Friends in High Places...

...And by high places, I mean trees, more specifically, fruit trees. I don't know if they are necessarily in these trees, but they are definitely picking fruit from them (Although I could see David Seay up in a tree!)

What is all of this mumbling about you may be asking yourself. Well, I just spent the last 8 1/2 hours canning some glorious fruit (8 pints of apples and 3 pints of peaches), so I'm a little loopy.

Anyway, the apples are beautiful green apples from the Seay Tree (also known as the apple tree in David and Karen Seay's yard) and the peaches are lovely white peaches from the Arbre de St. Louis (also known as the peach tree in Summer and Spencer St. Louis's yard). I am ever so grateful for this 'forbidden' fruit (it is only forbidden to eat until at least December or January, so I can enjoy apple pie and peach cobbler featuring fruit from Kansas in the dead of our frigid winter).

I was also able to save a ton of the peach juice that I used to fill the jars, which I will be taking with me to make Bellini's this weekend at the party at Glinn Gardens. OOOOHHHH! I can't wait to share some of my sweet, peachy concoction with my dear friends and their friends (along with a Minted Peach Salsa...I know, I am crazy for peaches right now, but I just can't help it!!!)

Hope you are enjoying your summer! xoxo

Fa-la-la-la-la La-la-la-la

I love this time of year. And here is a list why:

1. I love that my house smells like a cedar tree (well, because Ike and I hiked 2 hours to find our cute, imperfect tree).

2. I love that it is now acceptable to watch all of my favorite Christmas movies (now for a sub-list of my top 5)

1. White Christmas (I LOVE to watch Vera Ellen dance!)

2. All the claymation movies (especially Rudolph!)

3. Miracle on 34th Street (the one with Maureen O'Hara)

4. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (mostly because of cousin Eddie)

5. The Family Stone (not a classic, but for some reason I love it! mostly because of Craig T. Nelson and Luke Wilson)

*Alternate: It's a Wonderful Life ( it really can't be left off)

3. I love finding the absolute perfect gift for my friends and family (or making them the perfect gift.)

4. Tis the season for parties!!!

5. There is pumpkin flavored everything! (just made a pumpkin roll Sunday night and it is practically gone!)

6. I can pull out my Bing Crosby Christmas CD.

7. I get to see my wonderful family.

8. Eggnog!

9. The fact that it is my niece, Kennedy's first Christmas!

10. Oh yeah, and this....

He proposed....while I was wearing sweatpants and only one sock and my glasses....he must really love me.

Happy Holidays!

Blueberries, Blueberries

I saw a pint of blueberries in our fridge this morning and have since had this beautiful poem by my dear friend, Andrea, and her husband, Bob, stuck in my head (or at least the first line):

"blueberries, blueberries, pickin' blueberries

up in the mountains where the land feels airy.

blueberries, blueberries, pick 'em all day

brought me a friend so I won't mind the stay.

under the pine and the oak in the sun

that's where you'll find the sweet, juicy ones.

blueberries, blueberries, in the summertime

pickin' where I go to clear my mind."

So with Andrea and Bob (and their sweet new addition Orien) on my mind, I decided to make this scrumptious blueberry pie!

Here is the link to the pie crust recipe I use. And here is the link to the full blueberry pie recipe courtesy of The Pioneer Woman (I use her recipes constantly and have yet to be disappointed!!)

Here are my lovely blueberries coated in sugar, nutmeg and flour.

The pie crust is ready to go.

I decided to use a lattice top crust instead of completely covering the top with another full crust.

And here is how it turned out! De-li-ci-ous!!!

Blueberry Pie...check, Wine...check,Frank Sinatra record...check, Ace Perry Cider...check, hot man to share it all with...check!

Happy Baking! Enjoy the summertime!

Kickball...

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Skinned knees and grass stains. Hoots and hollers. Bunts and homeruns.

Today I had one of the best days I've had in a very long time. Rock-A-Belly (where I work) and three other bars, Auntie Mae's, So Long Saloon and Hibachi Hut competed (very amicably) in a kickball tournament at Tuttle Creek State Park (or just outside of it).

We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. A day filled with delicious food, refreshing 'beverages', lots of laughter, and rigorous competition (or as rigorous as friends can be after a few of those 'beverages'!)

The day started out with a match-up between old rivals Rock-A-Belly and Auntie Mae's. Rock-A-Belly won in a game that seemed much closer than the last time these two teams met up. But, alas, Rock-A-Belly came out on top. Next up, So Long vs. Hibachi Hut. Hibachi came out on top by only 3 points, quite an exciting game!

So Long beat Auntie Mae's (quite handily) to come in in third place, and then came the championship game...Rock-A-Belly vs. Hibachi Hut! In one of the closest games in our kickball history (one year), Rock-A-Belly beat Hibachi by one point in an extra inning (this is where the hooting and hollering came in!)

After a long day with some of my favorite people on earth (and probably the last time all of us will be together because so many of our employees are graduating and heading off to bigger things), I left the kickball field with a little ache in my heart (a good one!).

I feel so lucky to know these people and be blessed by their friendships. I hope all of our lives (and yours) are filled with joy to match what we all felt today!

Compliments to the Chef....

Do you know what I like more than peanut butter cheesecake? When my ROOMMATE bakes me a peanut butter cheesecake!

I got home from a very long day at work and my dear roommate, Denali, had cooked us chicken noodle soup (sans chicken) and mashed potatoes and the aforementioned cheesecake. This was no ordinary cheesecake, oh no. It was a peanut butter cheesecake with a sugar cookie crust topped with green apples and melted caramels. Let the drooling begin....

Thank goodness I'm wearing a one-piece to the beach this year!

Ma Petite Belle

This little sweet pea is Ike's dog Belle. She makes me incredibly happy. I've know very few dogs as smart or as spry as this sweet gal. She is nearly 10 years old, but gets around like a young pup. She loves hiking trails, riding in Ike's pickup (watching for deer and cows), playing with her friend Maizie and she really loves eating Snaps!

I hope she's having fun in Florida and I can't wait to see her (and Ike) soon!

Girls, Girls, Girls

Nothing replenishes the soul like a girls' night: good food, good friends....and of course good wine.

My group of girlfriends and I have gone through a huge year of transitions: new babies, new engagements, new loves, new endeavors and new newlyweds. These roads we have all taken have lead us to such wonderful places, but these roads have also kept us very busy. We finally made it a point to get together and just enjoy each others company.

I feel strengthened just by having a few hours with my best gals (although we did miss having Erin and Denali there with us)! They are so positive and encouraging, I really don't know how I would get through my life without them. Each is so unique and beautiful; they just amaze me! I hope each of them knows how important they are to me!

I also want to let a few of my long distance gal pals (Maggie, Andrea and Kyleigh) know how much they inspire me every day. Even though they aren't here to join in our girls' nights, they are in my heart every day!

Let the women in your life know how happy they make you.....

Little Surprises

I heard a knock on my door yesterday and opened it to find my love with a bouquet of flowers. Need I say more?!

On Down the Road....

I spent the afternoon taking the backroads (or taking what my father would call a "crop tour") near the lake searching for an elusive (and now I'm convinced nonexistent) A-frame house that we were told was unlocked, uninhabited and something we should see. These roads we traveled today were my boyfriend's stomping grounds in high school and they ended up taking us right to the front door of his father's house on another smaller (but just as grand) lake.

Together the three of us cooked a delicious dinner of grilled steak, baked mac and cheese and salad. With bellies full, we settled in for what my boyfriend promised would follow dinner....a stroll down memory lane (otherwise known as checking out old photo albums to see what an adorable little tyke he was)!

We spent about two hours exploring his life from birth to about 7 (so about 3 photo albums full). I got to see where he lived, what his parents looked like back then, who the people were who were in his early life, and what kinds of things he and his family did together. Not only did I get to look through all of this with him, I got to hear his father tell us about the people in the pictures and about the places they lived.

I can't tell you how happy it made me to be let into this part of his life and how special it was for me to experience this little adventure into the past with him and his father.

We may not have found the A-frame house, but now I love them both a little bit more.

Lil' Leslie

This is the first of my happiness profiles.

For my first profile, it just had to be my girlfriend Leslie. Leslie and I work together, and there has never been a day I've worked with her that I haven't had fun (especially the day we meowed like cats....that's another thing I love about her, she shares my odd sense of humor!). Her perpetual happiness rubs off on everyone around her. She constantly has a smile plastered on her face and that smile always cheers me up. So a big thanks to my dear Leslie for answering a few questions about what makes HER happy!

Name 5 things, people, places, etc. that put a smile on your face.

My nephews

Sunshine

Going for long runs

Funny youtube videos

Getting to talk to friends I haven't seen in a long time

It gives me joy to make other people have fun.

To be happy people should not worry too much.

The hardest I ever laugh is when listening to my brother tell stories.

A happy moment in my life is getting to spend holidays with my family.

I always giggle when I hear the words baby monkey.

Whose positive spirit do you admire? Why?

Grandma Collinge because she is so funny and lets things roll off her back. She enjoys herself all of the time!

Thanks for the happiness Leslie!

Dog Days of February

Yesterday was the perfect day for a nice, long hike with three of my favorite people (Ike, Denali and Katie) and three of my favorite canines (Belle, Scout and Maggie). And of course, like the ding dong I am, I forgot to bring my camera, so the photos I'm including are from a hike Ike and I took back in December.

The 7 of us set off on some fantastic hiking trails at Fairmont Park that run through the trees and along the river. The dogs had an exciting time, running along the trails and 'bathing' in the river (which left little Maggie, a yorkie, soaked from head to toe and almost dragged down the river!) The humans had a delightful time, chatting and laughing (and trying to work off the Vista burgers we had for lunch!)

Overall it was a beautiful day, experiencing nature, catching up with friends and taking time out of our busy lives to enjoy a simple walk through the woods.