Reflections of myself...

Over the past summer I have learned a lot about myself. I decided that I would share a few of those things with you. Some are funny, some silly, and others serious and heartfelt. I hope you enjoy and maybe learn a few things about yourself as well.


I’ve learned...

... that frog legs are something I will NEVER eat again.

... that I am not the only person who can still recite the “Gettysburg Address” by heart. Thank you, Mrs. Turner.

... that when you’ve been out of school for seven years you start to forget people’s names. You talk to them, and know you went to school with them, yet you just can’t seem to remember exactly who they are.

... that I can now tell you almost every member of the Cincinnati Reds, Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Cardinals. Thank you, Timmy. 

... that trying new foods really isn’t that terrible. I still don’t like cheese, but alligator isn’t that bad. 

... that having your purse stolen still hurts your feelings six months after it happened.

... that taxi rides aren’t so bad, unless you get the young Indian driver in Nashville who made you car sick before you made it out of the parking lot.

... that sometimes reading a few pages of the Good Book can change your whole perspective.

... that there is power in prayer.

... that people can change. All they need is a chance to prove themselves.

... that when you really need someone to be there for you, you find out who your true friends are.

... that a friend can be someone so unexpected.

... that sometimes taking a ride down the back roads brings back childhood memories you had forgotten.

Our ride down the back roads. Makes me miss my childhood home.

 
... that even on your worst days, someone can call or say something to you that makes everything better.

... that family is sometimes taken for granted and you always need to find time for them.

... that sometimes laughter is the best medicine, and other times tears.

... and that no matter how old you are, sometimes there is nothing better than getting a phone call from the people you love.

Just remember, “Life ain’t always beautiful, but it’s a beautiful ride.”

***

Oh, and I still haven’t made it across the railroad bridge, but it looks like I’m going to have to since people keep saying, “I’ll walk across the bridge with you.” I’ll let you know.

Facing my fears one bridge at a time

When I was young, I wasn’t afraid to do anything. I would stand in front of large crowds, singing and dancing. I would talk to anyone who would lend an ear and I never met a stranger.

After I got sick in ‘07 all of that seemed to change. I’m not as outgoing as I used to be. I have a hard time being around a lot of people, crowds make me nervous, and singing in front of people, even singing at our church, is really hard for me.

Me making a CD at The Ryman!

So this past summer, I decided to conquer some of this fear. I tried out for NBC’s The Voice auditions in Nashville. I’ll go ahead and let you know that I didn’t make it, but I had a great time being apart of the process and I loved meeting all the other people trying to make it big.

I met people from New Jersey, Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and of course I was the Kentucky girl in my group. As we sat there for what seemed like hours waiting for our turn, we all got to know each other. We told where we were from, what we did for a living, and all the others told how they had all tried out for American Idol or America’s Got Talent, and decided they would give this contest a try.

Only one person from our group made it. He was originally from New Jersey but had been living in Nashville for years trying to catch his big break. He was an amazing musician, but so were all the others in the room.

After it was all over, I realized that I had faced some of my biggest fears. I had overcome all of the things that I said I couldn’t do. I had been in a stadium full of people I didn’t know, talked to new people, and I sang in front of a crowd. I did all of these things without a second thought.

It’s amazing what you can do when you set your mind to it...

And then along comes another trial.....

The old railroad walk bridge that connects River Drive and Kirkland Ave.

They say you come to a point in your life when you just can’t take another step. No matter how hard you try or what you keep telling yourself in the back of your mind.

This past Monday, I came to that point in my life, while standing on a bridge.

This wasn’t just any bridge mind you, this was the old railroad bridge that connects River Drive and Kirkland. You know the one that I’m talking about. It’s been there for as long as I can remember, and as long as my mom can remember and the train passes beneath it... well, I couldn’t go across.

I stood there and watched as two of the women from work took their time and walked across that rickety thing, and I just kept thinking, “I am too fat for this old bridge.”

This voice in the back of my mind kept telling me that I could make it across, but my feet wouldn’t follow. So as I stood there, half way up the other side looking across, this girl walked up to me and asked what was going on. I stood there talking to her and I said, “We are here to report the news. The other girls went across to see what was going on and to take pictures, but I was afraid that I would end up being the news. The headlines would read, “Large woman causes historic bridge to break.” She laughed and said, “Well, I wouldn’t have walked across that either.”

I stood there feeling like a fool. I had watched both ladies I work with cross the bridge, a man walked across while I was standing there, and yet, I just couldn’t do it. I just knew that if I started across that bridge it would be all over. I even knew that if something should happen that rescue workers were standing less than 100 feet from me, and yet I still couldn’t cross that old bridge.

Finally, the ladies made it back across without anything falling or breaking. One told of how she thought she was afraid of bridges but once she walked across that one, she realized she wasn’t afraid to walk across bridges, just afraid to drive across them.

So in the end I really didn’t feel too bad about not being able to make it across. Except for the fact that I’m not afraid of heights or bridges. So what am I afraid of? I guess the whole moral of the story is that I’m afraid of being fat and breaking old things.

A person once said, “If all my friends were to jump off a bridge, I wouldn’t follow. I’d be at the bottom to catch them when they fall.” To that I would add, “As long as the train wasn’t going underneath.”

Jack of all trades

I am what my daddy considered a “Jack of all trades, yet a master of none”.

I can cook just about anything you ask me to fix. I can even cook it for you on a wood burning stove (got pretty good at that during our last ice storm a few years ago). I can clean anything within an inch of its shine.

I enjoy drawing and crafting which I get from my mama along with her competitiveness.

Sewing is something I know enough about to get by with. I can sew on a button, make curtains, and I’ve even made a few halloween costumes for my friends Faiths kids (simple patterns).

I enjoy working in the garden during the summer months and then canning everything I can think of. If not I give stuff to people I know who need it. I can’t stand to waste.

All of these “life skills” come from my love of our local culture and history and from the love I have for my families own history.

My daddy trapped and sold furs in the winter time and then he dug plant roots and all the wild herbs of the woods when he wasn’t working his day job as a painter.

I’ve seen him take three or four different types of plant roots and make a tonic out of it that would just about make you better thinking about having to choke the stuff down. But, it worked.

My granny and poppy always had a garden and what they didn’t can they would share with the rest of the family. Poppy would also collect hickory nuts and walnuts from the woods and use them.

I just love learning about how people did day to day things in the past. Which brings me to this past weekend.

I was a bit bored so I decided that I would do something that I have never done. Bake my own bread.

Now, I have made zucchini bread before, but I consider that more like a cake that is just baked in a loaf pan.

So, I dug out all of my cook books and laid them out on the counter top. I flipped each one open to the bread section and stood there amazed.

I didn’t realize you could make a loaf of white bread so many different ways. Each recipe was completely unique.

Some recipes called for lard, some called for potato flakes, some called for things I’ve never even heard of. And all of the recipes yielded at least six loaves of bread.

That’s when I decided that my bread making adventure would have to wait a few weeks. Honestly what am I going to do with six loaves of bread that may or may not taste good.

So I decided the best thing for me to do would be to ask you. I would love for our readers, to start sending in your favorite bread recipes.

If you don’t bake but can the items you harvest from your garden, send those recipes in as well because canning season will be upon us before too long.

I’d also love to hear from our quilters and crafters. Send in your ideas so that we can share them with our community.

You can send in photos to share of your quilts and crafts or take a picture of a recipe you made and share that with us! We’d love to hear from you.

You can send your recipes and ideas to CV&T c/o Megan PO Box 660, Irvine, KY 40336 or you can email them to me at cvtads@windstream.net.

I can’t wait to hear from you!

01-20-11

Columnist recounts a decade worth of memories

As we roll into the new year, I took a few minutes to reflect on the past 10 years. A decade, and the events that seem like they happened last week.

Preston, Andrew, Whitney, me and Daddy in '01.

It’s amazing how much can happen within those 10 years that can change your life completely.

In 2000, I was a freshman in high school who had to rely on my older (yes, Whitney is OLDER THAN ME) sister to drive me around.

In 2001 we found out that my dad had small cell lung cancer, 9-11 happened and life seemed to crawl by.

In 2002 my daddy passed away and I felt as though I lost a part of my heart. I was Daddy’s girl and everything changed after he died. Things still aren’t the same to this day without having Daddy around.

In 2003 my sister graduated high school and headed off to college and for the first time in my life, I had my very own room. I was excited for about a week and then it lost all it’s joy. We’d shared a room for almost 18 years and even though I haven’t admitted it until today, I missed her.

She won’t read this so I won’t have to worry about her holding this over my head. Sister rivalry and all.

Candace, Kayla, Jess and me at Graduation in '04.

In 2004 I graduated high school and the real world began.

Since 2005 and 2006 didn’t amount to much, because I didn’t amount to much, I’ll skip over those unmemorable events.

Except the fact that I moved to Michigan in 2006.

In January of 2007 I came back to Kentucky to visit my Poppy who was sick and in the hospital. While we were here visiting him, I was put in the hospital. I was given a less than 40 percent chance of making it through.

On the day that my Poppy passed away I started to pull through and it was a long recovery. Even though I miss him everyday, I know that he was my angel looking out for me.

My Poppy, James "Rabbit" Tipton.

Later on in 2007 my sister had my nephew William Allen and her life changed completely.

August 2008 changed my life in a completely different way. I married the love of my life Timmy, and nothing has been the same since.

My Granny Mary and nephew William.

Spring 2010 brought around another large blow to my family. We lost Granny Mary and my heart broke again. She was always there when I needed some advice, and trust me, she didn’t beat around the bush. She’d tell it to you straight.

And, on what would have been Granny’s 72nd birthday, my sister Whitney gave birth to my niece, Kenlee Marie and we all smiled a little bit more.

You may be wondering why I put all of these scatter brained memories together. The good memories along with the bad, and I’ll tell you why. Life isn’t all full of the good memories and moments. It’s made up of the sad ones as well. Full of the ones that knock you to your knees and make you doubt whether you can get back to your feet.

Eventually you manage to get back up. You are able to plant your feet on solid ground and take that first step. Standing beside you are the ones you love. Your family and your friends and your faith in God hold on to you and help you find your way.

All of these moments and all of these memories and challenges in life help to make us who we are today.

Lisa Baber told me something very wise the other day. She said, “My mother always said that ‘life is nothing but a memory, so make sure that each day is worth remembering.’”

Happy New Years and God Bless.

12-30-10

Falling for recipes

Its that time of year again. My favorite season, fall.

I just love it. Cool mornings, colorful leaves, pumpkins, mums, fodder shocks, scare crows... Well, I think you get my point.

My husband Tim loves this time of year as well. Hunting season kicks off in full force. Which makes me enjoy it so much more since he goes on a week long hunting trip at LBL (Land Between the Lakes) with all the men in his family. It’s my own vacation!

Fall means that school has started back, Friday nights are spent bundled up at football games and the holidays are all closer than we realized.

When the weather gets cool, I think everyone begins craving those fall flavors, pumpkin pies, and my specialty which is homemade apple pie.

My crust, made from scratch. I don’t like the prepackaged dough. Doesn’t have the same taste. The apples, ones that I have put up from the previous year. The recipe, a mixture of two or three different ones that I’ve combined to make my own.

And those few factors, they make the pie taste even better.

But this week I’m going to share a different recipe with you. While looking through old cook books and recipes I found one that is over 300 years old. The early settlers brought it with them when they settled in Kentucky. It was a cake for special occasions.


Appalachian Apple Stack Cake 


3 1/2 cups AP Flour

1tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt


* Stir dry ingredients and blend well

In a separate bowl -

2 eggs (beaten lightly)

1 stick of soften butter

1/2 c. Brown Sugar


* Cream butter and brown sugar together then mix egg in. Add in

1 c. Sorghum Molasses or regular molasses


Mix these ingredients well. Add dry ingredients and alternate with 1 cup of buttermilk


Preheat oven 355º. Divide cake batter into 9 inch round pans. You need 5 cakes - thin. Grease your baking pans and dust with flour. Since they are going to thin layers.


Filling for between the layers

1lb dry apples

4 c. Apple Cider

2 c. Water


Add into a pan and bring to a boil. If you want your apples to taste jammy then add in 1/2 c. sugar.

Let cool before adding to cake.

Place one layer, add in filling, cake, filling, etc. You need to divide filling for 4 layers with a cake on the top.

Once made let your cake sit for 4 hours. The cake is dry and the filling will be absorbed into the cake and taste delicious.

Before you serve, make sure to dust your cake with confectioners sugar.

So, this weekend I’m going to make this recipe and I’ll take a picture to let you see the finished product. Everyone tells me this is a delicious cake. Most say it’s something they remember their grandma making. So, lets see how it turns it.

9-23-10

A touching letter from father to daughter

I am blessed. I have a wonderful family, a strong faith and the love of wonderful friends. Recently a real good friend of mine shared something very dear to her heart with me. Her father is very sick and any child who has a parent who is dying knows the pain of feeling helpless.

We only want to do what is best for those we love. We feel as if the time has come that they need us. Yet, we don’t want to be pushy.

So her father wrote her this letter and she shared it with me. I’d like to share it with you. I hope that it opens your heart and makes you think about your family and your time here on this earth.


A Father Needs His Children


I needed you when you were born.

You showed me there were more important things in life than myself.

Because of you I learned tenderness, caring, nurturing.

You made me responsible for my actions because they now affected more than just me.

I needed you when you were starting to grow and learning to walk.

I needed to see that look of trust in your eyes that I would catch you if you were to stumble and fall.

Your faith in me to do what was best. I needed you at the end of the day.

I knew no matter how badly the day went that a simple smile, a laugh, a “Daddy I love you” would make everything better.

I needed you to know that I would walk in front of you to protect you from whatever lay ahead.

I needed you when you entered the uncertain years of being a teenager.

A time of more questions than answers.

I needed you to test my resolve and faith in you so that I could show you I believed in you.

To show you that now I would walk beside you and that you are not alone.

That we would face, together, whatever came our way.

I needed you when you took your first steps into adulthood.

I needed you to see my look of pride.

To let you know that I now walked behind you to give you support and encouragement on the path that YOU chose.

To applaud your successes and if you were to stumble, to help you get back up, dust you off, and with a fatherly nudge, get you back onto your path.

I need you now in my later years when my health and age are taking their toll.

I need you to walk beside me in case I should stumble.

I need you to let me choose the direction my life will take.

To allow me to face whatever comes with dignity.

To allow me to do as much as I can for myself so I can maintain my self respect.

A time may come when you will have to decide for me, but it is not now.

I will need you when my days finally come to an end.

I will need you to be strong.

To mourn my passage, yes, but moreover to celebrate my having lived.

To hopefully remember fondly the times we spent together.

To smile at my all too human frailties.

To chuckle at my weak attempts at magic to amaze you.

My all-to-fatherly sense of humor.

To know that I have always loved you and if you need me you need only to close your eyes and think of me and I will be there for you.

Tara and her Daddy

Do I need my children, yes I do.

But then I always have. I always will.

All My Love,

Daddy

I read this and my heart aches for the love that this man has for his child. I feel blessed by her sharing this with me, and I hope that she knows how blessed she is to possess something of this caliber.

I would give anything to have something like this from my daddy, but even though I don’t have it in print like she does, I have his life lessons in my heart.

I hope that you have been blessed by this, and I hope that you, as parents, take a moment to sit down and let your children know why you need them. Let them know you love them and give them a special piece of your heart.

08-05-10

The house that built me

This was, and always will be, the road that leads home.

Like most kids around here, I grew up in an old house that was filled with love and laughter, sweat and tears.

I can close my eyes and imagine the house as it stood when I was small. Nothing fancy, nothing big, but home.

Recently I heard this song on the radio that brought me to tears and reminded me of the only place I will ever call home.

It’s the place where I learned what faith and love is really made of. What it means to grieve, and what it feels like when you have to leave something and someone you love with all of your heart and soul.

There’s the kitchen where our mama taught us how to cook and preached to us that she didn’t need a dishwasher because God gave her two. Then there was the kitchen table where we used to sit and do our homework.

The living room with the pink petunia walls and burgundy carpet is gone now, but I remember when daddy painted the walls that color. It was amazing because he usually didn’t paint our walls anything but white.

I know that there are nails from the old basketball goal still in the tree out front, and my old dog Dixie is buried underneath the cherry trees they finally cut down.

If you walk around back, you’d see the building that my daddy built and the green chair that he use to sit in when he worked. The chair is gone now, but the memory remains.

I learned what having faith was really all about, when I knelt down next to daddy to pray the day he found out he had cancer, and the meaning of the love the day he passed away in that living room with pink petunia walls surrounded by our family and friends and the presence of God.

If you look closely on one of the old door frames, you will find crooked lines showing how tall we had grown. There’s the dirt road, the old barn, the creek. All of these memories came flooding back to me.

I always said that I’d leave and never come back. Well, I guess I ate my own words because here I am. I’m thankful that I can live in a place where these memories of love can surround me at every turn.

If I could go back to that house and look for one thing, it would be that old rusted green chair of daddy’s. I wouldn’t take it with me, but sit it up next to the building where he would always sit to talk with friends, or to pray. How can you take something from the place where you know it truly belongs?

Maybe this song hits close to home because this past week my dad would have turned 62, or maybe it’s just the memories of the house that built me.




“I thought if I could touch this place or feel it

This brokenness inside me might start healing

Out here it’s like I’m someone else

I thought that maybe I could find myself

If I could just come in I swear I’ll leave

Won’t take nothing but a memory

From the house that built me.”

~Miranda Lambert, House that Built Me 

5-20-10

On the road again...

A few weeks ago our landlord told my husband and me that he had finally sold the property that we are currently renting. The closing date is in a month and I’m so behind on doing all the things that need to be done that it’s not even funny.

Packing is one of the worst chores in the world to me.

Going through everything that has had its own place for the past three years and packing it up almost makes me sick.

Finding boxes, wrapping up breakables, and marking everything so that they don’t get lost during the move is a job all on its own. Not to mention the whole, “Did you pack up my clothes I wear to work?” and then having to dig them back out of the crates.

Then there is the whole process of trying to find a new place to rent. Getting back deposits, cutting the electric and water off, getting it turned back on in a new location. I seriously think I need a personal assistant to help me remember all the things that need to be done.

Between packing, working, and doing the other ten million things I do everyday, I think I’m losing it.

So far I’ve cleaned two rooms completely out (washed the walls and so forth) and taken loads of things to the Goodwill. If I haven’t seen it or used it within the past few years, it’s gone.

In some ways, I’m heartbroken that we have to leave, but in other ways, I’m thrilled.

I won’t know what to do when it rains. I’m so used to having to run and place buckets all over the house and make sure that nothing is going to ruin if it gets wet.

Then again, I had to give one of my dogs away and it breaks my heart. My father-in-law is going to keep my Great Pyrenees, Big Boy. They have a farm and he has room to run. My aunt helped me find Penny a new home last week and now all I have is Fancy.

We’ve had her for three years. She’s a part of the family and the only company I have when Timmy’s gone on hunting trips.

But, we do what we have to do. If we can’t keep her, we’ll find her a good home where I know she’s loved and taken good care of.

So, between working, packing and keeping up with my regular chores, I’ve barely had time to think. I have, however, remembered that this weekend is Mothers Day and my sister’s baby shower.

Now, if I can only figure out where I’ve parked my car and exactly how to get home, that will be something.

5-6-10

Our Fancy girl. She loved the Christmas lights.

Life’s lessons learned through grief

We learn a lot through grief. We learn how to shine through the pain and tears for all of those who surround us. How to find comfort in the words of others and how to get through the days following.

My family recently lost my grandmother, Mary Francis Brinegar Tipton. It was so unexpected. In the past three years she had battled so much. The death of her husband for 53 years (James Rabbit Tipton). She fought her cancer and had been doing great.

She was an amazing woman. Full of tough love and spunk and she loved us all so much.

She was the type of person that if you asked her opinion, she’d hand it straight out; whether you wanted to hear that side of it or not. That was just how she was.

The Thursday before she died my mom came in from Michigan and spent the day with her. They had made plans for the weekend.

Granny was going to get her hair done at Judy’s (every Friday for as long as I can remember) and they were going to take her back to Red Lobster. She wouldn’t go that day because her hair needed to be fixed. That’s just how she was.

So they talked about the crabapple tree that stands in Granny’s front yard. About how beautiful it was. She asked mom to get some pictures of it.

She talked about how she’d never been to the zoo. Mom just happened to have her laptop with her from the times they’d went to the zoo with work. She got to visit the zoo if only through photographs.

I talked to her that Thursday and she fussed at me for not coming and getting a fridge. She let me know that it was her fridge and I could have it. I just couldn’t come up after dark and get it cause she went to bed.

Granny and I, we shared a like in purses. I’d go up to see her and say, “Oh, let me borrow that purse!” and of course she wouldn’t let me. Usually because they were Aunt Judy’s or Lana’s.

Mom brought her in a purse that Thursday and Granny told her she’d have to hurry up and put her stuff in it before I came up and got. She was so funny.

The day of her funeral was beautiful. Her service was held under the pink blossoms of the crabapple tree in her front yard with all of the family surrounding it.

Granny Mary had always said that she wanted me to sing at her funeral and I’d always told her sure. But, when it comes right down to it, that is one of the hardest things in the world to do.

So my mom stood by my side and she told me that now I had my chance to sing for Poppy to. As we started to sing I started to cry until a gentle wind came through blowing pink petals all around. I took a deep breath and finished with no more tears.

The grandsons carried her up to the grave yard to lay her to rest beside Poppy. And did the last thing they could for her. Little William asked if that was her new home and they told him no, to look up to Heaven and that was her new home.

He wants to know if he can call her on his mommy’s cell phone up in Heaven. Now you catch him talking to the sky, “Because she can hear you,” they told him.

It’s hard for adults to comprehend the loss of a loved one, let alone a three year old who thought the sun rose in his Nanny.

Talking to Granny is his way of getting through something he doesn’t understand yet. For me, it’s the memories.

Memories of yard sales, working in flower beds, Braves games, sitting on the front porch talking, or her getting out and playing baseball with all of her grandkids.

I caught myself calling her last Friday from work. Had most of the numbers dialed before I realized what I was doing.

But time, it heals all wounds. Memories keep those we have lost in our hearts and minds and love does the rest. But God, faith, and the power of prayer gives up hope and knowing that one day we will be with her again. In that land of endless days and forever blooming crabapple trees.

4-22-10

Children do like to play

When children ask you to play with them, what do you usually tell them? You’re too busy? You have something that you have to do? Or how about, maybe later?

Well, I’m the type that says, “Give me a few minutes, and I’ll be outside.”

And that’s exactly what I did this past weekend.

Destiny asked me Saturday night if I would take her sleigh riding, so Sunday morning we (Tim, Timmy, myself, Destiny, Faith, and Bryson) all bundled up against the cold for a few hours of play in the snow.

Destiny and I made snow angels in the field, then she begged me to help her build a snow castle. It looked nothing like a castle, but in her mind it was beautiful.

We threw snowballs at each other. She thought it was so funny that every time she would hit me or Timmy we would fall down.

Then came time for the sledding.

Now, to most people sledding involves an inner-tube, a sleigh. I’ve even seen people use garbage can lids and car hoods. Our sled involved a green plastic picnic table turned on its top, a rope tied around the front legs and connected onto the back of a pickup truck.

Yes, a pick up truck and a plastic picnic table. Hey, you use what you’ve got!

So I hopped on and tucked Destiny up against me and off we went. Tim drove us around and around the field and Destiny was having the time of her life. Laughing and giggling. It was precious.

As we skidded around, the dogs decided that we were playing a game and joined in the fun. Running around behind the “sled” eating that flying snow.

Finally I got Faith to get on the “sled” with me. As we took off, we realized that it wasn’t Tim driving anymore, but Timmy. We went around the field at what felt like 90 miles an hour. After the fourth or fifth turn we were sent flying into the air. We both laid there laughing so hard and then we were jumped on by the kids and the dogs.

You know, I think that everyone adult and child alike, should remember what it’s like to have fun. To actually play like you did as a child. I feel that it makes you stay young, even if you only stay young at heart!

2-4-10 

Tea, anyone?

When I was a kid I remember going to slumber parties and birthday parties, but never a tea party. That is until this past week.

Tim, my father-in-law told Destiny (his six year old niece) that he would make her tea and crumpets for her very own tea party.

Well what he failed to mention to the rest of the family was that we were all required to attend.

So Faith (Destiny’s mom) and I, went out and found her one of the miniature tea sets and instead of crumpets, because none of us seem to know exactly what a crumpet is except Chef Tim, we decided on having Toaster Strudels and cut them into little triangles.

Hey, the kid is six. She’ll be happier with a toaster strudel than a crumpet which is a sweet bread made out of flour and yeast ( I looked it up and the strudel sounded better to me and Faith).

So we found a pretty pink table cloth with ruffles on the edges and showed Destiny how to set a table. She pranced around the table placing her little saucers and cups down. Then the small fancy plates and napkins.

We all sat down. Seven people crowded around a small kitchen table for four. We let Destiny pass around her “crumpets” and pour “tea” (hot chocolate) into everyone’s cups.

Did I mention that these were the miniature tea sets? A sip was the entire cup. Needless to say she was refilling Timmy’s cup a lot.

As we sat there, we laughed and talked in really horrible English accents, except for me and my accent came out more Irish sounding than anything which got a laugh from everyone.

I sat back and snapped pictures of Destiny’s first tea party and ended up with some great embarrassing pictures of my husband and his dad demonstrating how to hold your pinky finger when sipping tea.

See, good things come in small packages. This time it just so happen to be in the form of a miniature tea set.


1-28-10

If I knew you were coming . . .

Word travels fast... especially in a small town like Irvine.

Last Friday I received a phone call at work from my mom, Sheila. Surprise! She was on her way to Kentucky for a visit and they were coming to my house.

All because of my article I wrote a few weeks ago. Good job Megan.

Emotions. Panic. Nervous. Full on panic attack.

What? I get that way when anyone comes over to my house.

Well, that’s a lie, just my mom and my Granny. Must have clean floors and clean tennis shoes in my family.

So when I left from work, I got my grocery shopping done in record time, my kitchen floor scrubbed and supper was ready to be put out on the table by the time they arrived at my house.

Mom, Joe (my step dad), Whitney, Buddy and William all piled into the kitchen.

Of course William ran straight for the toy corner and grabbed the Tonka dump truck. Mom looked around at all the pictures informing me that she wasn’t in any of them. Which, by the way, isn’t true. I know for a fact that she is in two photos that are on the fridge.

I can’t help it if William is in almost every picture in the house. I’m a proud aunt, just wait till his sister gets here! Oh, boy!

So, I went in the living room to get William just in time to see him giving one of Fancy’s puppies a ride in the back of the Tonka truck, and I reached him just in time for him to pull the lever to dump the puppy.

Of course Fancy was running around and around the truck not knowing what to do. And I jumped down and grabbed the pup before it hit the floor. They are only two weeks old.

I couldn’t keep from laughing at that silly child. He can be so funny, and if you didn’t know any better, half the things he does would make you believe he was my child instead of my sisters.

After supper mom, Whitney and me sat down at the table to play a few board games. We are so competitive that it’s sad. We laugh, we argue over a play that doesn’t seem fair (that’s usually the person who is losing), and we have a good time.

When they all left around 11:30, I looked at Timmy and laughed. It’s not everyday that family can come over and spend quality time together and enjoy themselves.

My family is just like yours. We laugh, we cry, we get mad at one another, but in the end all that really matters is that you love one another and don’t get upset if they only visit you once in a blue moon!

1-21-10

Kick it into soup gear

When the weather starts to turn cold I go into SOUP mode at the house. We have chili for a few nights, then vegetable soup, soup beans, potato soup... I could keep going but I think you get the picture.

This part of me had to come from my dad. I think if it was up to him when we were growing up, we would of had soup beans or green beans every night for supper. When he cooked, he made so much that we would have soup beans for a week.

Soup is something that really doesn’t take a lot of prep time and if you fix enough of it, it will last a while.

There is nothing wrong with eating leftovers! Waste not, want not!

I usually make enough of some soups so that I can freeze a batch. That’s a great thing when your running low on food supplies at the end of the month or when you really don’t feel like cooking.

So this week, I decided I’d share my potato soup recipe with you. It’s great on a cold day with a big chunk of cornbread and I usually fix salmon patties with mine. I don’t freeze this recipe. Never tried it and it doesn’t last that long at our house.




Here you go and I hope you enjoy!


Ingredients: (2 servings)

4 medium potatoes, peeled, sliced and diced

1 medium onion, chopped

1 package of shredded cheddar cheese

3 pieces of cooked crisp bacon

1 can of cream

Boil chopped onions and potatoes in water until tender. Drain all but 1/3 of the water from the pan. Turn heat down on low and add cream. Let simmer on low for a few minutes. Right before serving add in desired amount of cheese and stir until well blended. Plate and add crumbled bacon on the top of soup.

This is a quick and easy recipe but make sure you keep an eye on the soup. If you aren’t careful you will scorch it, especially after you have added the cheese in.

You can change this recipe up easily. I’ve added diced carrots and celery to it before. Be creative. Add some of your favorites to the recipe or make your own.

Cooking doesn’t have to be a chore. I’ve learned to enjoy cooking and use it as a way to show my love to those around me.

I hope you enjoy the soup! 

01-14-10

New Year’s Resolutions? Not Me!

Those dreaded New Year’s resolutions. Why do we do this to ourselves? I’ve been asking myself that question for a while now.

Don’t get me wrong, I did make a few but then I decided I wouldn’t call them my Resolutions. So, here is my “List of 10 Things to do in 2010”.

1. Clean out all of the closets. I’ve already started this and only made it halfway through the large closet. It will take a while but I’m hoping I can get it all done before February.

2. Take unwanted and unused items to the Goodwill. Hey, I figure someone can get some use out of all of those things just lying around collecting dust. I’ve already taken one load to them and I’m planning to take another this weekend. They are just going to love it when I pull around back!

3. Paint the front door when the weather warms up. This is kind of funny on my part because I started this project this past summer and only painted one side of one half of the door. When people come over they just look at the door and seem confused. “Don’t ask!” is my excuse.

4. Spend more time with my family and friends and have them come to visit me. I seem to come up with excuses for not going to see my family. It’s sad on my part, but hey it’s a two-way path the way I see it. It’s the same distance for me to go to them as it is for them to come to me. Think about that family! I mean my mom has only been to my house twice in three years (but she lives in Michigan so understandable) and my sister only a handful of times.

5.Do something for myself at least once every month or so. It seems like I never take any time out for myself. I never feel like I have time to do anything. So this year, I’m going to MAKE the time.

6. Try to quit my bad habit. Okay, okay, so I smoke, but I’ve been trying really hard to quit. I feel ashamed of myself for starting in the first place, but I have no one to blame this on but myself. Hey, I’ve got until January 31, 2010 to quit, but I’ll start trying now. . .

7. Start taking pictures again and learn how to develop them using a dark room. I use to be so good at photography. I’m no professional; I’m just saying that I’m good at what I do. Timmy’s grandmother bought me an old 35mm for Christmas, so now is as good a time as any.

8. Start my Eating Right program. AGAIN. Most of you know that I had gallstone pancreatitis, which led to acute pancreatitis, and I still suffer with it. The doctors had me on an extremely hard diet for any southern born. Not a lot to choose from on that menu, but it all boils down to portion sizes and the right foods. Plus, a healthy dose of …

9. Exercise. I hate this word, but my mother-in-law bought me the Jullian Michaels workout program for the Wii and I’ve been trying to follow it every night. I’m trying. She said she bought that one so that I can fuss back with her while I’m working out. Great stress reliever!

And last but not least, and one that I feel is the most important…

10. Start using the gifts that God has blessed me with. If you know me you know that I was blessed with a lot of unique talents. I love to write and I find joy in writing for you; cooking, which I can also share with you through my writings and recipes. I was blessed with the ability to sing and I sometimes get embarrassed singing in front of crowds. I need to work on that one, a lot. If you don’t use the gifts God has blessed you with, He can take them from you. Remember that!

So, those are my 10 things to do in 2010. I think I can manage that. Well, I’ll give it my best shot and I’ll keep you updated on my progress.

•••

I just wanted to say thank you to those who have asked about my column and encouraged me to continue writing it. I’ll do my best each week not to disappoint. Again, thank you. Happy New Year, and God Bless!

01-07-10

A little on the wild side

I’m not going to write anything big this week, but I am going to share with you a wild game recipe. Since my husband is an avid hunter and fisherman, I’ve had to learn some new ways to cook wild game.

I’m going to share with you my favorite venison recipe this week, thanks to Timmy’s mom, and I hope that you enjoy it as much as we do.


Back strap and Bacon 

Ingredients:

1 backstrap of Venison

1 lb of bacon (you can use any kind, I used platter)

3 pkg. of Brown Gravy mix (follow the directions on back of pkg)

Make sure all of the silver skin has been taken off the backstrap. Then begin to cut into 1/2” to 1” thick pieces. Take 1/2 slice of bacon and wrap around the piece of back strap, securing it with a tooth pick. Once this is done, you will need to brown your meat in a large skillet. Preheat oven to 350º. Mix gravy up into a brown and set aside. Once the meat has started to brown, place it in a glass baking pan and pour the brown gravy on top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes to 1 hour or until meat is completely done. Remember to take the tooth picks out before eating.

Every time I fix this meal, I top it off by having mashed potatoes, corn and green beans as the side dishes. I hope that you enjoy this meal as much as we do, and it’s a good way to get children to eat deer meat.

I had a two year old and a five year old ask for seconds after fixing this for them this past weekend.

NOTE: I was going to write this big long column about how people need to learn when to speak and when to bridle their tongue. Or how they should ask questions to the right individual before they begin jumping to conclusions.

Instead, and I’m only going to write this once, if you don’t enjoy reading my column or if you find fault in everything I say, then by all means, don’t pick up the paper and read it every week. You won’t be hurting my feelings one bit.

Oh, and just to make things clear, I want everyone who reads my column to know that I don’t put my husband down in anyway and I’m sorry if you see it as such. In fact, he gets upset with me when I don’t write a column. He enjoys reading it as much as the next person.

I’ve said my piece and that’s the end of that. And to those who enjoy reading my column, I thank you from the bottom of my heart and I hope you keep on reading!

10-08-09 - Publish date

Cool cleaning

I am loving this cool weather we have been having. It’s so wonderful to be able to throw open the doors and pull up the windows and not worry about your house getting too hot.

So in taking advantage of this cool spell, I decided that I would clean my kitchen. Bad mistake on my part.

I ended up moving the fridge (I can’t believe how dusty it gets back there), the stove, and basically everything else known to man. If anyone thinks that a woman can’t move a fridge alone, they need to come and talk to me.

You might be asking where my husband was during all of this heavy lifting. He is on a hunting trip in Western Kentucky. So, it was just me and the dogs and they sure helped out a lot by getting under my feet. A LOT!

Back to the kitchen.

So once I had all of the large pieces moved to the middle of the floor, I began cleaning out where all the appliances were.

I washed down the walls and then cleaned all the appliances. I ended up rearranging the kitchen completely.

When it came time to put everything back up, I had to wash all of my roosters (that’s what my kitchen is decorated with) and my weird collection of canisters.

Both collections started out with one piece and has now become a full blown obsession. I’m running out of room but I just can’t help it. I bought an old milk glass canister at a yard sale last weekend. I saw it and turned around and ended up buying it.

Like I said, an obsession.

Finally after hours of hard work and a ton of dust later, I was able to stand back and look at my clean kitchen. It was so clean that I promise you the floor sparkled like in the Mr. Clean commercials.

I haven’t dirtied any dishes in two days just so that when I walk through the front door I see nothing but a sparkling kitchen. But when Timmy gets home it will be a totally different story.

Published 10-01-09 in Citizen Voice & Times

That puts the icing on the cake

I’m not much on sweets, but Sunday afternoon I decided that I would make a German Chocolate cake and take it over to my mother-in-laws for Sunday Supper.

I bought the mix about two months ago and every time I would open up the cabinet that box was staring me in the face.

So, what did I do? I finally broke down and fixed it.

I just couldn’t wait to eat a warm piece of cake with a glass of cold milk. Mmm...

Well, there ended up being eleven of us show up for supper. We had bacon sandwiches, fried green tomatoes, and pork and beans.

Sounds like a simple meal, right? Well, any meal is far from being simple when you are cooking for seven men.

Six pounds of bacon, two loaves of bread and an enormous jug of sweet tea were gone within seconds.

The three of us women had a bacon sandwich apiece, and so did the two children, which was plenty.

So I took my plate back into the kitchen to get a piece of that german chocolate cake that I wanted so badly, and wouldn’t you know that all of it was gone except one small piece. Probably not even a 1/2 inch of cake was left.

Well, that just put the icing on the cake.

Those guys had sat and ate the entire cake, save for that one tiny piece.

All I could do was stand there and look at them with my mouth hanging open.

How could someone eat that much food?

The five of us who had one sandwich probably didn’t use a half of a pound of the bacon that was cooked and only 10 slices of bread.

Not to mention I had used the biggest pan I had for the cake so that there would be enough for everyone a piece.

They must have sat there and just shoveled every thing they could into their mouths. I was just dumb struck.

I was standing there looking at them when Timmy’s mom came up behind me and said, “This isn’t anything unusual.”

So, I took my 1/2 inch piece of cake that I had wanted so bad, and sat back down. All I could think was, “Lord, please let me have girls!”

8-27-09  Publish Date.

Everyone should learn to cook

There are some things in this life I feel every being should learn how to do. Now you may think that I am silly, but I am being serious.

The first thing I believe every man, woman and child should learn to do is cook. Yes, cook.

My husband Timmy trying his hand at cooking.

Whether it be fixing a piece of toast, frying an egg, or spaghetti. Cooking is a skill that not only teaches them safety, but they also lean how to be independent, not to mention the fact that they wouldn’t starve to death if something happened to all the fast food restaurants.

Let me use this real good friend of mine for example. She is 25 years old and doesn’t know how to cook very well at all. I mean don’t get me wrong, she can make a mean dessert, but when it comes to traditional southern food, she’s lost.

So, a few weeks ago I showed her how to make hoe cakes (and for those of you who don’t know what that is, it is fried cornbread). “That’s it?” she asked as I whisked the few ingredients into a bowl. “That’s it!” I said laughing at the look on her face.

The next thing every person should learn to do – and do it RIGHT- is laundry. I’ll use Timmy as a good example on this one.

Timmy believes that a order to wash a load of laundry one must simply gather up every available dirty or clean garment lying around and shove them all into the washer in one load.

Now, when it comes to adding laundry detergent he doesn’t use the measured cap that shows the recommended usage. Nope, not my husband, he “eye’s” it – now doesn’t that make you feel good about what you are wearing.

All this does is cause me more work in the long run. I have to re-rinse the entire load of clothes, then remove them all and end up having to do THREE loads of laundry to his one.

At least he tries to help out around the house. Nowadays, he only does his laundry and I get the detergent and water going for him.

I also believe that everyone should learn how to never be ashamed of what you have. That is a lesson that has humbled me.

My home is no mansion. In fact, I live in a trailer. My roof leaks, and I need to replace a windowpane, and my landlord got a tractor stuck in my yard where I planted new grass.

The neighbor’s dog is constantly in my trashcans, and occasionally we end up with a horse or two standing in our yard, not to mention I need to repaint the front door.

My home may not paint a beautiful picture in your mind, but I will tell you this; it is filled with love, joy and laughter and it stays clean.

I was ashamed for anyone to come to my home because of what it looked like on the outside until I realized that we, as human beings, are like my home. We may not have the prettiest exterior, but when you take a look inside you can find all the love and happiness you could ever need.



8-20-09 - Publish date

Counting a different blessing

Over the past two months, we here at the Citizen Voice & Times have been blessed. Blessings come in some of the strangest fashions. Our blessing came from two teenagers, Zakk Clapper and Sylena Neal.

Two smart and witty kids who have their whole life ahead of them. They have brought light and laughter into our office as well as our lives. They are tremendous helpers and wonderful kids.

From answering the phones to taking pictures around town, they have got to take a different look at our community. Through the lens of a camera and the soles of their shoes. Well, at least that was until Sylena got her license.

They have learned real life experiences and what it takes to hold down a job.

So, to Zakk (or Nick as I called him for the first month he was here and I don’t know why) and Sylena (sorry you had to transfer Timmy’s calls so many times), I pray that God will watch over you as you travel the paths of life that are spread before you.

May you walk the right path and if you get lost along the way, you find your way back to where you belong. Always look for the goodness in life and keep your head held high.

And remember, when coloring, to stay between the lines.

Thank you for all you have done and if you ever need anything, Michael Jackson sang it best, “Just call my name, and I’ll be there!”

Published 7-30-09

Mason Jars and Hardwood floors

Canning and cleaning up after pups is how I would describe my past few weekends.

In June, Fancy had five little pups. FIVE PUPPIES. I could almost pull my hair out. Don't get me wrong, I'm an animal lover, but I'm also one who can't stand smells and a mess.

Do you know how much odor comes off of five puppies? How much they can mess in a few short minutes?

I am constantly in their pen cleaning up and deodorizing (using environmentally safe and pet friendly products of course).

It's a job all in its own, but it is well worth it once you begin to play with them.

Each one has it's own attitude. Take Butch (my nephew William named him) for example, he's the only male out of the bunch, and he is all boy. Growling and barking, running and jumping. He will make my nephew a great pet since William is all boy as well.

I can't wait for them to all go to their new homes, but I worry about them as well. Will they be taken care of? Will they receive affection? I know everyone who has asked for them and they all know that I will be checking up on the pups.

As for the canning, it seems as though there aren't enough hours in the day.

So far I have froze 10 freezer bags full of white half runners; canned 22 quarts of white half runners and Kentucky Pole beans; 14 pints of soup starter (squash, zucchini, cabbage, tomatoes, peppers) for vegetable soup; and 6 pints of diced tomatoes.

This week I'm going to have to start canning tomato juice. We have so many ripe tomatoes coming on that you have to go out and pick every night.

This weekend though, Timmy and I are taking off for a little R and R at Mammoth Cave, even though we just got back from visiting my mom and Joe in Michigan.

Between working, canning, and cleaning up after the puppies, I stay a busy woman. Especially trying to catch up after being gone for a few days.

When I get back, I might be calling out and SOS for some of my friends to come and help. Get your aprons ready girls!

Published 7-23-09

Canning Time Again

It’s that time of year again. Canning time. It seems that every time I turn around someone is telling me a different recipe for canning this or that, and it has all got to become a bit confusing.

So last weekend I sat down and called my Granny Mary and wrote down some of her canning recipes. Each one was very simple and to the point.

Like her sour kraut recipe. No sitting it in a cold place for days before sealing it or adding this ingredient and that ingredient and then letting it ferment in a tub for so many days (I couldn’t even imagine doing this).

She said, “Cabbage, salt and water.”

Now, how much simpler can you get, and there is no other person on earth who can cook and can like my Granny Mary used to.

She could make the best raspberry and blackberry preserves, and her tomato juice, well you usually ended up with an empty Mason jar before you got home.

Now, there is one recipe that I haven’t got yet, and that is my Aunt Tammy’s hot pickles. Mmmm. You want to talk about mouth watering. They are so spicy, yet you can’t eat just one, and by the time you start on the second one your mouth really is watering from the heat.

So, Aunt Tammy, if you are reading this, give me a call and have that recipe on hand! I’ll try and do justice to your recipe, though I’m not making any promises.

Now my mom, she could can the best green beans. She should be the expert since we seemed to eat a whole lot of them growing up. Dad would open up a jar and as they were cooking he would take cold homemade biscuits left over from breakfast and dip it down in the juice and eat it.

Then he’d say, “Ah, won’t be long ‘til they’re done.” Before the beans were completely finished most of them were gone.

So, I called my mom up on Tuesday morning and asked her just how she used to can her green beans.

Her reply, “Beans, water, and salt.”

Another simple recipe. This has me so excited, more so than the squash and zucchini I put away last week.

I really can’t wait to try out my families recipes. I think that once the summer is over and there is no more garden to tend, that I’m going to take all of these family recipes and make them into a book.

Then, I’ll be looking for a new hobby to try this winter. I might just take my summer motto, “You reap what you sow,” and change it to, “You reap what you sew.” We’ll soon find out I suppose, but for now, I’ve got a whole lot of beans to pick and Mason jars to fill. 

7-2-09 - Published in the Citizen Voice & Times

The early bird gets the worm

We have all heard the saying, the early bird gets the worm. But, what about the early gardener? What do they get?

Well, I can tell you exactly what they get, sweat in their eyes, dirty hands, an aching back, and a wheel barrow full of squash and zucchini.

Sunday morning I woke my husband up around 5:45 a.m. so he could take his dad fishing for Father’s Day. Since I was already up and stirring about, I decided that I would go on out to the garden and work before it got too hot.

You see, I made that judgement before I walked out into the morning humidity. But, I plowed on to the garden anyways.

From six thirty to eight I worked picking the squash and zucchini, working all the weeds out of the rows and making sure that bugs hadn’t taken over any of the plants.

Then, I loaded the vegetables up in my car and headed home, where I worked all morning cleaning, cutting, shredding, and blanching so that none of them went to waste.

So, I ask you, what did the early gardener get? I got my hands dirty, my kitchen turned into a disaster area, and a freezer full of squash and zucchini.

Now, I just need to find more preserving recipes. I’m going to have a busy summer!

Published 6-25-09

Red Rover, Red Rover

Do you remember the games you played as a child? Mother may I, freeze tag, red rover? How about hide-and-seek and the other countless games we played to pass the time? 

Over the weekend I spent time with Timmy’s younger cousins and I realized that kids don’t know how to play anymore. If they don’t have a t.v. in front of them or a computer they just don’t know what to do with their time.

So, since it was a beautiful afternoon and since I don’t have cable or video games for the kids to play, Faith, Timmy and I took them outside and told them that we would play freeze tag with them. 

You should have seen the confusion in those kids eyes. 

“Freeze tag? What’s that, Megan?”

They didn’t know what freeze tag was! 

After showing them for the fiftieth time and a lot of yelling for them to run, did they get the hang of it and they had a blast. 

We taught them how to play red rover and I have never seen kids run so fast when Timmy was the one that was “dared to come over”.

It was amazing to see these kids outside playing games that we use to play to pass the summer evenings. 

When it finally got too dark for them to play, we all gathered out in the front yard and showed them how to catch lightening bugs and told them about all the games we use to play.

My sister Whitney and I were always able to find something to do when we were kids. We’d take dads saw horses and old boards and make see-saws out of them or balancing beams. We would turn our bicycles upside down and act like we were driving cars. 

Kids today don’t seem to have any imagination what so ever, especially when it comes to finding games to play. Yes, some of you parents might say that at least you know where your child is when he is inside of his room playing video games, but you aren’t challenging his imagination. 

So, I challenge you all to something. This weekend make time to take your kids outside and teach them some of the games that you enjoyed as a child. Show them that there is more to life than sitting in front of a screen all day. 

Your kids will enjoy it and so will you! 

6-18-09 - Published in the Citizen Voice & Times

Just like two peas in a pod

My thumb has seemed to turn green this year and I am so excited. For the first time in my life I have beautiful flowers blooming, especially my rose bushes, and a garden that is flourishing beautifully.

After last weeks rain my peas have seemed to take on a life of their own and I spent Monday afternoon out in the garden picking them as the rest of the family sat on the porch and watched.

After about thirty minutes a comment was thrown out, “Good thing we are paying you by the bushel and not by the hour.”

Well, that was it.

I had sweat dripping down my forehead, hair was blowing in my eyes and my fingertips were cramping. I raised up and shouted, “I don’t see any of you down here helping so you just need to hush it.”

Well, it didn’t take but a few minutes before Timmy was down in the garden helping me out. I guess he started feeling guilty.

We finished picking the peas and Timmy and his dad staked the tomato plants and put bean dust on the beans.

When it became too dark to work anymore, Timmy and I headed home. I received an “I’m sorry for not helping you.” And as we walked into the house he turned and said, “Meg, you and me are like Forest and Bubba. Two big ol’ peas in one little pod.”

6-4-09 - Published in Citizen Voice & Times

Oh Snap! What a turtle!

I can’t seem to recall a time in my life when I have ever been afraid of a turtle. Spiders terrify me, but never turtles. My sister, on the other hand, never cared much for them. I would pick them up and put them behind my back and when she wasn’t looking I would shove them in her face just to make her scream.

I’m sure she hated me for that, but all I can say for myself is that we were kids.

Yesterday as Timmy and I were heading to my Granny’s for a cook out, he screamed, “Stop the car!” after I dodge a large clump of mud laying in the middle of our road.

“What for?” I said as I was slowing down the car. But it was too late. He was already out of the car and running down the road yelling at me to go turn the car around.

When I finally got back to where he was, there he stood with this enormous snapping turtle in his hands.

I rolled up my windows and locked the door. There was no way in this world I was going to let him put that dinosaur of a turtle in my car.

There he stood yelling at me to open the door and I was yelling right back at him that he was not going to put that in the car. After promising that he wouldn’t, I unlocked the doors.

He opened the door and shoved that big nasty turtle right towards me. All I could hear as I shoved the car in park and jumped out of the car was, “Do you think he’s big enough to keep?”

“NO! Put that down!” I was shouting at him as I moved farther away from the car.

Finally he was able to catch his breath from laughing at me for being silly and said, “I only wanted to know which way he was heading. He’s not big enough to eat yet.”

So I pointed to the right side of the road and waited until the turtle was well out of his reach before getting back in the car.

The boy had lost his mind, and I had received pay back for all those times I had done the same thing to my sister. So to Whitney, I apologize for all those times I shoved baby turtles in your face. I’m still recovering from the shock today!

5-28-09 - Column published in the Citizen Voice & Times

Birthday brings back memories

There are some things in this life that a person never forgets. Lets take birthday’s for example. Today, May 14th, would have been my dads (Kenneth Stepp) 61st birthday.

He only lived to see 54 of them.

When I was sixteen he passed away from cancer and it broke my heart into a million pieces. That’s one of the worst pains a child can go through.

Every year on his birthday I go and clean up around his grave and always say a silent “Happy Birthday” just for him.

He was on this earth only a short time but accomplished so much while he was here.

He was a painter by profession and a wild crafter at heart. He’d go out ginseng and agate hunting, trapping and he succeeded at everything he did.

He had seven children; Kenny, Mike, Jason, Preston, Andrew, Whitney and me, and each one of us carries a part of him in our hearts. Now, he has ten grandchildren and even great grandchildren.

All the boys favor dad, Kenny and Mike laugh just like him. Whitney took his sense of humor and dance skills (God help us), and me, I’ve got his stubborn streak and I’m his baby and that’s what I will always be.

His light lives on in each and every person who knew him. I feel so lucky to have been apart of his life.

“Happy Birthday, Daddy!”


********************

Diet Update:

I have lost a total of 9.5lbs! My granny Mary said she was going to keep last weeks article out until I got down to those size 12’s and knowing her, she will! 

Column was published 5-14-09 in the Citizen Voice & Times

Me and the family losers

Dieting can be so hard when you are trying to do it on your own. So, my family decided to have a contest, like the Biggest Loser, to see who could lose the most weight. 

The six of us all put $10 in a pot and the one who loses the most weight in twelve weeks wins the money. Now that might not seem like a lot of money, but when it comes down to it, it’s enough to motivate anyone. That’s a new pair of jeans. 

My motivation isn’t just the sixty bucks, but a pair of jeans, size 12, that are hanging in my closet. Two years ago I fit  into them perfectly and now, I wouldn’t even attempt to try and put them on. 

When I first got sick with my pancreas I lost 120 pounds in three months the wrong way. My hair fell out and I looked horrible. I resembled a person on chemo. 

 I had never been so sick in my life. 

So now, I’m going about it the right way. I watch my calories and I haven’t had a pop in two days and I’m drinking water like it’s going out of style.

 So far, I’ve lost a pound and I couldn’t be happier. I know that I’m not going to be able to fit into those size 12 in twelve weeks, but I’ll be working my way closer to my goal. 

The rest of my family better watch out. I’m just like my mom when it comes to games and competitions. I’ll push myself to win. 

Smaller jeans here I come!

Published in the Citizen Voice & Times 5-7-09

There’s nothing like a full day outside in the sunshine

I spent most of my time outside this past weekend, soaking up the sun and cleaning up around my yard.

On Friday I got the brilliant idea to push mow our two acre front yard and let me be the first to tell you, it was no picnic.

By the time I pulled and tugged trying to get the mower started I was wore out and didn’t really want to do anything else. But I pushed on down the yard and finally got it finished and it looks great.

Timmy spent most of the afternoon picking up the back yard and the field behind our house so that we can bush hog it within the next few days.

With all the harsh winds we’ve been having lately, I think everyone’s trash ended up blowing down into our back yard. Feed sacks and trash that the neighborhood dogs have carried around and someone’s trash can. I just know our garbage man is really going to hate us on pick up day.

Saturday was a real treat as well. I entered the cook off and cake decorating contest at the Mushroom Festival and had a great time.

I came in second in the amateur cake decorating and third in the cook off with my flat iron steak smothered in a woodland mushroom sauce.

After all the winners had been announced, I got the privilege to try some of the entries. The winner of the cook off had made a Quiche and it was amazing. She deserved to win.

So after walking around and taking pictures for a little bit, Timmy and I decided to head on back home. I love going to festivals but I don’t do well in large crowds and we had to leave before I had a panic attack. Too many people in such a small space.

Sunday all the family got together and worked out in the garden. While Timmy, his dad Tim and our neighbor Gene planted corn in the upper garden, Trudy ( Timmy’s mom), Faith (his aunt) and I worked on the lower garden. We weeded out the onions and peas and set out more plants.

We ended up having to make the garden a bit bigger so we would have room to plant our tomatoes, watermelon, and cantaloup. It’s going to be one large garden.

I can’t wait for everything to start getting ripe. There is nothing better than a fresh bologna sandwich with a big garden tomato in my opinion.

After working all afternoon in the garden we wound down the night on the front porch talking and singing old country and gospel songs and listening to night sounds of spring.

Faith’s kids loved it. We taught them “You are my Sunshine” and listened as they made up songs of their own. It was so sweet. These kids didn’t need a television to keep them entertained only stories and songs.

There is no better way to spend an evening after a day of hard work. I wish more families were like ours. Who knew that a garden would make a family grow closer together!

Column was published 4-30-09 in Citizen Voice & Times

My first sunburn of the season

Over the weekend I had a yard sale with Faith, a friend of mine. It was such a beautiful day that I thought nothing of getting a sunburn. Boy was I wrong.

After packing everything up and heading home for a little family cookout my shoulders began to burn a little. 

“Oh, it will go in,” I said to myself, because usually I just brown.

HA! The joke was on me. As the night wore on and the sun began to go down I realized that I had made a horrible mistake by not putting on sunscreen. My arms were burnt, my shoulders, the back of my neck and even my lips.

I couldn’t lean back on the couch because my neck would hit the material. I could hardly stand the excruciating pain that came from my shirt touching my skin.

It was an awful night. 

I tossed and turned and finally ended up sleeping sitting straight up on the couch. All the while my husband was slumbering and snoring away. It just wasn’t fair that here I sat, looking like a scorched beet, and he was enjoying having the entire king size bed  all to himself.

Even though I was sleep deprived and tomato red, I knew that I couldn’t blame him for the pain I was in. So I put some aloe on my shoulders and neck and walked to the kitchen. On my To Do list I wrote in big, black letters, BUY STRONG SUNSCREEN ASAP!

Now, if only I don’t forget my list the next time I go shopping everything will work out just fine.

Column published 4-23-09 in Citizen Voice & Times

Together after all these years

There are a few things one must always remember when my family gets together. Bring lots of tissues; don’t eat before you go; be prepared for Sheila to take a million pictures; and don’t forget to wear your water proof mascara.

I forgot to wear the water proof mascara.

Over the weekend my grandmother’s side of the family (Brinegar) held a dinner in honor of two of my cousins, Bill Hall and Jeffrey Clay Flynn who is known around here as Cornbread Moses.

Bill will be heading to Iraq this coming Saturday and Jeff just got back from Afghanistan. They are two very special people in my book. For them to take up a career where they risk their own lives for the lives of their country, it’s makes you so proud and breaks your heart all at the same time.

But that wasn’t the only reason for tears that day. My great aunt Loraine came home for the first time in five years.

When my grandmother walked through the door and saw her sitting there the tears began to flow from everyone in the room. I can’t imagine going five years without seeing my sister.

It was just so pitiful to see them crying on one another shoulders. In those few years our family has lost so much. First Poppy, then Aunt Mattie and Linda Gaye. So many sad memories, yet such a joyful occasion.

We all had such a great time catching up with one another and listening to stories. Looking at photos and just remember life.

We take so many things for granted. We should always make time for our family and those we love. I can’t wait for summer to get here so we can get together and do it all again, and this time I won’t forget to put on my water proof mascara.

Column was published 4-16-09 in the Citizen Voice & Times

Trying to plant a garden with kids and a pup

Three kids, a hyper dog, a beautiful spring day, and onions that needed to be planted. Hmmm... what should I do? 

Yes, I let the kids help plant onion sets. We, Timmy, his aunt Faith and I, must have lost our minds that day.

There was Brooke and Bryson, who are both two, Destiny, five, and Fancy, a one year old pup who can’t stand still, in the garden trying to do something constructive. 

Now you are probably asking who had this brilliant idea. Well, that would be me, but I knew what to do. 

Faith and I handed out the onion sets while Timmy marked off the row.

Three, two, one and they were off. Kids and dog everywhere. Now don’t get me wrong, they did good for the first two onions they planted but lost interest quickly. So while Faith and Timmy tried to wrangle up the kids and the dog, I sat down on the edge of the garden with my camera and laughed with every frame I snapped. 

We ended up having to play a game, who can find the most onions scattered through the rest of the garden, the yard, and in Fancy’s mouth.

 After a few minutes here they came with hands full of onion sets. I had never seen such a site. Dirty faces and hands, dirt smeared clothes. It was a sight to behold. Especially little Bryson trying to get the one from Fancy’s mouth. 

It’s moments like this, I feel, that bring a family closer together. Those kids got a chance to have a hands on experience. 

Especially Bryson. Fancy’s a little harder to wrestle than his sister. 

I hope they come back around weeding time, but I’ll have to keep a closer eye on them then or we won’t have a garden left at all. 

Column April 9, 2009 - published in the Citizen Voice & Times

Oh, I wish I was...

Things happen so unexpectedly sometimes. Like this weekend for instance. 

I received a phone call bright and early on Sunday morning from Tim, my father-in-law asking for Timmy and me to come and help him fence. Since Timmy wasn’t feeling well, I headed over to help. 

You should have seen us! Tim was using an iron digger to dig out the holes and I was using the old post hole diggers and moving right behind him. 

After the third fence post, listening to the neighbor tell us what a good job we were doing and hearing Tim say, “Work like this is good for the soul,” I’d had about enough. So with eight dollars in my pocket I talked the neighbor into coming over and using his post driver. Best eight dollars I have ever spent! 

When the hard work was almost over my husband (knows when to show up doesn’t he) came over and was complaining about his tooth hurting him. I listened to him complain for a while and finally after he went in and grabbed the phone book and began looking for a dentist, I got the hint. He was actually in a terrible amount of pain. 

After setting up appointments and calling dentists all over the country side, we were able to get him an appointment the next day. Oh, and the ads for 24 hour dentists, lie. You only get an answering machine.   

So bright and early Monday morning we headed out to Lexington. 

Now, I have patience but it can only be stretched so far. We sat there for three hours after his appointment time. When they finally called him back, they attempted to pull the tooth and ended up having to do oral surgery. Great! 

So, after spending all day in a waiting room with a complaining husband, I enjoyed a car ride all the way back to Winchester with a grumpy husband. 

As we sat in the car waiting for his prescription to get filled (Kroger has the busiest pharmacy I’ve ever been to), I thought I was going to go mad when I spotted it out of the corner of my eye. 

I began to laugh and sing the jingle I remembered from childhood commercials. “My bologna has a first name it’s O-S-C-A-R...” 

Who in their wildest dreams would have imagined seeing the Oscar Mayer truck on what had to be one of the worst vacation days ever taken. I guess it just goes to show that when things are so bad that you are about to pull your hair out, something always comes along to brighten up your day. My shining moment just so happened to be a hot dog shaped car. 

Sometimes life throws you lemons, others hotdogs! 

The only irony of this is the fact that I DO NOT like hot dogs!

Column was published 3-26-2009 in the Citizen Voice & Times

Time to go fishing

The time to go fishing is upon us and no one realizes that more than me. I like to go fishing, don’t get me wrong, but my husband is obsessed, a true fisherman at heart.

He has been trying to find this pole/reel combo that he found years ago. Bass Pro doesn’t have it, Sportsman’s Warehouse doesn’t have it, he can’t find it online, and it is driving me up the wall. 

Who knew that picking out the right fishing pole would take research, going to and from sporting good stores and conference calls between friends. 

I didn’t know that there was a million different types of fishing line. Now that just might be non interest on my part, but come on. Timmy let me know that you can’t just use regular cheap fishing line when you fish for “Big Fish”. You have to pick out the right line with the right... (I stopped listening and just nodded my head). 

Fishing to me, and I give you permission to laugh at me, is sitting on the bank and getting excited about catching Blue Gill. Well, that’s what I do anyways. It doesn’t really matter the size of the fish, its the fact that you were good enough to catch one. 

Not to Timmy. 

If he catches a small fish, he gets mad and only more determined to catch the monster that he knows is hiding in murky waters. He doesn’t wake up early for work, but if it comes to fishing, he’s out of the house at 5 in the morning just as bright eyed and bushy tailed as can be. 

Hopefully he finds the right pole soon. I can’t wait. The days he goes fishing, are the days that I get to sit back, relax and not have to listen to fishing stories and tall tales. Even though they both go hand in hand. 

 

Column was published 3-19-09 in the Citizen Voice & Times