Fall = Fair Week!!!

Fall has officially arrived! "Officially" it arrives in DeKalb Co Alabama when the County Fair comes to town.  My boys live for this time of year! It comes in close to the top of their favorite things lists, only coming in behind Christmas and their birthdays. They count the months until it's fair time.  Ironically, it also always falls the week of my birthday.  My big day can't hold a candle to the Fair!




So excited that they've forgot that I'm back here :)

Oliver riding the bull last year

David is almost as bad as the boys when it comes to Fair week.  We are in the middle of Soccer and Football season (last night we had soccer @ 5 and JV football @ 6- home @ 9:30) which is why I had deemed "fair night" to be Wednesday night.  Our church is not meeting and having family night @ the fair that night.    But Nooooo.   Last night, I had to be the bad guy and tell ALL of them (David included)  that we were not going to the fair after soccer/football @ 9:30!  

Now they have decided that we HAVE to go tonight (Tuesday).  The main reason they are so eager to go is to see if their Lego creations won Blue Ribbons. The little boys each entered several creations.  When Parker was little and we lived on a farm, he always entered Chickens in the Poultry show. He won Best in Show w/ his Rooster one year! For you city folk- That's a big deal in the Country!  We also entered my pickled okra, tomato basil jam, peach bellini jam and dill pickles.  So I have to admit I wonder if I even placed in the judging.   I know that we will end up w/ funnel cakes, riding rides and tears when it's time to leave. But then I remind myself, The Dekalb Co VFW Agriculture Fair only comes around once a year, like their birthdays and Christmas.  So it's okay to go several times and indulge.  They are only little for a time and the smiles on their little faces when they are riding the lil scrambler ride, that makes me dizzy just watching them, and is operated by someone I swear I saw on America's Most Wanted is oh, so worth it!!

That smile! So worth every funnel cake I can't turn down!

Cooper & Oliver trying their luck @ the shooting gallery
last year.

We got Parker to ride the bull last year.
He didn't know I got a pic....

FOOD - Roasted Corn Soup

I always love it when I open the mailbox and find the newest Williams-Sonoma catalog.  If there was a specific materialistic key to my heart, it would be cookware/kitchen tools.  Grill pans, Saute' pans, Roasters and the incredible specialty cookware section.....   Ok, I'm back.  Back to my reason for blogging.  

While looking @ the WS catalog I always end up trying at least one recipe that they feature.  This month I was drawn to the Roasted Corn Chowder w/ tomato.  If you've read my blog then you know that my garden has really produced tomatoes this summer.  So I liked the idea of being able to use my tomatoes and bell peppers. And my new grill to roast the vegetables! 
I haven't tasted corn soup and definitely haven't made any.

Some of my corn and tomatoes. My roasted peppers are in the brown bag.

The recipe looked easy enough, so I decided that I
was up to the challange.

There are a few things that I changed it up but nothing to change the final product.   I'll note that next to the official recipe.  

From Williams Sonoma

This recipe was created by the Sussman brothers, Max and Eli. The chefs started testing the recipe early one morning but Max had to go into work before it was done cooking. He texted Eli a few hours later—“how did the soup turn out?”—and Eli texted him back: “I now know what it feels like to open presents on Christmas morning.”

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe but firm tomatoes
• Kernels from 6 ears of fresh corn (about 3 cups)
• 2 red bell peppers
  
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• About 2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, plus more as needed
• 1 tsp. chipotle chili powder
• 1 tsp. salt, plus more, to taste
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Sliced avocado for garnish
• Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
• Paprika for garnish

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 375°F. I used my grill to roast the tomatoes, peppers and corn. I didn't want to heat up the whole house and it was a great day for grilling.

Put the tomatoes in a lightly greased glass baking dish. Roast until the skins darken and the tomatoes are caramelized, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Keep the oven on.

Spread the corn in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast until the edges begin to turn golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, when the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, peel off the skins and discard. Set the flesh, with the juices, aside in the baking dish. Remove the corn from the oven and let cool.

Place 1 bell pepper on each of 2 gas burners. Turn the burners on high and sear the peppers directly over the flame, using tongs to turn as needed, until the skins are blackened all over, 10 to 15 minutes total. (Or place the peppers under the broiler and broil, turning as needed, until charred and blistered on all sides, about 15 minutes.) Transfer the peppers to a brown paper bag and close tightly. Let stand for 15 minutes, then remove the peppers from the bag. Remove and discard the skins, core and seeds.

In a soup pot, combine the tomatoes, bell peppers, yellow and red onions, garlic and corn, reserving a handful of the roasted corn for garnish. Add just enough broth to cover the vegetables and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook until the vegetables are very tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the chili powder and the 1 tsp. salt.

Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth. While blending, slowly drizzle in the cream. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt. Ladle the soup into individual bowls. Garnish each portion with a couple of avocado slices, a few drops of olive oil, a scattering of the reserved roasted corn and a sprinkle of paprika. Serve hot. Serves 4. I omitted the Avocado - I am the only one who eats it @ my house and I usually have an allergic reaction when I eat them. 

Adapted from This is a Cookbook, by Max Sussman and Eli Sussman (Olive Press, 2012).

IT WAS DELICIOUS!!! We will have this again as the weather cools off this Fall. David liked it, the boys were a little scared. They think corn is best served on the cob, smothered in butter and sea salt.
This was a great recipe. I always think of what else I would do to a new recipe.  I might add some kind of shredded hard cheese. It would also be delicious w/ crumbled bacon as a garnish.

Warning: BOYS MOM

I am the mom of BOYS.  That should be on a t-shirt as a warning to others.  Or maybe as an information site. No, I really think a warning t-shirt would be better. I don't have the sanity to help other confused parents.

       I have several friends that have all boys and we are like a support group for each other.  Sometimes it seems like our conversations start w/ "Has this ever happened at your house?". 
And then we proceed to compare stories about the crazy, off-the-wall things our boys have done lately.  I have friends who have girls too and several boys w/ one girl sprinkled in for sanity.  They too have "boy stories" just not to the extreme of an all boy mom.

      There is something about boys/men that makes them more confident to climb up something not meant to be climbed when there are other boys/men to cheer them on...   I can only imagine that maybe that doesn't happen in households where a daughter exists.  I like to think that a daughter would be a voice of reason or at least report the offense to a "responsible" adult - meaning me b/c David would be in the crowd, cheering. 

      There are things that boy moms have to know.  Like the names of every Star Wars episode in order, and which episode Hans Solo (aka Indiana Jones) was frozen, why we NEED more Lego's and that it doesn't matter how many Lego containers you buy, they are still going to be everywhere!
     Things like how to neutralize the smell of urine in ceramic grout lines and how much blood is too much for your awesome laundry skills, are common knowledge now.  I have to know things like how to repair or replace everything from the ice maker on the refrigerator to the handle on the vacuum cleaner.  They tear up everything! David is as bad as the boys too. He broke the handle on the vacuum and thought we'd still be able to use it.  I ordered the handle the next morning after I tried to use the broken one. I think there are still plastic pieces in my palm.  The handle is now replaced and we are good as new.  The ice maker is waiting it's turn...

As an all boys mom you can never, I mean NEVER let "them" see you sweat!  The "them" I'm talking about are the other parents. The non-boy parents.  They're watching, they know that you can crack @ any moment and they don't want to miss out on witnessing that kind of drama! Keep your cool, you can flip out in the car on the way home. Not really, that's dangerous for everyone. Just keep your cool.  Some boy moms are great @ this, they are usually seasoned veteran's. They can also spot a newbie and swoop in for help.  They are your greatest chance at making it through this.

  My friend can see me about to crack and stop it all with one look.  It's a head cocked, one eyebrow up kind of look that makes me strong and my boys weak.  She's a superhero like that. For our 6 year old's birthday last year she gave him 3 cloth IKEA boxes, 1 filled w/ bottle caps, 1 w/ acorns, nuts & bolts and the last one had john doe credit cards in it.  Oliver was in heaven!   I'd like the bottle caps to stop showing up all over my house upside down, in the dark!  But he was happy and thinks it's great!  She's a superhero like that.  And they love her.

    As much as they drive me crazy, they are precious.  Yes, even David.  I love it when I am picking up laundry and one of them walks by and casually says, "Hey Mom?", "I Love You" and then proceeds to go back from where he came.  I recently stepped on a red wasp.  Gosh that hurt!  That's not exactly what I said :)   Oliver heard my cry and filled a bag up w/ ice and brought it to me. He sat w/ me until it felt better or he couldn't stand my whining anymore.(not sure which).  But he was there!  Moments like these are a jewel in my MOM crown and it is full! 

I recently read a blog about the excitement of living in a boy filled house.  www.testosterhome.com
Rachel has some good stories that make me feel that I am not alone.  I can completely identify w/ what she writes about.  I never thought I'd be so worried about hammers, Sharpies, knives, sticks, bricks, rocks and odd pieces of wire.  They are all potential weapons in the house of boys. They have dislocated an arm w/ a plastic airplane before, imagine what they would do w/ a hammer!

They are amateur archaeologist.  We have a wall outside that is the wall of fossils.  They drag rocks up from everywhere.  Cooper & Oliver found a geode in the gravel @ the football stadium Friday night. We have petrified wood, fossils of trees and plants, a huge stalagmite and several pieces of aged "beaver sticks".  We have small animal skulls and snake skins.  We had a rattlesnake tail but it started to stink so I threw it in the trash. Big Trouble! Not supposed to throw that stuff away, even if it stinks.

These are just a few bits of my boys and their gifts.  They are great and I can't imagine my life any other way. For every bit of grey hair they give me, my heart grows bigger b/c of their sweetness.
My Cup runneth over.....


    

REviving Furniture

I LOVE to revive furniture! I love finding a piece that is destined for the landfill and drag it home/shop for a makeover. 

 Over the years I have brought home some goodies and some epic fails too.  I have several fails that come to mind immediately.  One, a vintage tweed recliner w/ a matching ottoman.  It looked great! But boy when the sun hit it, it did NOT smell great! It had apparently been someone's chair before the invention of Depends!  David unloaded it and sat it in the sun to "freshen up", the next time I saw the chair David had hauled it out to the curb.    Another fail,  Another Great old tweedy chair.  Great bones! And LOTS of hair, pet hair.  As I started stripping the upholstery to recover it, hair was flying everywhere.  I ultimately had to get an allergy shot. But that chair DID get finished and sold soon after I listed it. :)

Before

My latest revival goodie is a Louis XIV armchair that I purchased from a friend's yard sale.  She had picked it up out of someone's trash and planned to redo it.  She stripped it and that is how I found it @ her yard sale.  I was instantly in love! I knew exactly what I wanted to do with this chair. I had just visited Restoration Hardware and saw something similar to my idea. 

To be struck by a piece of furniture like this piece is unusual for me.  I am usually hooked by Mission style and Arts & Crafts pieces.  There was no way this piece would fit in any room in my home so it was a definite resale piece. 



After

Sorry about the lighting. I need to take better pictures .......

I really enjoyed this project. I took my sweet time this summer and worked on it only when I really wanted to work on it.  It had over 300 upholstery nails in it but I loved it. 
David & I took it to the booth last Monday.  It made it to the booth and stayed about 5 minutes before a lady purchased it!

 Goodbye Louis!  Parting is such sweet 
                                   sorrow! 

A Sweet Ride Down Nostalgia Road

      Yesterday morning my husband woke up and said, "Let's go for a bike ride today."   My mind began to think about what I needed to do and what was on the boy's schedules.  I couldn't come up w/ anything.  I normally don't jump @ the chance to go on a motorcycle ride w/ David.  I always think about what a friend once said about riding w/ her husband - "My children need their parents, therefore I do not ride w/ my husband".   I think, "What if we wrecked, what about my boys?"

But yesterday several things occurred to me - 1. I believe that my death has a date just like my birth. It's already known by someone greater than anything I can do to avoid it.
2. My husband would die to protect me.  I know this for sure.  3. If the "Plan" was to wipe us out together, there are plenty of opportunities other than on the motorcycle. We spend a lot of time together. 

So I said "Yes"!  I dug out my boots and jeans that had been pushed to the back of my closet by  summer clothes and flip flops.  I tucked my id in the saddlebags (just in case) and kissed my boys goodbye. 

It always takes me a few minutes to relax and enjoy the ride.  After I relaxed I felt how perfect the weather was, not too cool, not too warm.   We headed up Lookout Mountain and I plugged my music into my helmet.  We turned off Hwy 35 to a road I didn't remember and began to ride along the side of the mountain.  I was taken in by the view and the shadows/sun, I didn't notice where we were heading....   We ended up back in Mentone and the bike slowed down as we pulled into a parking lot.  I recognized the building as a cafe we used to visit but it wasn't a cafe anymore.  It was a Coffee shoppe and Art Gallery.  We had a coffee and spent an almost an hour in the gallery of mostly local art.   www.KamamaMentone.com

Back on the road, music playing, winding through the mountain roads and we turned toward Cloudmont Ski & Golf Area.  We drove past a little cabin where we stayed many, many years ago and past the Dude Ranch where we rode horses w/ Parker when he was 3 yrs old.  We always remember it b/c Parker fell asleep on the horse. 

Riding down several other roads, we drove past the spots where we've canoed w/ the boys several times and over the bridge where we've jumped off  and swam under.  Then we came out @ the little country church where we were married.

Howard's Chapel, aka The Rock Church in Mentone

If he didn't plan all of that, he should never tell me b/c I loved every minute of it.  It was a perfect day and exactly what we needed.  Summer has been crazy and school has started. Normal Family stresses had taken a toll on me.  We have had major vehicle maintenance issues since March. The Yukon needed a water pump, fuel pump and then an engine. The work van had to have a Transmission.  My Land Rover needed A/C work and new tires (needed b/c they were BAD). The Washing Machine needed a new control board ( an ordeal that went on for a month) , ice maker went out on the fridge, we remodeled a bathroom and David traveled ALL summer.  And that doesn't include the normal issues of having a teenager in the house. These are just normal things that happen when you have a family and home but they build up and put stress on our families/relationships.

I needed a ride through the mountains w/ nothing but the man that I love and depend on to hold me up.  To listen to my favorite music and  remember the sweet things in our life that are special and that make up parts of our family. 

The day off costs us a box of Krispy Kremes as payment to the boys.

Back to School.....

David has taken the boys to The Canyon today for some rock climbing and swimming. I was left behind because I stepped on a red wasp this morning and have an extremely large toe :\ that can only fit in a flip flop. So I get a day @ home alone and  I finally have a few free minutes to catch up on my blog!

  Summer was CRAZY!! I was so wrong in thinking that I would have time to do many things that WE wanted to do.  Swim team took  up a lot of our time this summer (probably NOT doing that next year!)  and the garden took up so much time (but in a positive way).  We vowed to preserve and eat most of what we grew this year which meant that I spent more time canning and freezing our vegetables for winter.  That effort will be appreciated in the dead of winter when we are eating our own veggies. 

David spent 80% of the summer out of town on business.  We couldn't go w/ him b/c of Parker's summer football schedule so that left me home @ the boys.  We enjoyed the summer until August when the mosquito population took over our area. Being cooped up inside does not agree w/ anyone in our family.



visiting the Auburn aquatic center

Even though we didn't take a big vacation this summer we spent a weekend in Auburn for the State Swim Tournament, July 4th in Chattanooga @ the Choo Choo and a Lookout's ballgame,  many days hiking and swimming @ Little River Canyon, several evening trips to Chattanooga for dinner, movies and splash pad play and a visit to Cleveland to visit w/ cousins who were visiting from China.

Cooper @ the aquatic center

Cooper in front of the Stadium

family

Back to school



The boys started back to school this past Monday. Cooper refers to that day as "Mom's favorite holiday". NOT TRUE!   I "celebrated" by cleaning all of our rugs.  It was a nice start to the Fall.  I had been waiting all summer to deep clean them but it would have been a wasted effort since we have boys & dogs on them all day long.  We purchased a carpet cleaning machine last year and it has proven to be worth every penny.  I will attempt to clean rugs again when the boys go back after Christmas.  It's good for me to keep busy that first day that the house is quiet.  I miss them so much when they are gone.  But I adjust quickly :)

Fall for our family brings Football (Parker) and Soccer (Cooper & Oliver).  This year we will be coaching a team as well so it promises to be a busy season.  Parker had his first Varsity game this past Friday night. Guess what I forgot to take? My camera.   Hopefully I will have more opportunities to photograph him on the field.

I hope to get back to blogging regularly about Family, Furniture and Food.  For the people who read my blog - "Thank you" ! I appreciate your interest and hope you find something useful for your family.

Family

We usually don't get to take a summer vacation b/c business picks up and David is gone most of the summer.  We always try to go to the beach on Spring Break b/c we know we probably won't get back. Plus, we had the Colorado trip in February.  So it's not a big deal except the boys keep asking if we were going to go somewhere while school was out. 

We thought about going to Washington DC for the 4th holiday but couldn't set aside enough time to do everything we would want to do (Smithsonian Museums, Capital, Memorials....) So I came up w/ our old standby 4th - Pops in the Park in Chattanooga.  Then I found out that The Chattanooga Lookouts were @ home on the 3rd w/ a fireworks display.  So everyone thought that sounded like a good plan.  David suggested we spend the night downtown so the boys could swim after the game. I researched the Downtown Hotels then it hit me-- The Choo Choo!! So I booked a Victorian train car to sleep in. 

The boys were excited about the Train Car.  It was really neat.  We have promised Parker since he was about 4 yr old that we would stay in a train car someday.  I hope the boys will remember it.  They love to stay in different hotels. They talk about The Gaylord Opryland Hotel all the time. 


    
We had a great dinner @ Big River then off to the Lookouts/Smokies Baseball game.  Man! It was hot!!  I honestly thought that I was going to be sick during the first 3 innings of the game.  Not to mention that those innings were incredible slow! I kept myself occupied by watching people pass out.  Why were they drinking Beer in that heat?  Dropping like flies!!   Finally the sun started going down and it felt much better.  The game picked up and got really good! Chatt. won it in the last inning so it was not boring. 


Back to the Choo Choo to swim.








  Our "Staycation" was a good one.