and go to the insurance place to sign papers on my lunch break. But then it will be Friday night, and I am so ready for the weekend - even if it does rain.

Caroline Herring on NPR

2010-01-04T13:48:00.002-06:00

One of my favorite musicians, Caroline Herring, was on NPR's All Things Considered on Saturday. Please listen to the interview, and visit CarolineHerring.com to purchase one of her albums.

Hotty Toddy

2010-01-02T10:21:00.000-06:00

Hey Bullies, here's what real bowl tickets look like. Hotty Toddy and Go Rebels!!

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Mmmm Beer

2010-01-01T21:07:00.001-06:00

We're having pints at the Ginger Man in Dallas.

There's lots of delicious beer here, and it is hard to make a decision when I order. I ordered a Franconia Winter Wheat. Chip had the Big Sky Moose Drool. Mmmm beer...

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Saying Goodbye to 2009...

2009-12-31T23:00:00.006-06:00

A few bloggers are posting their Top 9 of 2009 + 1. I thought I would join in.

#1. Most Memorable Moment: Holding my nephew, Mark Grayson, for the first time. My brother Brian and his wife Jenni had a beautiful baby boy in May. I love being an aunt! There are many other wonderful moments this cute little guy has given to our family. Like taking a bottle and then a nap on Jenni's lap in the stadium during Ole Miss games. Or smiling his big smile and laughing when his daddy says "Go Rebels!" He's a doll!

#2. Biggest Discovery: My love of kayaking. And I love that Chip and I enjoy doing it together.

#3. Biggest Mistake: Wow - this is tough. I make so many mistakes daily, that it is hard to pick just one! I'll pick something easy - we dicked around and never had our friends over for a cookout and pool party. Now that was a mistake!

#4. Biggest Accomplishment: Backpacking with Chip. I've been wanting to take Chip backpacking for the longest time. This year, I actually convinced him to do it, and we had an amazing time.

#5. Best Movie: I didn't see many movies in 2009 that I thought were great. My favorite was probably 500 Days of Summer or The Hangover. I obviously need some better movie recommendations!

#6. Best Song: ummmm... Don't laugh. BEST I EVER HAD by Drake. I freaking love that song and listen to it over and over. Some of my other favorites of 2009?

This Tornado Loves You by Neko Case.

Oh No by Andrew Bird. I saw Andrew Bird live at The Lyric in Oxford in March and it was phenomenal. He is such a fantastic musician!

Laughing with a Mouth of Blood by St Vincent... I love her voice, the strings, and the trippy sound of this song! I saw her on Austin City Limits. She's just amazing. We actually had a chance to see her play in London when we were there in 2007, but after a day of sightseeing, we were too tired to catch the train to the venue in East London. I really regret that now.

#7. Best Meal: This one is easy. The French Laundry was hands down the best meal of 2009 and the decade and probably the next decade. It is hard to believe that we actually ate there. The salmon coronets were divine. And I'll never forget how melt-in-my-mouth delicious the confit veal heart was, and I never knew I would even eat veal heart.

#8. Best Book: Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier. A beautiful love story set in my favorite place in the world - the Appalachian Mountains. I can't believe it took me so long to discover this book.

#9. What Made Me Laugh: Mark Grayson, of course! He is so cute and funny.

+1 for 2010... My Biggest Wish for 2010... is that I put more effort into making friends in the Jackson area.

Happy New Year, everyone! We're off to Dallas in the morning for the Cotton Bowl and some Tex-Mex. Go Rebels!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T17:24:00.001-06:00

The weather outside is frightful! Heavy rains, strong winds, and a tornado watch. I love Christmas Eve. I got out of work early and started on my Christmas baking. I'm going to take a walk, then will get ready to head over to my brother-in-law's house for dinner and champagne.

Some scenes from my house this Christmas Eve.

The stockings are hung.

The tree is all lit up and topped with a pretty new angel.

I set out the gifts that I will be taking to Vicksburg tonight.

And I set out some homemade cookies for Santa Claus. Today I made Chocolate-Almond Macroons and Caramel Pretzel cookies.

Walle is dressed and ready for Santa to come.
Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas Shopping

2009-12-23T08:41:00.005-06:00

I love giving handmade and handcrafted gifts for Christmas. I have made a few of the gifts myself - mostly cross stitches - but I'm really not that talented when it comes to crafting. For the past few years, Chip and I have gone to the Chimneyville Crafts Festival in Jackson to purchase a majority the Christmas gifts for our families. Hundreds of artisans have their pottery, jewelry, stained glass, woodwork, quilts, knitting, and crocheting for sale.

The past two years, I've gotten my brother's wife a piece of Lil McKH jewelry. I love Lil's stuff, and my sister-in-law likes it, too. We've gotten jewelry for Chip's mom, stained glass crosses, and wooden spoons from some of my cousins.

I've been obsessed with McCartys Pottery Delta Bells and Mushrooms Chimes for a few years now, and I'd been dying to go to McCartys Pottery in Merigold to buy some of these handmade beauties. My friend Leah was up for a road trip to the Delta to visit McCartys and Peters Pottery, so we headed up there the weekend of December 5th.

We had lunch on Saturday at McCartys in their cute-as-a-button restaurant. The tables are set with McCartys Pottery and all the food was served in their pottery also.

Leah sitting down for lunch at McCartys Restaurant

We headed to McCartys then Peters after lunch. I loved McCartys gallery! It is tiny, but they display their pieces so beautifully. At McCartys I bought Mushroom Chimes for two of my sisters-in-law and a gorgeous bowl for Chip's mom. At Peters, I bought a sugar bowl and creamer and a tiny little kitten for myself.

On Saturday night, we stayed in the Pinetop shack at the Shack Up Inn. It was so much fun! The shack had central heat and air conditioning, but with its wood walls and floors and shabby furnishings, it still felt like an old shack.

Outside our shack... Pinetop Perkins.
Some photos from the grounds.

It was a wonderful trip, and I really can't wait to go back because now I need some Delta Bells for myself!

Sundance Catalog

2009-12-19T09:50:00.000-06:00

Chip ordered wine tumblers from Sundance Catalog as a Christmas gift, and this is how we received the box.

They were individually wrapped in one sheet of bubble wrap, then thrown in the box with some inflatable fillers. How many of them were broken? Two out of eight were not just broken but completely shattered.

Sundance definitely has more money than sense.

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December 10th

2009-12-10T08:11:00.000-06:00

It was 29F when I woke up this morning. This weather is going to make me sick!

Clarksdale was lots of fun! I got lots of Christmas goodies at McCartys Pottery, Peters Pottery, and Cat Head Blues and Art. We didn't see Morgan Freeman, but we did meet the other owner, Bill Luckett, who is planning to run for Governor.

Leah has posted pics of our trip. I plan to post mine soon.

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And now...

2009-12-08T22:14:00.000-06:00

It is 75F outside. That's Mississippi weather for you!

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It's Snowing!!!

2009-12-04T20:11:00.000-06:00

I would take a photo, but it's cold out there!

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Chance of Snow

2009-12-04T11:35:00.007-06:00

Snowy Skies. It is a cold, wintery day here in Central Mississippi. It is only 43F out there now, and the weather forecast says we could get snow showers this afternoon and evening. The cold weather seems to have come upon us all at once. I still have blooming shrubs and perennials all over the garden.

The leaf situation in the back yard is getting serious. Something needs to be done about this, but I don't know what because I am meeting Leah in the Delta tomorrow morning to go Christmas shopping at McCartys Pottery in Merigold, Mississippi.

We plan to go to Peter's Pottery, too, which is just down the road in Mound Bayou. After all of these fun outings, we will have dinner at Madidi in Clarksdale, some drinks at Ground Zero Blues Club, and will shack up for the night at the Shack Up Inn.

Madidi and Ground Zero are both Morgan Freeman's. Who knows if he'll be there, but if he is, I plan on getting my photo taken with him. As for the Shack Up Inn, I am a bit nervous about staying in a shack when it is supposed to be around 28F. I am bringing flannel pajamas and my 20F sleeping bag. And plenty of hot chocolate and Malibu coconut rum, too! A friend turned my on to that concoction on a camping trip in the Smokies. You really must try it!

Have a great weekend, everyone! Let the holiday shopping begin!