Happy Thanksgiving!

Kentucky Road Trip!

We are headed out for another road trip tomorrow morning! Can’t let the moss grow under our feet. No way, no how! This time we are headed northward to middle Kentucky. We have hotel reservations in Bardstown for a few days, and then we will venture over to Harrodsburg for a Thanksgiving celebration. Our itinerary includes visiting many famed whiskey distilleries, sightseeing at historical locales, and resting/feasting at a grand historical inn.

Internet access will not be available for most of our trip, so I will not be able to visit my blogging friends with any regularity this week. I hope that you and your families have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

A Game of Tag

Butterfly Gardener has tagged me to tell 6 Random Things about me. Oh no, confession time! Here are the rules:

1) Link to the person who tagged you.
2) Post the rules on your blog (copy and paste 1-6).
3) Write 6 random things about yourself (see below).
4) Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them.
5) Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6) Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

I’m taking a deep breath and jumping in here with some random bits of informational data about silly old me.

1) I love diet root beer. And, it has to be the IBC brand.
2) There is no such thing as having too many pens and pencils. Preferable, they have to be grouped in large bunches in jars and containers, located in virtually every room.
3) I am vertically challenged. At 5’1”, I would love to grow another foot to redistribute my weight. Yeah, I know. It’s not going to happen!
4) I have done so many needlework ornaments over the past few years, that I have an entire Christmas tree decorated with them.
5) I took mechanical drawing in high school instead of home economics.
6) I am married to the sweetest fellow in the whole world and he also cooks! (See, I did not need to take a home economics class after all!)

Well, enough about me! It’s time for somebody else to ‘fess up! These blogging friends are hereby tagged:

Cindra at Knits and Pics and Favorite Things
Joan at Joan's Journeys
Cindy at The Gathering Room
Kay at Peddlin' Treasures
Jeanette at Net on the Net

Nita Jo at Little Grey Gardens

A Gift-Giving Idea - Digital Slide Show Program

The Christmas season is fast approaching, and you are stumped for gifts that don’t break your piggy bank. Right? One look at the stock market these days is enough to make a person weep, and we are all looking for ways to trim our budgets. Karen M. of Loved and Engraved was recently asking for some money-saving gift ideas related to photography. So here’s an idea to consider for photography buffs: a digital slide show program! You can ask Santa to put it under the tree for you; give it to the digital photo enthusiast on your gift list; or, purchase it for yourself to make DVD shows as Christmas gifts for your family members and friends.

My sweet baboo researched, tested, and bought a digital slide show program earlier this year. Keep in mind that my hubby is a retired professional photographer, so he has a keen eye for finding photo-related products that work well. The program that he bought was ProShow Gold by Photodex. He loves using it, the results are superb, and it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg to purchase it ($70).

You can download a trial version online. The program has an automatic feature where it will create a mix of transitions and motions of your photo images, and then you add your own music. Hubby was able to create his first slide show in about 30 minutes. Of course, he now has fun creating and tinkering with his own customized vacation slide shows.

The trial version will have a watermark on your created shows. You will get a code key to remove it after purchasing the program. Hubby bought online the “boxed” version (for $10 more) to get a program disc and instruction book sent to us in the mail, and he got an unlock code immediately upon ordering. The web site has some nice online tutorial, and the company provides technical support to ask questions.

So there is an idea that may have some merit for your gift-giving dilemmas. And NO, this is not a paid advertisement! Haha, I wish!

Blogger Tip - Adding Captions

Some of you have noticed that I add captions to most of my pictures. If this is news to you, then you’ve been missing my hidden captions! Run your little mouse pointer over my pictures and discover what I’ve been saying!

Would you like to know how to add captions like these to your blog pictures? All righty then! Warm up those fingers, grab a nice beverage, and let’s have a lesson! This tip works if you use Blogger (sorry, typepad and wordpress folks), and you upload your pictures from your computer (sorry, photobucket folks). Okay, if these conditions apply to you, then keep on reading.

To practice this out on your blog, go to your Dashboard and click on Edit Posts. Pick out a former post with a picture. Click on Edit for that post. See the two tabs on the right that say Compose and Edit Html? Click on the Edit Html tab. Now, now, don’t be frightened! I don’t understand HTML Code either, but you don’t have to understand it to do this trick. Look for the geeky HTML language for your photo that includes img id=. Now look for where it says alt"". In between the two quote marks add your caption. Make it informative, witty, insightful - whatever!

Now, go over and click on the Preview button. Run your mouse pointer over the photo and check your work. Got a typo? Go back into the Edit Html tab and fix it up. After you get done, hit Publish and go see your accomplishment on your live blog. Woohoo! Congratulations! Now let’s finish off the remainder of that beverage and dance for joy!

Follow these same steps after you upload pictures for a new post. I usually add all of my photo captions as a last step before final proofing and publishing.

I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial. And, I look forward to seeing some photo captions on your blogs!

Ah-Choo!

Photo Challenge: Water

Time for the latest Brenda Photo Challenge! The subject is Water, picked by the current challenge hostess, Maria of Let the Good Times Roll.

Tennessee is renowned for all of its waterways and, most notably, the Tennessee River. Beginning in 1933, Tennessee Valley Authority (my former employer) built dams to tame the river and its tributaries for flood control and to also bring electricity to the rural Appalachian region. Since water is such a vital part of the Tennessee landscape and history, I thought it would be appropriate to highlight some scenes from my state.

Lakeside Splendor – We decided to go for a drive and stroll last week to enjoy the end of the fall season. One of the places we visited was Concord Park, which lies off the shore of Fort Loudoun Lake. We like to visit this park because it has a lovely, paved walking trail and it is only about 8 miles from our home. We took many photographs during our stroll, and I was fortunate to catch a good frame of this beautiful old dogwood tree. The scarlet leaves sparkled in the afternoon sunlight. The picture was taken with a polarizing filter at f/8 and 1/50 second.

Water Served on the Rocks – We have taken several day trips over to Tellico Plains to travel on the Cherohala Skyway Road into North Carolina. Right outside of Tellico Plains is the Bald River Falls, tucked into the Cherokee National Forest. We parked the truck and walked back to the bridge to take pictures of this spectacular 100’ waterfall. The camera settings for the first photo were f/11 and 1/200 second, and f/11 and 1/80 second for the close-up photo.

Even Pond Scum Can Be Pretty - Remember the pictures I shared recently of Evins Mill, located outside of Smithville? Here is a view taken from the footbridge, looking straight down into the pond. I love the texture and colors in this composition. The photo was taken at f/5.6 and 1/400 second.

Bloggy Giveaway - The Winners

Marty, the rabbit, didn’t get pulled out of the hat. Oh no, he stuck one of his lucky paws into the hat and selected the winning names for the ornament giveaway! What’s that you say? You don’t believe that Marty picked the names? All right, all right, I’ll confess. Marty was still snoozing this morning, and my hubby had to stand in as his proxy.

The lucky winners are…

Ornament with Traditional Fabrics
Karen M. at Loved and Engraved

Ornament with Bali Fabrics
Brittany at The Hallman Tribe

Congratulations! Okay, I think that these winners just whooped loud enough to wake Marty up from his peaceful slumber! The little furball needed to get out of bed anyway and tend to his blogging greeter duties, so he’ll just have to get over it.

That was fun and I appreciate your friendships!

Giving Thanks - A Bloggy Giveaway

Since November is a special month to give thanks, I have decided to host a small giveaway for my many blogging readers. I was making a lot of little fabric ornaments this past month for an online swap and also for some local friends. With an assembly line production going, it was easy to make a few extras to share with you!

Look at these cute little fabric ornaments! They are pillow-shaped and the designs are made using a type of quilting technique called paper piecing. I sketched out a tree shape, sectioned off the foliage into four parts, and added a jingle bell topper. One ornament is done with muted, traditional colors, and the second one is made from bright Bali fabrics. If you know how to sew, these are really easy to do. If you are not proficient at sewing but like to work with paper, this type of design could be easily adapted to make adorable, handmade Christmas cards with scrapbook papers.

Would you like to win one to put on your Christmas tree this year? Here’s how to throw your name in the hat:

(1) Leave a comment on this post and tell me which ornament you would like to win: traditional or Bali.
(2) For an additional entry, put a link about this giveaway on your blog and tell me in your posted comment.
(3) If you enter and you have posted at least 3 previous comments in the past month, you will get a bonus entry! This is in special recognition of my faithful blogging friends.
(4) Entries outside the U.S. will be accepted. However, only entries from bloggers with active web sites will be eligible.

This is going to be a quick giveaway contest! The last day to enter is Thursday, November 13. Good luck and thank you for visiting and chatting with me!

National Veterans Awareness Week - A Remembrance

President Bush has proclaimed this week as National Veterans Awareness Week. All Americans are encouraged to recognize the bravery and sacrifice of our veterans through ceremonies and prayers.

Just give me an aspirin. I already got a Purple Heart.
(drawing by Bill Mauldin)

My father served in the U.S. Army during World War II. He was part of the first wave of American soldiers who went into Japan after the atomic bombs were dropped. He never talked about his war experiences, and he passed away over 20 years ago. But, I remember as a child that he had a book with the collection of drawings by Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Bill Mauldin. The drawings of GIs Willie and Joe gave voice to the life of a World War II infantryman. It was through these drawings that I obtained an early insight to my father’s unspoken history.

I can not begin to express my appreciation and gratitude to the brave men and women who have served this country over its history. Their courage and dedication to preserve our freedoms are profound. If you would like to learn more about our American heroes, I encourage you to visit a blog that I regularly follow: Airman Mom. Don’t forget to keep a box of tissues handy.

Saying Goodbye to Fall

We never know when Grey Havens, our homestead, will sell. So I have been taking plenty of pictures to remember the seasons. The autumn colors peaked earlier this week, and I captured these images before Friday’s rainfall. It is now a sweet memory.

Trip to Watertown

During our visit to the Inn at Evins Mill, we struck up a conversation with a couple from Nashville. They told us that they always love to stop in a little town off of highway 70, about 40 miles east of Nashville. Their description was captivating, so we had to hop in the truck and head over there to check it out for ourselves. We were glad that we did, because Watertown, Tennessee, is the epitome of a clean and proud, rural town of the south where you feel transported back in time.

We parked in the public square and explored all the great antique and gift shops they had to offer. Of course, we had our cameras in tow and snapped some pictures to capture the charm.

I was immediately drawn to a fine arts shop called Kalliepearl, and I was afraid that it was closed based on the store hours sign. But as luck would have it, the owner greeted us at the door and beckoned us in. For the next hour or so, we shared many laughs and stories with Dee Dee, a gal of irrepressible wit and spirit. She is like a girlfriend you have known and loved for over 20 years – never mind that you just met her a few minutes ago. Have you ever met magical people like that before? It is a rare treat.

Named after two of her sisters, she just opened up her shop in September and is working to get her web site set up. Dee Dee has quite a talent for creating beautiful jewelry, with a specialty in stone and metal work. She also displays in her shop a wide assortment of wares from local creative artisans. As a momento, I purchased a pretty little wood turned bowl for use in my studio.

After visiting with Dee Dee, we felt right at home in Watertown and hated to say goodbye to her so that we could explore the rest of the square. As a professed hugger of the championship variety, she hugged us mightily and promised to look us up if she ever came to Knoxville. This picture of her captures her cheerful spirit and pride in her new shop. We wish our new friend all of the best and hope to see her again sometime!

We had fun exploring the along the walkways of the public square, making sure that we stopped at the antique stores to discover some needed treasures.

Before leaving, we had a late lunch at Lulu's Coffee House. The food was delicious and the café was just as charming as the rest of the town.

On the way to the rest room at Lulu’s, I noticed a bulletin board for local community notices. The magic of our little excursion was complete when I saw this little story posted by resident Halle Tunks, age 7:

The Rabbit

One day Rabbit was hopping through the trees. Then his friend tertle came slomly runing through. Then they were getting hungry. So they saw some apples. It was very good. The End

Aren’t small towns great? Marty, my blog greeter rabbit, twitches his nose in total agreement.

Disappointment

Winter Squash Soup

Winter squash is plentiful at the farmers’ markets this time of year. We stopped at a gorgeous little farm stand outside of Smithville a couple of weeks ago to get some fresh apples, and we couldn’t resist also purchasing some beautiful butternut squash. We love the taste of this versatile vegetable, so we are always on the lookout for new recipes. As luck would have it, we discovered a fantastic soup recipe when we visited Hancock Shaker Village in the fall of 2006. Hubby just fixed up a batch of this tasty soup last night, and I wanted to share it with all of you. I hope you enjoy it too!

Butternut Squash, Carrot, and Ginger Soup

2 Tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
6 cups chicken stock
3 pounds peeled, seeded butternut squash, cut into large chunks
2 medium carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 piece of ginger (approx. 2½ inches long and ¾ inches thick), chopped
¾ cup heavy cream
3 Tablespoons dark brown sugar
½ teaspoon nutmeg
2½ teaspoons salt (or to taste)
1 teaspoon pepper
Garnish: fresh chives (optional)

Heat butter in large Dutch oven and saute onion until it is just golden, about 5 minutes. Add chicken stock, squash, carrots, and ginger. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover pot, and simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 45 minutes.

Process the soup in batches in a blender (never fill more than half full when processing hot liquids).* Add cream, brown sugar, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Garnish with fresh chives and serve. Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

* You can puree the soup directly in the pot with a hand-held immersion blender. It’s much easier!

A Look Ahead - November

We still have a lot of fall color left here in east Tennessee. We are enjoying the late fall season and moderate temperatures. We turned the calendars today here at the cottage and the clocks will get turned back tonight. I’ll also reprogram the timer for the porch lights after I enjoy my extra hour of sleep!

My sweet baboo has done a great job in tilling up the veggy gardens and cleaning out the withered annual flowers from the flower beds. I’ve done a little bit of weeding in the flower beds too. We’ve both been working at keeping the fallen leaves tidied up. Tending to the leaves will be an ongoing project for the next few weeks. We’re looking forward to a winter break from outdoor chores. Yeah!

We’ve already finished off a big batch of homemade chicken noodle soup. More soups and stews will be gracing our dinner table in the days ahead. I’ll be getting out the flannel sheets for the bed this month, along with the down comforter too. We’ve already worn some of our warmer clothes, and I will commence the annual search for my gloves.

We started the month out well by having another house showing this morning. We had several showings during October. Our contingency contract has been extended through December 31. The prospective buyers still have their house for sale and reduced their asking price a couple of weeks ago. We are encouraged that we at least have a contingency contract, but we would love to have a firm contract from someone – anyone! We continue to put our future retirement life in a holding pattern. This long and drawn-out uncertainty annoys and confounds us. The older we get, the less patience we have. And with good reason, LOL!

I have been attempting to adjust to new levels of pain, thanks to my injured knee. I have lived with pain for decades, mostly neurologically related. But since my fall in September, it is now at a higher notch. The muscle spasms have subsided, thankfully. Sitting in most chairs has not been comfortable because of continued muscle soreness and lack of ability for the knee to bend. I can’t go up and down stairs like I used to. Now it is one step at a time, with my good knee. I’m praying that it holds out because it is popping and starting to hurt too. My mobility has been greatly reduced and that saddens me quite a bit. I want my old life back and now it is gone. I will continue to postpone any consideration for knee replacement until our home sells, we move into a rental, build, and then move again. I’m going to have to hold out for quite a while yet, LOL.

On a happier note, we went back to the fitness center today! Since I can’t do treadmill work anymore, I am focusng on upper body work, in addition to some rehab for my knees. We’re back to watching our calorie intake too.

Speaking of calories, LOL, we have made plans to go on another journey this month! We have reservations at a beautiful Kentucky inn for Thanksgiving week. We took advantage of their Thanksgiving special a couple of years ago and thoroughly loved it. So we’re itching for a return trip. And yes, I will feature this special journey for my blog readers!

I will be finishing up some sewing projects this month. One project in particular is a bounty of handmade Christmas ornaments! In addition to giving some to local friends, I am doing an ornament exchange with friends on an online forum. And, I am doing some extras for another bloggy giveaway! Won’t that be fun?