• 1846 Homestead Renovation,  In the Garden,  Let's Eat,  The Art of Beautiful Living

    1st World Problems at the Homestead

      Ha!  It makes me laugh when my “worlds” collide.  Back in Virginia, I kinda got on a subsistence life-style kick.  I learned how to make wine, can vegetables from our garden.  We even had goats so I could milk them and make cheese.  It was fun and it was a lot of work.  I loved the forced routine.  When it was time to milk the goats…it was TIME.  When the vegetables needed picking, we were out gathering.  I loved the routine and the order it brought to my life.  I had things that absolutely had to be done and it was fun to pretend that there weren’t grocery stores. …

  • The Art of Beautiful Living

    Christmas Decorations at the Homestead 2019

    I’m dating this post because I have big plans for the future.  This is what we were able to accomplish this year.  Next year is still being discussed.  I have hopes for garland and trees in the old part of the house.  I need to do some research on what 1850 Christmas decorations in Scotland and Texas would have looked like.  I want the house to twinkle.  But this year, we just hadn’t really had time to plan it and we weren’t up to it. Seriously, the exterior isn’t completed.  The yard is a wreck.  There is very little traffic on the country road in front of our house.  Lights…

  • Let's Eat,  The Art of Beautiful Living,  Uncategorized

    Christmas Food at the Homestead

    I have been dreaming about my grandma house for a long time.  I was disappointed that we weren’t in the Homestead last year, but the joy that we experienced this year certainly made it worth waiting for. First, we had the a great Thanksgiving which ends with us putting up the Christmas tree.  That was an adventure in and of itself.  We had a new tree this year and so, it was our first time to put it up in a new house where we had never had a Christmas tree before.  Lots of firsts means lots of learning. The Cookie Exchange We hosted the first (hopefully) annual Cookie Exchange.…

  • Let's Eat,  The Art of Beautiful Living,  Uncategorized

    Pied Piping and a Cookie Exchange

    A Bit of Bragging… I have been called a “Pied Piper” by my husband and others.  Ric Hertless may have been the first to proclaim this in a work setting.  I didn’t know how I felt about the moniker.  It sounded to me like all I did was try and get people to do what I wanted and that smacked of manipulation.  However, upon reflection, I think that I just get board and when I do, I try and get people I love and enjoy to come play.  So far, we have come up with some interesting reindeer games… Burch Beach Like the time we built a beach in our…

  • Uncategorized

    Christmas Tamale Tradition

    Tamales I have no idea where the tradition came from or when it really started.  We have tamales for dinner on Christmas Eve and we have for as long as I can remember.  I don’t remember Nana or Mother ever making their tamales, however.  They were purchased and steamed just before serving.  Along with the tamales, there was queso, chili, chips, and so on. Jerry and I first made tamales back in 1993 while we were living in Athens, Georgia.  We were a long way from home and we had a hankering for them.  The Navy provided us with many opportunities to miss something from home and to have to…

  • Let's Eat,  The Art of Beautiful Living

    Thanksgiving Food and Traditions

      Besides twinkling lights and the look of amazement on children’s faces, is there anything more wonderful than holiday food? I don’t think that much can compete with the thrill I get planning a holiday menu and thinking about sitting around the table with my favorite people visiting and celebrating.  Traditions are important and food as a holiday tradition is probably one of my favorites.  As traditional as we are, we have broken with some old ones and are establishing some new ones for our family.  Here are a few of my favorite things (cue the Sound of Music soundtrack…): I want to tell you that I love Christmas above…