The Simple Things In Life

Today was one of those hot June days that was sooo hot that we were actually uncomfortable, knowing it's going to be at least this hot from here on out.
Once again we were working on the house and everything was going beautifully. The subfloor is down.
The new tile is down.
The paint is all fresh, and all the fixtures were put back in with very little problem. (well a few).
Raleigh turned on the water, and every thing worked!
We all rejoiced and patted each other on the back for a job well done.
Then we went downstairs....the ceiling was dripping in the corner under the tub!
Dale was here, and he cut it open and found the problem. He gave us specific instructions on what to do, and we have a full day ahead of us again tomorrow.
Raleigh turned the water back off and we made a wonderful dinner of roasted vegetables straight from the garden over rice. It was so delish....we all just loved it!
I noticed while picking some zucks for dinner that the sky was looking pretty ominous over the bay, and seeing the dryness of the garden I really hoped that we would get some rain.
After our delicious meal we all noticed a lot of lightning we always called it heat lightning growing up. But soon the wind began as did the rain.
What a rockin storm we had tonight! It was so intense at times I wondered if there were a funnel cloud in the mix but it didn't get too crazy.
For 22 years our family has sat on the front porch of our Market Street home and watched the storms roll by.
It's funny....not one of us says anything to each other about but by the time the storm is in full swing, the entire family is always present, enjoying the moment together.
One day Raleigh called me from college and was telling me about sitting out under a walkway at her dorm with a couple of her friends enjoying a storm. She concluded she never wanted to live in a home that did not have a front porch for storm watching as it is one of her favorite things to do.
Which makes me realize once again...it truly is the simple things in life that bring us the most pleasure, and create the memories that our children charish the most.

HERSHEY'S "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE CAKE

Here is yet another delectable delight from Dorsey's kitchen!

HERSHEY'S "PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE CAKE
2 cups sugar
1 ¾ cups flour
¾ cup Cocoa
1 ½ t. baking powder
1 ½ t. baking soda
1 t. salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
½ cup vegetable oil
2 t. vanilla
1 cup boiling water
1 cup Hershey's Chocolate Mini-morsals

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour three 9-inch round baking pans.
2. Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin). Pour batter into prepared pans. This is where I add 1/3 cup of mini-morsals to each pan
3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely! Frost your cake! 10 to 12 servings.

Variations:
1. ONE-PAN CAKE: Grease and flour 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Heat oven to 350° F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely. Frost.
2. THREE LAYER CAKE: Grease and flour three 9-inch round baking pans. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. Frost.
3. BUNDT CAKE: Grease and flour 12-cup Bundt pan. Heat oven to 350°F. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 50 to 55 minutes. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely. Frost.
4. CUPCAKES: Line muffin cups (2-1/2 inches in diameter) with paper bake cups. Heat oven to 350°F. Fill cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake 22 to 25 minutes. Cool completely. Frost. About 30 cupcakes.

"PERFECTLY CHOCOLATE" CHOCOLATE FROSTING
2 sticks butter
1 1/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1 box powdered sugar
2/3 cup milk
2 t. vanilla
Fresh Strawberries for garnish

Directions:
Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. Alternately add powdered sugar and milk, beating to spreading consistency. Add small amount additional milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla. About 2 cups frosting. I also like to garnish this cake with fresh strawberries on the top and around the sides of the cake.

Delmarva Photographers Interpret Their World

The Worcester County Arts Council is pleased to announce the February and March Visual Arts exhibit, featuring photographs by the members of the Ocean Pines Camera Club.
Examples of work by 13 local photographers, whose creative and sensitive eyes capture and speak of their personal view of the world, will be on display.
Among these artists are:
Cathy Halligan,
George Hawkins,
Marcia Hirsch,
Antonio Russo,
Robin Harrison,
Betty Green,
John Logis,
Jan Grady,
Jack Andrews,
George Eitel,
Gail Philippi,
Steve Franklin and
Walt Schumacher.
Established in 2004, the Ocean Pines Camera Club is an active group of individuals who share a common interest in photography. Although their name was selected as the “Ocean Pines Camera Club,” the group has always welcomed photography enthusiasts from the greater eastern shore area.
Their activities include field trips, workshops, and numerous other photography related activities.For more information about the Ocean Pines Camera Club please visit their website www.oceanpinescameraclub.org
The opening reception of the exhibit, which is free and open to the public, will be on Friday, February 13, 2009, from 6-8 p.m., at the Arts Council Gallery located at
6 Jefferson Street in Berlin.
The exhibit will be on display through March 31, 2009.
Gallery hours are Tuesday through Friday, and on the occasional Saturday, 11 am to 3 pm. For more information call the Arts Council at 410-641-0809 or visit their website:
www.worcestercountyartscouncil.org

Random Stuff

It's late Friday night early Saturday morning and I just got home from playing Bunko with the girls.
On the way home I stopped to see a friend at a local Real Estate office who is burning the Midnight Oil working on marketing strategies in this impossible market.
It was nice to see her and catch up on each others lives, I haven't seen her since before the holidays.
When I got home the 9 year old had two of his buddies over to spend the night.
They are hard at playing 'Rock Band', and doing really well.
I find it so funny that they all run around singing songs that I grew up listening to.
However, it was hard to find out all of the lyrics to many of the songs when I was growing up, now with games like this the lyrics fly across the screen, and what I have quickly realized is how suggestive so many of these are.
I had just not ever really ever given any thought to Journey's 'Anyway you Want It' until I heard the 9 year old singing it!

I was checking my email and a friend that we met in Jackson Hole sent us a link to his new website. His name is Grover Radcliffe and he lives in Jackson and is a retired fellow who spends his time out in nature taking photographs of what he sees. Which is always absolutely beautiful.
When he is not out roaming the wild blue yonder he is warming himself by the fire in the lobby of the Trapper Inn on Cache Street in Downtown Jackson. From his leather chair he offers touring advice to hikers and photographers, tells great stories of his adventures and befriends everyone who walks through the door.
Dressed in Safari garb with a big camera around his neck he totally fits the part, and if the Trapper Inn doesn't have him on staff, they should.
Yes, he enjoys the free coffee and breakfast the Inn provides to his guests every morn, but he offers the warmth and fellowship that so many Inn's lack.
Anyway here is the link to his website http://www.mywyhomingpics.com/about.html
If you have never been to Wyoming or Jackson Hole you have to put it on your 'bucket list'. It is the place where everything you have ever seen in western wilderness is. I hope you enjoy Grover as much as we did.

Well it is really too late for decent people to be up, so I'm calling it a night.

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch

Sorry for not having made any updates in sooo long, but I have been a little preoccupied. So much so I couldn't even come up with anything to write.
You know your tired when your just brain dead before you go to bed.

Billy and I have a big auction in Jackson Hole, Wyoming in September, and we are sponsors of the Jackson Hole Fall Arts Festival. This sponsorship requires us to place banners promoting the event, while also being able to plug our event, in front of 36 participating Art Galleries in Jackson Hole.
Previous sponsors had silk screened duck cloth banners mass produced and hung, but the galleries nor the chamber really liked them. I decided I would go with something completely different. Cow Hide! Billy found an Auctioneer in the Midwest that was liquidating a gun holster factory, and we bought 37 of them. I am using the entire shoulder (which ways close to 20lbs). I designed several stencils and had them made and have spent the last week in production.
For those of you who have never been to Jackson, it is about 30 miles south of Yellowstone and the entire town has an 'Old West' theme that is carried continuously in everything. All buildings are either brick or log, the sidewalks are wood plank and the town square has four Elk Antler Arches surrounding the square. With this in mind I wanted to create a truly unique piece that would fit with surroundings but also last for years to come.
So here's my design, and this is what I have been doing. Thirty six of them! All by hand individually made with the extra added touch of a little gold leafing.
At this point I don't know whether I will be able to blog again, as my hand are sooo stiff, I can barely type.

Farmer Girl Day

Yesterday, we ventured to Chincoteague to Danni's house where her daughter Molly taught us how to make sugar scrubs.
Sugar Scrubs are my latest obsession.
We all made our own flavors. Dani made a Rosemary Citrus, Karole made Rosemary Citrus Mint, and I made a cucumber melon, and another one of Gardenia.
I'm going to experiment with them some more this week and see what other concoctions I can come up with.
I made a couple of extra jars and am considery offering for special order sales, with my honey orders.
I have a super busy weekend but I will get busy on lables this week and if I come up with an label that inspires me, I will probably start a line of these products.
I just love them. They smell absolutely devine, make your skin soft and are simply fabulous.

A Mothers Day Tribute

I have to say that I had a Mom that was unlike anyother mother I have ever met.
She was way before her time, and so misunderstood. She had me when she was 18 after being married for one year. She had been brought up to be a proper Southern Lady, yet lived in the tumultuous 60's that began to challenge everything she knew.
Fortunately she gleaned much from her parents, and took to heart her own life experiences and diligently shared them with me. Below are a few of the things that my Mother taught me.

She taught me to be brave.
She taught me to trust my instincts.
She taught me to believe in myself, and the God given talents that I had been given.
She taught me that my greatest job in life was to at all times possess integrity.
She taught me that if I did make a mistake to admit it and go on. Not to try to cover it up. Things covered up stay moist and fester, things uncovered dry up and blow away.
She taught me do my very best at whatever I did.
She taught me that mediocrity was not an option.
She taught me that the things that people don't want to talk about are always the most interesting and usually the most important.
She taught me it was always better to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission. Begging for forgiveness, meant that I had tried to do something and failed. Asking for permission meant I was second guessing myself and if I had to do that then the internal answer should always be NO!
She taught me that you don't have to be rich to be clean.
She taught me that to have a beautiful home was stimulating to your mind and to that of your family.
She taught me to surround myself with beautiful things even if it is simply a dandelion flower in a simple clear glass. It is good for the soul and makes you appreciate the littlest things.
She taught me that less really is more. As it leaves room for the really important and beautiful.
She taught me to find a partner who made me laugh, who made me smile and who loved me more than any other woman he had ever known. No matter what he looked like, no matter what he did for a living (as long as he was of honest means and integrity) that nothing matters more in a relationship than complete devotion and joy.
She taught me to love deeply with complete abandon.
She taught me to tell my family and friends how much they mean to me as often as possible.
She taught me to never be satisfied with all that I know.
She taught me to pursue new things each and every day.
She taught me to develop a broad vocabulary, so that I would always be able to effectively communicate my thoughts.
She taught me constantly question authority, because we can't trust someone just because they hold a certain title.
She taught me to ask as many questions as it takes to come to full understanding of any situation.
She taught me that stupid people always think every one else is stupid.
She taught me that while I may have many friends throughout my life, that my standards of loyalty would be so high that at the end of my life I would be able to count my true friends on the fingers of one hand.
She taught me to live my life like it was going be printed on the front page of the New York Times tomorrow and if I could live with that headline then I was alright.
She taught me that a mothers love is unconditional, just like Gods and that the day that she dies, you better know who you are and be good with it because there would never be another person on the face of the earth who loved you like she did.

I lost my Mom in 1986. She was 42 years old. She had a congenital heart defect which I apparently have inhereted from her. When I found her lying in her apartment I knew in an instant what she had said was true. I felt the void of that mothers love it was gone with her last breathe.
I married the man who made me happy and made me laugh and still does to this day.
I have taught my children all that my mother taught me, and I pray that they engrave it in their hearts as I have. Not all the lessons are easy, not all the lessons make you popular, but all of the lessons leave me with the ability to lay my head down every night and know that I have lived my life to it's fullest. That I have done everything that I know to do to make my world and my surroundings the very best that it can be, with the resources that I have available to me.

This being Mothers Day weekend take the time to remember the things your Mother taught you, and if you still have her thank her for these timeless lessons.

I would love to hear from you the things that your Mother taught you