My Bit of Earth

A Crazy Crafty December

 

I think it's the new house.  That's my official excuse anyway.  So many new nooks and crannies to decorate.  Figuring out where the stockings will go--very important, you know.  

Or it could be just that I've always been a fan of decorating for the holidays.  While I can appreciate themed and tasteful and "understated with a bit of sparkle", my chosen brand of decor is more "Why yes, a Christmas fairy just threw up in my house--isn't it awesome?"

Whatever it is, I've gone a little crazy with the making-things-for-Christmas this year.  And because I do like to share my little crafty projects here...well, let's put it this way, the explosion starts tomorrow.

Consider yourself warned!

Bench Monday: Cause Railroad Tracks Are Kind Of Bench-Like, Right?

Not a real bench.  Not real railroad tracks either--unless a kiddie train that runs around the park counts.  

But hey, why not?  The little engine that thinks it's a gweat big twain...or something like that! 

Happy Bench Monday!

The Kitchen Reader: The Warmest Room in the House

For this month's Kitchen Reader, we read The Warmest Room in the House: How the Kitchen Became the Heart of the American Home by Steve Gdula.

This book had much more breadth than depth, but it was a nice overview of how our history has shaped the food we eat and visa-versa.  It was full of little interesting factoids--for example, according to the book, salads came into vogue in the twenties and thirties when women's clothing changed (I'm picturing flapper dresses) in a way that didn't allow them to camouflage extra weight anymore.  Hamburger Helper was introduced to make something yummy out of cheap hamburger during lean economic times in the seventies.  And microwaves came about when a defense engineer accidentally melted his candy bar by getting it too close to a magnetron.  

While it got a little tedious towards the end, I did learn quite a lot.  It's not for everyone, but I think general trivia junkies and kitchen anthropologists would all really enjoy this book.

Thanksgiving-ing

There was eating of pie and meeting of family members...one of which I hadn't gotten to meet before even!

 There was taking of pictures...I believe the fact that our family members are so attractive bodes well for our hypothetical future child--it's just good genes, yes?

 There was making of gingerbread houses...a "day after Thanksgiving" tradition, two years running.

 And, of course, the pups had fun too--with so many people to scratch heads and throw tennis balls, how could they not?

Blessed

....I'm grateful that I have a job (and one that I love, at that), with as much job security as anyone can ask for these days.

....I'm grateful (and super proud) that my baby brother just got his first grown-up job.  And I'm grateful that it's in Florida, which will be a rockin' place to go visit him.

....I'm grateful for a big family holiday.  On the whole, I love 'em all, I really do.

....I'm grateful for my mommy's deviled eggs and stuffing and maybe even some chicken and noodles.

....I'm grateful for the three other souls that make up my little family--Sweet Husband, Porter, and Moe.  There are no three other critters I'd rather be traveling 'round the sun with.

Porter Speaks: A Room With a View

One of the things I like about this new place is that some of the windows are dog height.  It's so very hard to stretch up and put my paws on a windowsill these days.  I like it that I can keep an eye on the squirrels and birds without climbing...indeed, I don't even have to get out of bed!

Twenty-Nine

Everybody wants to be twenty-nine forever.  It's not quite as magical as twenty-one, perhaps, but still there's a thing about it.  People never say that they are "twenty-seven for the fourth time" or "thirty-three again".  For whatever reason, twenty-nine is a happenin' age to be.

Today, I embark on twenty-nine.  Although I'm comparatively young, I know, I have to say I never thought that my twenties would feel so long.  My twentieth birthday seems like it was...well, almost a decade ago.  Like, back into the ages and stuff.  

(After thinking about it really hard, I'm pretty sure it was the last and only surprise party I've ever had, so you'd think it would stand out.  All I can remember is that it was at Rhi's house--hi Rhi!--and I was wearing a really cute t-shirt and there were jello shots....yeah, I know, those do tend to make you forget things!)

I must be reverting to my youth a little bit though, because this weekend I drug my friends out for a movie birthday party.  The last one of those I had was the second Home Alone movie, which came out when I was twelve.  

It has to be said, there are definite improvements to a grown-up movie party.  

First, the pre-movie food options are much better--we had sushi.  Second, did you know there are movie theaters with bars these days?  Plus, lots of boys came to the movie with us even though it was New Moon (thanks guys...and Sarah!)--I know there were no boys at my last movie party, because boys were not allowed.  And then throw in Robbert Pattinson as Edward Cullen and lots of werewolves running around the woods half-nekkid--so much hotter than that Macaulay Culkin kid has turned out....

Maybe there is something good to this twenty-nine thing, after all.  Here's hoping!

(Photo c/o robbrooks / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.)

More Happy People In Love

Taking engagement pictures...

...kinda makes me all giddy and mushy and hopeful for the human race.

And these dear, sweet fools are letting me do their wedding too!

Friday Night Snacks and a Movie

Without meaning to, we've slipped into the greatest little Friday night tradition.  

I believe it's called "staying in".

Don't get me wrong, we used to be weekend warriors when it came to going out.  A little Free State on Friday (a local brewpub), sushi and drinks on Saturday, darts and burgers at Dempsey's Sunday afternoon...and on and on.  But, in trying to cut back a little--both in budget and waistline--all of that going out just wasn't working.

Several Fridays ago, tired after a long week at work, I decided to just stop by the grocery store on the way home.  I was actually having trouble really focusing enough to put together a coherent dinner, so I just bought some nibbles--bread, cheese, figs, and a box of grocery store sushi.  (Yes, I know those don't go together.  I just didn't have the capacity to care.)  When I got home, there was a Netflix envelope waiting, and--boom! tada!--we put the two together and had an awesome time.  So nice was it, in fact, that we've kept it up for many weeks now.  

The rules to this tradition?  Foods that makes dishes to wash isn't allowed.  (Although we did bend this a little for Pioneer Woman's brie stuffed mushrooms a few weeks ago.)  Foods must be able to be eaten in front of the TV, preferably with hands.  Foods need not go together, but must be yummy.  Dogs must stay on the floor--all four of us just can't quite stretch out on the couch--but snuggling is otherwise encouraged!

(Picture c/o zesmerelda / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.)

Moe Speaks: I Am Not a Goat

While I do admit that I like to be carried and held every now and then--up to bed when I'm sleepy, under Mom's sweater when I'm cold--I am firmly stating here and now that this type of carrying is inappropriate Dad, very inappropriate for my status as supreme being of my house.  

I am a dog and a Welsh Terrier--two qualities that make me one of the finest creatures on this earth.  I can't just be slung over your shoulder like any old livestock!

Gentle Reminder: It's Paperwhite Season

Just my friendly yearly reminder that if you want paperwhites for Christmas, now is the time to get them started.  This year, I planted mine in a baking dish half filled with pebbles, then disguised it all with some mossy-grass and a basket.  I hope it will be all kinds of pretty once my bulbs bloom, although it is kind of a PITA to monitor the water level right now.  Ah well, totally worth it! 

Here's the full schpeel on how to plant paperwhites if you're a newbie, and here's a little paperwhite science experiment I tried a few years ago (with some success) if you're up for such things.  

In Which I Meet the Pioneer Woman

Do you all know about the Pioneer Woman?  

Also known as Ree Drummond, she's a city girl turned rancher's wife who blogs about life in the country, food, photography, and lots else.  (If you don't know what I'm talking about, start with her Black Heels to Tractor Wheels story of how she met her husband, "the Marlboro Man"--that's how I got sucked in!)  

She recently compiled a bunch of her recipes into a book--I love bloggers-with-book-deals, it gives me hope in life--and was in Kansas City last night promoting it.  Not being able to let such a close opportunity slip by, I recruited some former co-workers who are also big PW fans, and we went over to meet the Pioneer Woman in person.

While, of course, there is only so much observation you can do in the time it takes to get your book signed, she seemed just as sweet in person as she is on her blog.  Hilarious impersonations too!  She just made me want to cancel my plans for the rest of the week and go laugh with her over coffee.

And although I've only gotten to skim through so far, the book--The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl--looks awesome.  The recipes are of the "simple-but-yummy" variety, with nice, standard ingredients that are easy to come by.  Stuff you'd have on hand on a ranch in the middle of nowhere, I suspect.  

I can guarantee we will be trying every single one of the delicious looking breakfasts!

Oh, and did I also mention she gave out cutie-cute t-shirts?  In fact, because I had two tickets for the signing, I got two of said shirts.  One for me, and one that I will give away here.  (That's me, always thinking 'bout you!)  It's an extra large (but they run pretty small), and you can see what it looks like here.  To win, just tell me why you're a Pioneer Woman fan.  I'll randomly pick someone at, oh, let's say 7 p.m. on Wednesday.

UPDATE: And the wiener--as the PW would say--chosen by Sweet-Husband-random-number-generator, is Abby.

The Thanksgiving Book

I won't lie.  I spent the entire weekend blissfully crafting for that other holiday, the December one.  But that doesn't mean I don't love dear old Thanksgiving.

It's such an intellectually effortless holiday, really.  We're grateful for what we have, and to show it we're going to eat a lot of food--yum!

And sometimes I think that's the reason Thanksgiving gets smushed over between Halloween and Christmas--because it's so easy.  There's just not that much ritual to observe.  For example, for me, as long as there are chicken and noodles and extra-sagey stuffing, it's a happy Thanksgiving.  (Well, family is nice too, of course!)

In an effort to add a little somethin', somethin' to Thanksgiving, a few years ago I started a Thanksgiving book.  Each year, wherever we might be celebrating, everyone has to write a few words in the book about what they're thankful for.  From my former college roomie (thankful for "wine and brie"--can you tell why I still love that girl?) to my auntie (thankful she's "not a turkey") to a few more witty relatives (one of whom was once thankful for "air")--even Cutie Niece draws in a hand turkey every year.

Because I'm curious what other people do, what are some of your Thanksgiving traditions and rituals?

Wine-ing in Missouri

In addition to relaxing and chasing Moe 'round the forest, we also did a little bit of wine tasting while we were in Missouri last weekend.

Now, what you have to understand about Missouri wine (and Kansas wine, too, for that matter) is that it is not California wine or Australian wine or European wine.  I'm not an expert by any means--I just like wine and like to learn what I can about it--but I think the Missouri wines are almost...wilder.  It's like they haven't had the time to get all polished and smooth like their older cousins.  Missouri used to be prime grape growing country, but prohibition wiped that out.  And since most Midwestern states kept prohibition on the books for much too long, well, there's still some catching up to do.

Also, the grapes commonly grown in Missouri are different.  The state grape of Missouri is called the "Norton", although you'll also hear "Chambourcin", "Chardonnel", "Seyval" and "Vignoles" tossed around--these are varieties the same as Merlot or Cabernet.  And just like you can tell the difference between Merlot and Cabernet, you can tell the difference between a Cabernet and a Norton.  Norton usually tastes "oakey" to me on it's own, although I really like it with food.  I love the Missouri white wines--when you a good one, it's almost apple-y, but not in a yucky sweet way.

The only thing I don't like about wine tasting in the Midwest is that sometimes you have to sort through a lot of not so good wine to find the yummy stuff.  Don't get me wrong--there are worse ways to spend a weekend--but even with good pre-planning you're likely to find at least one closed winery and a couple that are selling sugared grape juice before you get to something nice.  It makes it kind of a quest.

To that end, this trip I decided we need a rating system in order to recommend places to other people who are traveling through.  Admittedly, my criteria is not scientific.  A place with decent wines and good atmosphere is as likely to make me happy as a place with amazing wine, and so forth.  Nonetheless, here is the system I've come up with: 

1=Not really worth a stop, even if you're in the area.

2=Worth stopping through if you're already going to be in the area.

3=Worth going out of your way or making a special trip.

With all that out of the way here's (finally) a little about the wineries we visited this trip.

Bristle Ridge Vineyards, Knob Noster, Missouri, 1.  

Meh.  I wanted to like this one, I really did.  Their upper end wines were OK, but not worth the almost $20 a bottle price tag.  

Montserrat Vineyards, Knob Noster, Missouri, 1.

I think this place is in business because it's next door to Bristle Ridge.  If you stop at one, it makes a lot of sense just to pop in at the other, but we didn't like this one at all. 

Grey Bear Vineyards, Stover, Missouri, 2. 

This was in the middle of nowhere, in a fairly non-descript building.  (See the second picture from the top on the right.)  It's actually kinda just in someone's backyard.  But the inside was a fairly nice looking restaurant.  I was a little disappointed that we weren't there at dinner time, because the menu looked good.  We ended up getting a few bottles of their white wine--a "Seagrass" and a "Buckskin".  I found it interesting that, although they were making most of their wine with their own grapes, they also had a few Cabernets, which the lady said were made from Colorado grapes.

Buffalo Creek Winery, Stover, Missouri, Closed.

A wild goose chase....

Heinrichshaus Vineyards and Winery, St. James, Missouri, 3.

We actually found this winery the last time we were around St. James.  The owner is the most amazing German man who I suspect knows more about wine than I could learn in three lifetimes.  This time he was a little busier so we didn't get the entire history lesson unfortunately, but the wine was still awesome.  (Sweet Husband and I were half thinking that we had invented that part, but nope!)  And at about $10 a bottle it's a bargain, too.  Really, if you're ever within an hour of here, you need to make the trip.  (And, just as a note, Google Maps will try to route you to Highway B--Heinrich is one more road over on Highway U.)

Native Stone Vineyard, Jefferson City, Missouri, 2.

The wines were OK, but not amazing.  They also have beer.  (Sweet Husband was unimpressed.)  And lunch.  (The menu looked good, but we were, once again, too early.)

Summit Lake Winery, Hartsburg, Missouri, 2.5.

A cute little town and a winery with wines I really liked.  If we had hit this one on the way to Rock Eddy instead of on the way home (i.e. pre-Heinrich) it would have been a "3" I think.  (FYI: They also have a place in Holt's Summit, Missouri.)

Les Bourgeouis Vineyards, Rochport, Missouri, 3.

Much more a big, corporate-y vineyard, but (unlike the St. James Winery, which is similarly corporate-y) this one had really good wines.  Two beefs?  1) Their Norton, while yummy, was about $25 a bottle.  2) Most of their wines are mixed with California grapes.  For example, the Norton was 25% Merlot.  I actually thought it was great--the Merlot kind of took the edge off the Norton--but it feels like cheating.  

Other than that though, the view alone was worth the stop--we had a tasty little "picnic lunch" at their over-the-river A-frame and Wine Garden.  And, as Les Bourgeouis is about two seconds off I-70, it's right on the way to either St. Louis or Kansas City.

It Was a Lovely Morning....Until

Sunday morning at Rock Eddy I woke up just as the sky was barely starting to get light.  Sweet Husband and the dogs were awake too, so we decided to walk up to the top of the hill to watch the sunrise.

It was perfect, as you can see....

As I was standing watching the mist over the river--all blissed out by the smell of the leaves and the cool air and the wonderfulness of it all--Sweet Husband said, "Um, I think Moe is gone."

Moe had really been good most of the weekend--and at Rock Eddy there's not much to get into as far as bothering other people or dogs--so we had been letting him run loose.  But sometime during our walk he smelled good smells or a little bunny caught his eye or something.  He was gone.

An hour later we had packed up the cabin and had a little breakfast...still no Moe.  So Sweet Husband walked up to the owner's house where Nice Kathy got out their little all-terrain cart and they set out to ask the neighbors if anyone had seen him.  Meanwhile, I walked through the woods near where we had last seen him, calling out, "Moe-moe...Moe-y...Moe...."

I won't pretend I wasn't just about to flop down in the leaves and cry.  I love that little dog far more than is wise for a creature that's so hard to keep out of trouble, and my mind was racing with all the horrible things that could have happened to him or might happen to him if we didn't find him.  I had visions of him going to ground and getting stuck or getting eaten by coyotes or starving to death....

But then I heard his tags rattle through the trees--oh what a good sound!  He was still off on his little lark, of course, so asking him to "come" was just silliness, but nonetheless I wasn't going to loose sight of him.  I ran through the woods, stumbling over rocks and making my calves ache and my side split going up and down the hills--in terms of gracefulness, think the exact opposite of Daniel Day Lewis in Last of the Mohicans.  

After about fifteen minutes of following him, I got close enough to give the most intimidating "STAY" command I could muster.  Whether he was actually paying attention or just getting tired I'll never know, but he "stayed" right where he was as I walked up, snapped a leash to his collar, and promptly plopped onto the nearest rock to catch my breath.

Sweet Husband and Nice Kathy came along just as I made it up to the road.  Apparently, Nice Kathy said they have a "city dog" run off a few times a year.  One even got away for a whole weekend once.  Its owners had to leave on Sunday night, but on Monday morning the dog showed up.  The poor husband had to make an eight hour drive back to pick up the dog.

It's probably not very nice, but it always does make me feel good to know there are dogs out there more naughty than mine.  As a more charitable thought though, as misbehaved as he is, I'm awfully glad my bad boy made it home with us.

Rock Eddy in Pictures and Little Descriptive Bits

(Pictures and some sparse words I scribbled down while we were there....some of which actually match up with the pictures I took, but most of which don't....click to make 'em bigger.)

Wind roaring-rolling up and down the hills through the trees.

Pink and blue sunset.

Moe trying to catch little sparks from the fire.

Slightly creepy being out alone in the woods.

Not a darned thing to do but go for a walk in the woods (and throw sticks, which Moe discovered for the first time).

 Two dogs crashed out (sometimes before 9 a.m.).

Thin, blinding November sunlight.

Coyotes barking outside.  I wonder if Moe and Porter would know how to talk to them.

Wee critters in the woods that make the leaves rustle.

So much quiet--hard to be without the gizmos and noises and constant entertainment.

Just a little teaser for today....

....while we wash the laundry and the dogs and the people.  In short, peace and quiet was found, wine was found, Moe was found....stay tuned!

A Tiny Get Away

In honor of the little Fall-break-and-Missouri-wine-tasting-tour that we're embarking on as you read this, an early vacation picture of yours truly...

...and when we return?  The low-down on the wineries of Northwest-ish Missouri, and (hopefully) some pretty, pretty pictures.

A Week With the Barefoot Contessa: Roasted Potato Leek Soup

And, as a finale to this week with the Contessa, Roasted Potato Leek Soup.

I halved the recipe, which made three 8 ounce jars of soup.  I was sooo rich and creamy, and the roasted leeks were heavenly!  

A Vintage Swap

 

As another mail-swappy-thing, I also signed up for the first of many Vintage Swaps organized by Heather of Shivaya Naturals.  The requirements for this swap were that we send between three and five vintage goodies to our partners. My partner for this swap was Hannah, who incidentally is from Wales--you all know how we love the Welsh around here!

I sent Hannah these (the "Garland Kit" is to make a "Love Scraps Garland" like mine--Hannah said she really loves vintage quilt bits).

The goodies I got in return?

Completely.  Awesome. The little bottle, the British kitsch and candy, the hankies, the sewing kit, the vintage knitting needles...just wow!  Thanks Hannah!

Yay for good stuff in the mail!