Homemade Vanilla Extract

Aren’t these old bourbon bottles pretty? Hubby decanted our homemade vanilla into these recycled bottles today. I won’t confide about what exactly happened to the original contents of the bottles, LOL. But I will share some information on how to make your own vanilla extract!

Please, don’t ever resort to buying and using synthetic vanilla. First of all, it is fake and vile. Ick. Second, if you are going through the trouble of baking, it is worth using quality ingredients. Third, you can make vanilla extract for a fraction of the cost for commercial products.

We learned about making the extract from an issue of Southern Living magazine in the 1980s, and we have been making it ever since. It can be made with vodka, rum, or bourbon. The batch pictured above was made with inexpensive vodka. For recipes and tips, there are several internet resources available, include the popular Tipnut site.

Here’s what we do:
- Cut lengthwise 5 or 6 good quality vanilla beans.
- Add the beans to a 750-ml bottle of vodka.
- Store the bottle in a cool, dark location (e.g., pantry).
- Shake every couple of days for 6-8 weeks.
- Strain and transfer to clean, sterilized bottles.
- Add more vodka to the beans to make another batch.

How easy is that? Pour the extract into canning jars or recycled decorative bottles, and you have great homemade gifts, in addition to a personal stash!

Quality vanilla beans can be purchased via the internet if you don’t have a local source. Here are a couple of internet resources: Boston Vanilla Bean Company and Penzys Spices. We used Madagascar beans for the latest batch and will use Mexican beans for the next one.

I hope that you give this a try sometime!

Last Week in April

Is my calendar right? It can’t be the last week in April! No way, no how! We have gardening activities planned for this week, interspersed with mundane things like teeth cleaning and insurance quotes. I hope to regain some energy this week and better tolerate the knee pain. I may have to get it fixed up sooner rather than later.

I know that my readers are anxiously awaiting photos from latest our trip. You got a little bit of a taste when you saw my entries in the photo challenge this past Saturday. Alas, you know that I am slower than molasses when it comes to doing my photo editing! I am currently working on my images from Appomattox, where General Robert E. Lee surrendered in the Civil War. It was an overcast day when we visited, but the weather seemed to heighten the somber mood of this historical site.

While you patiently wait, I thought you would like to see a picture of some beautiful iris blooms in our gardens. I hope everyone is taking the time to enjoy their rapidly changing landscapes. Life is short. Please take it all in while you can!

Photo Challenge: Anything Metal

Time for a new Brenda Photo Challenge! The theme is Anything Metal. Our current challenge hostess, Jan of Murrieta365, picked the theme. Thank you, Jan! This subject was pretty easy because I took several interesting metal-related pictures during our recent vacation in eastern Virginia.

This is a rather famous sign outside of Chowning's Tavern in Colonial Williamsburg. The photo was taken at f/5.6, 1/125 second, and ISO 200.
Chug-a-lug!

This Scottish-dressed fellow was demonstrating blacksmith techniques at Colonial Williamsburg. On this particular day, he was making reproduction nails for construction of Charleton’s Coffeehouse near the Capitol. The camera settings were f/5.6, 1/30 second, and ISO 800.

This charming folk art rooster weathervane stands watch over the Bruton Parish House, on the western edge of Colonial Williamsburg. The photo was taken at f/5.6, 1/100 second, and ISO 200 (with polarizing filter).

These twin fish handles were found on a 300-year old cannon at Yorktown Battlefield. The camera settings were f/5.6, 1/160 second, and ISO 200.

National Park Week

Did you know that this is National Park Week? And did you know that there is some sort of national park, monument, or historic site in 49 of our 50 states? (Delaware is the odd one out.) Many of our best and most memorable journeys are taken at these natural treasures. If you don’t make a point of visiting them, then I think you are missing out on learning opportunities and some incredible scenery!

We went to three sites managed by the National Park Service just last week! We giggled like kids when hubby flashed his Senior Pass at each of them too. Talk about a great deal! It is a lifetime pass for U.S. citizens or permanent residents age 62 and over. Among other benefits, it provides free admission for the card holder and up to three adults to recreation sites that charge a fee. And what does the Senior Pass cost? Just $10! The only catch (besides being an old fart) is that you have to purchase the card in person. Other America the Beautiful passes are also available: annual, access (lifetime for those with permanent disabilities), and volunteers.

So what national park, monument, or historic site is on your "must see" list? And when are you going to visit it? The clock is ticking!

Back Home & Loving It

As much as we love to travel, we love returning home! I particularly missed my recliner and bed, LOL. We had gorgeous weather for our trip home yesterday, and enjoyed the spring colors throughout Virginia and east Tennessee. We are amazed how much green foliage has appeared here at the homestead during our weeklong absence. Gardening activities will be in full swing these last two weeks in April, that’s for sure!

We had a few glitches with our vacation, but nothing insurmountable. We got our fill of fresh seafood, which was one of our goals. We also wore ourselves out with walking, LOL. When weariness set in, we relied upon the courtesy van at Williamsburg Lodge and the historical area’s convenient shuttle bus system. Our biggest frustrations were with unruly children and their clueless parents. We found there to be higher concentrations than usual, and we are still wondering about the causes.

All in all, we loved Colonial Williamsburg. We took the time to immerse ourselves in many of the available programs and tours. The entire staff was professional and gracious. You can’t help but learn about that time in history and the unique individuals who laid the foundation for our country. It is a special place that Americans should make an effort to see and experience.

I hope that you followed along with my Twitter postings while everything was quiet here on my blog! It seems that Marty, my furry blog greeter, napped a lot and didn’t get into any mischief. Thank goodness! You'll be happy to know that I took about a thousand photographs during our trip. It is so easy to do with digital photography! In the days ahead, I plan to put together a Photobucket slide show for Colonial Williamsburg and share some pictures on other places we visited.

So, I am BACK and looking forward to catching up with my blogging friends again!

P.S. You don't have sign up for Twitter to see what I post on it. Just click on the little chickadee picture link over on my sidebar.

Marty Says "Happy Easter!"

Photo Challenge: What's Your Favorite Color?

Time for a new Brenda Photo Challenge! The theme is What’s Your Favorite Color? Our current challenge hostess, Miz Donna of Made in Heaven, picked the theme. Thank you, Donna!

There really is NO WAY that I can pick just one favorite color. I love them all! Well, OK. I am not wild about orange, despite it being the distinguishing team color for the University of Tennessee. Shame on me, LOL.

But back to the photo challenge! This time of year, I am marveling about the many shades of GREEN that are beginning to show throughout the countryside. And I took some flower pictures last week in the Smoky Mountains which help to showcase this signature color of the spring season.

The lacy foliage of Dutchman’s breeches is a perfect complement to its delicate blooms.

Heart-shaped lilac leaves tenderly surround heavenly scented lilac blooms.

And the fern-like foliage of false Solomon’s-seal makes itself at home in the Smoky Mountain woodlands.

Trip to Williamsburg

The road is calling us and we are headed out tomorrow! The destination is Williamsburg, Virginia. We will be visiting Colonial Williamsburg, the Jamestown settlement, Yorktown Victory Center, and many of the historical James River Plantations. At night, we will be resting at the newly renovated Williamsburg Lodge, conveniently located next to Colonial Williamsburg.

We’re really looking forward to this spring vacation. We last visited this area about 30 years ago (before we knew each other), and we’re anxious to see how much it has changed. Wish us good weather and a safe trip!

We’ll be taking our laptop with us, and I will be checking in with my blogging friends as time permits in the evenings. I have a couple of scheduled posts (including the latest photo challenge) while we are gone. However, I’ll resume my regular postings when we return. In the meantime, please check my Twitter posts to find out our day to day explorations!

Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Part II

Our favorite place in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is Cades Cove. The beautiful valley is surrounded by mountains and is accessible by a one-way auto loop. Throughout the 11-mile trip, you will see wildlife and numerous historic buildings, including a grist mill, barns, churches, and log homes. It was a challenge to pick a brief sampling of pictures for you, to give you a taste and feel for this treasured setting. If you ever get to visit, be prepared to take your time and get out of your car along the route to explore and enjoy the natural beauty.

This is a view from the southern part of the cove loop road.

This is a view from the northern part of the cove loop road. The tiny little dots in the valley are deer.

Hey, look! I just got closer to one of these beauties!

And this one was so tame, I got within about 15 feet of it while it grazed!

And we also got to see quite a few wild turkeys (the fowl kind; not the tourists, LOL).

On the bank of Forge Creek is the old John Cable grist mill, constructed in 1868. Features include a wooden overshot water wheel, millrace, and flume. This is the only grist mill that remains in the park.

Adjacent to the mill is the Becky Cable house, the first frame house in the cove. Built in 1879, it was once used as a general store.

One of the popular stops along the route is the Tipton Place homestead, built in the 1880s. How many stories can this back porch tell?

A beautiful double-cantilever barn is right across the lane from the Tipton home.

And nestled in the woods is the picturesque and rustic Carter Shields cabin, which dates back to the 1880s. Doesn't this scene look like it came right out of a storybook?

I hope that you enjoyed my little visual journey, and it makes you want to hop in the car and see this grand park for yourself!

Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Part I

As promised, here are a few photographs from our recent little jaunt up to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It was a quick trip, but we managed to pack in a lot of sightseeing. When we first arrived it was raining, so we did a little shopping for primitive crafts and stone-ground cornmeal. The shopping gods were pleased and then produced some sunshine for us! We went on a little hike and saw quite a few wildflowers blooming. We took our time and two hiking sticks helped me along the way.

One of the places we stopped was the Greenbriar area of the park which is accessed northeast of Gatlinburg. The road follows along the Little Pigeon River, as pictured below.

On the main road going into the park (toward North Carolina), the area shown below is called the Chimney Tops. The name comes from the two peaks on the ridgeline. Notice that the green tree canopy has not yet made its appearance.

There is a beautiful scenic overlook at Newfound Gap, right at the Tennessee and North Carolina border. From this vantage point, you can see the road wind through the mountains toward the town of Cherokee.

And another vista at the Newfound Gap overlook tells the story of how the park got its name, with a procession of hazy blue ridges in the distance.

Stay tuned for a Part II post which will feature Cades Cove!

Time for a Tea Party

Because of traveling, we will miss attending our local tea party next week. But we are sending in tea bag tags to our politicians in Washington to protest the excessive Federal spending, bailouts, and government expansions. My sweet hubby chose an appropriate Thomas Jefferson quote to send in with our protest letters: “It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world.”

And yes, the Luzianne brand makes the best iced tea!

Dogwood Blooms & A Surprise Gift

We have returned from our little jaunt to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park! We had a lovely time, and it seems like we were gone longer than an overnight trip. Our blooming dogwoods greeted us when we returned. Isn’t that a pretty cluster in the above picture? I will be going through my photos from the trip and share some in the days ahead!

In the meantime, I have a little surprise gift for a dear blogging friend. I purchased a book, Mountain Home: A Pictorial History of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This special 75th anniversary publication contains over 300 rare photographs of the people of the Smokies, gleaned from Park archival collections, the Smithsonian Institution, and National Archives.

I hold my regular visitors in a special place in my heart, and I appreciate their encouragement and camaraderie. So I decided to hold a drawing for those friends who have commented on my blog more than five times since March 1.

And the lucky winner is…

Bittersweet Punkin!

Congratulations! I see from your profile that you homeschool your children and have a love of American history and heritage. I have no doubt that you will enjoy this beautiful book!

April - A Look Ahead

One of our favorite months of the year has finally arrived! The redbuds are gorgeous right now, and the dogwood blooms are beginning their spectacular show. The daylily plants are pushing out of the flowerbeds, and the lavender plants are getting their energies charged up too. The landscape is changing every single day, and it is exciting to see it unfold. We are having a beautiful spring!

As I noted in yesterday’s post, we are starting out the month with a little jaunt up to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. After getting caught up with our initial springtime chores, it’s time for a little rest and relaxation! Later on this month, we’re heading out on a week-long vacation trip. Shhhh, the destination is a secret for now. We’ve already got our reservations and looking forward to visiting a place we haven’t seen in 30 years (before we even knew each other). I’ll keep the suspense going for a while, but I will confess right before we hit the road. One little hint – we’re headed eastward.

In the latter half of the month, we’ll be planting the “upper” garden, which is not too far from the kitchen side of the house. I’ll give you a rundown later of the various things we’ll be growing. Hubby is in charge of the planning and I lend assistance in getting the rows straight and the holes dug. We’ll also plant a few annual flowers for the bed next to the front walk and pot up some geraniums for the porches. Before May rolls around on the calendar, the “lower” garden (down towards the back of the property) will also get planted with some hills of watermelons and the first few rows of corn.

The housing market is heating up, and there is an improved chance of some buying prospects for our homestead to sell their properties. We continue to have good showings, but we remain unsettled with going forward with our plans to downsize. We met our contingency buyers recently and were happy to hear that they now have a contingency buyer as well. Time will tell on how this transition in our lives will unfold.

Health wise, I am holding my own. I can tell that the last cortisone injection for my knee was not as successful as the first, darn it all. All the more reason to high-tail it out this month on a little vacation while I can still move, LOL. At this point, my goal is to hold off on surgery until after the summer season ends. This getting old business is not fun, but it beats the alternative, right?

I think I understand Twittering now (see link on my sidebar), and I am tweeting pretty regularly. Since there is a limit of 140 characters for a post, I am learning to be brief and to the point! I am using it as a micro-blog, so I encourage my readers here to check out my tweets in between my blog posts.

We have a busy month ahead, filled with a good balance of some play time and some work time! It should be fun and action-packed!