Weekend in the Mountains with Mom

All of the recent changes in my life have left my calendar relatively wide open for the month of November.  I recognize that this sort of "time off" might not ever happen again.  With that said, I've been really trying to make the most of this time by investing in my own yoga practice, substituting whenever I can, cooking up a storm, and taking time off to visit friends and family.  In fact, just this past weekend my Mom and I met up in Blue Ridge, GA for a long weekend together.  (Note: My Mom's side of the family owns a house in the mountains, and it is the perfect place for a FREE fall getaway.)  The timing worked out perfectly for both of us (a rare thing indeed), and we couldn't wait to have a few days of relaxation and uninterrupted mother/daughter time together.

Lola decided to come along for the trip, so on Thursday morning we loaded up my new car and started the 7 1/2 hour drive up to Blue Ridge.  It took her a while, but eventually Lola found a way to get comfortable in the floorboard of the passenger side seat.  From this position, it doesn't seem like dogs can get a "crick in their neck"...

When we arrived around 3:00PM the sun was shining, and the day was simply resplendent.

Here's a peek down the driveway from the cabin.  

Just look at all those fall colors: red, orange, yellow, green, brown, grey, white, and more!  

As you might recall, I LOVE fall colors!

Here's a view of the side of the house...I could have sworn I took a pick of the front, but I guess I didn't.
Oh well, you'll just have to imagine how gorgeous it is.

Since I decided to bring Lola along for the trip, my Mom decided to bring her dog, Annie Mae, as well.  Annie Mae, as sweet as she is, is VERY shy and skiddish; and while she is wonderful with most people (once she warms up to them), she doesn't have a lot of experience with - or exposure to - other dogs.

With that said, their introduction didn't go so well.  

As much as Lola tried, Annie Mae just was NOT interested in being friends.  In the end, we ended up having to keep them separated the entire weekend.  Our solutions were either to:

• have Annie Mae in the crate while Lola roamed around freely;
• have Lola in the crate while Annie Mae roamed around freely;
• put Annie Mae downstairs while Lola remained upstairs; or
• keep Annie Mae on her leash while they both roamed around freely.

We tried and we tried to keep them both unleashed and free simultaneously, but it just didn't work out.  As loving as she is to me and other people, Annie Mae just would NOT make friends with Lola.  Oh well, maybe Lola's upcoming visit over the holidays will do the trick! (Hey, I can hope, can't I?!)

On Friday morning, after eating breakfast in the cabin, Mom and I decided to head into town.  Our first stop was Mercier Orchards.  When we first arrived, we both picked out a bag of apples to take home.  There were over a dozen different kinds of apples to choose from; but in the end Mom chose a bag of Yates apples, and I went with the Winsap variety.

If you like apples, then you would love this place!

They even had tastings so that you could try out all of the apple varieties.
It's amazing how different one apple can taste from another.
They're each so unique.

MORE AND MORE APPLES!

While apples are certainly Mercier Orchards specialty, they also make a wide variety of other products including:

• apple butters;
• fruit jams and jellies;
• chutney's;
• barbecue sauces;
• hot sauces;
• syrups;
• apple cider;
• honey;
• candles; and
• so much more that I can't even remember it all!

I thought that their honey display was really cute and clever!

For lunch, Mom and I ate in the Mercier Orchards cafe.  We split 1/2 of a pimento cheese sandwich and vegetable soup.  The sandwich was delicious, and having just 1/4 of a sandwich each was perfect because the pimento cheese was wonderfully rich.  

As for the soup, it was SO good.  

Honestly, I think we both could have drank a vat of just the broth.  

It was THAT delicious!

Mom saying "Yummmmm"!

Of course, we couldn't possibly have left without sampling an amazing homemade dessert...or two.  

Mom ended up settling on a mini apple fritter, and I chose a strawberry rhubarb pie.  

Thankfully, we were both generous enough to share portions of our delicacies!   

After sampling them both, I'm not sure which one I preferred.  

They were both wonderful, but also very different.  

The pie was sweeter, so perhaps better for a traditional dessert.  Whereas the fritter was sweet, but not so much so that it couldn't be eaten for breakfast with a decadently rich decaf coffee.  

Hmmm...that would be so good!

After filling our bellies, we headed to downtown Blue Ridge to do some Christmas shopping!

Mother/Daughter love.

I found several gifts for Bo and I's family; and after a couple of hours, Mom and I decided that it was time to head home and check on Lola and Annie Mae.

Lola posing SO pretty for the camera.

Such a pretty, pretty girl.

We spent the rest of Friday afternoon/evening at home walking the dogs, cooking in, watching a Hallmark holiday movie, and heading to bed early.  

It was perfect.

On Saturday morning, after eating a hearty breakfast, Mom and I decided to take the dogs for a hike.  

There are so many wonderful trails within 5-10 miles of the cabin, that we just chose one of the closest ones and headed out.

The trail itself was absolutely gorgeous.

We got there early, before any other hikers were on the trail:
such precious moments in the company of God's creation.

If we had chosen to do the entire Benton Mackaye Trail, it would have been 10.4 miles round trip.  

Well, we weren't quite up for that; so we decided to walk about a mile and a half in, and then turned around and walked back out.  

We took our time, and in the end we hiked for about an hour and a half.  

Mother/Puppy Daughter love.

Sunlight through the trees.

I'm not sure what my mom was trying to capture here, but I actually like this "accidental" picture.
I think that I was trying to make Lola "sit", but it turns out that sometimes candid shots are better than posed ones.
Go figure.

Sunlight through the trees.

So bright.

So beautiful.

Mom and Annie Mae.

Hugging trees (i.e. tree huggers) ;)

Lola saying: Hurry up, Mommy!

On Saturday night - the last night of our getaway - Mom and I whipped up an absolutely salivatingly delicious meal.  It was amazing.  Here was the line-up:

"Until Next Time" dinner:

Mom's garden purple hull peas

Mom's garden turnip greens

Frances' hoe cakes (an old family recipe)

Sliced tomato w/ Ranch dressing

It just doesn't get any better than that, in my opinion.

Be patient with me over the next month and a half!  

I leave Wednesday for another long weekend trip (not returning until Sunday), but I will post when I get back.  Then Thanksgiving will be here (not 100% sure of our plans yet), and then the movers will be here to pack our house and start the official move to Whidbey!
Like I said, ch-ch-ch-changes are headed our way!

WHEW - I'm a little tired (but super excited) already!

Question of the Day:

Do you (or did you) ever take one-on-one trips with one of your parents?  If so, I would love to hear about some of your favorite memories from those trips in the "Comment" section directly below?!

Blessings,
Ally and Bo

The Perfect Bowl

I have been on the hunt for the perfect bowl for about a year now.  To me, the perfect bowl will be suitable for chili, rice bowls, soup, pasta dishes, fruit crisps and ice cream, and on, and on, and on (you get the idea).  To clarify, the perfect bowl must be:

• wider than it is deep;
• deep enough to contain a full serving of food without spilling or overflow; and
• shallow enough to distribute any toppings over the entire dish.

About six months ago, when we first moved to Jacksonville and I was nesting, I was in Big Lots and spotted the perfect bowl...AND they were only $4.00 a piece.  Unfortunately, I was trying to "be good" by not spending unnecessary money and walked away without purchasing a single one.  

Lesson learned: 

When you find exactly what you have been looking for for a long time, GRAB. IT.!  

I mentioned these bowls to my mom, so when she visited this past weekend she suggested we go back to Big Lots to see if they were still there.  Luckily, they were, BUT only three were left. :(

Boo-hiss!

Regardless, we decided that three were better than none, and snatched up all three.  Who knows, maybe if I check at other Big Lots locations I can find another five or seven to round out my collection!

See what I mean?!  

These bowls are perfectly wide, sufficiently deep, and yet still shallow enough for tons of delicious toppings!

In honor of my perfect bowl purchase, last night I whipped up an old classic: 

RICE BOWLS!

I started out by making a batch of rice cooked in vegetable broth (for additional flavor).  Once cooked, I added:

• 1 1/2 T Earth Balance;
• 1 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese; and
• salt and pepper to taste.  

The texture and taste were similar to a risotto - without all of the tiresome stirring - SCORE!

For the add-ons, I:

• opened a can of vegetable minestrone (I drained out about 1/4C of the broth so that it wouldn't be too runny);
• added 2T extra hot salsa (for a little kick!); and
• diced up a chicken breast into Bo's portion.  

Then I:

• poured the spicy minestrone over the rice; and
• garnished the dish with an additional 1/2 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese.

As simple as this dish was, it was incredibly filling and delicious.  

As Bo said, "this one's a keeper!"

In the future, I look forward to repeating this dish with different grains on the bottom and soups and garnishes on top.  For instance, I am already thinking about a cheesy polenta base, smothered in vegetarian tortilla soup, with avocado chunks and salsa for garnish.  

Doesn't that just should divine?!

In other somewhat sad news, Lola had an accident last night.

This was the end result...

Here's the back story:

Around 5:45PM, we let Lola outside in the backyard to tinkle (like we always do).  About 7-10 minutes later, Bo opened the back door to check on her.  As usual, she came running towards us as if to come inside.  Immediately Bo asked me to bring a towel, saying that it looked like she had red syrup all over her.

Well, it wasn't red syrup. 

It was blood.

Long story short, somehow, somewhere, someway, Lola received a 3 inch cut on her tail.  With every wag of her tail she was slinging blood E.V.E.R.Y.W.H.E.R.E.  Bo and I were covered.  To be honest, it sort of looked like an ax murder took place on our back patio.

Five hours, twelve stitches, over $350.00, and one trip to the emergency animal hospital later, Lola was drugged, and Bo and I were exhausted.  It was not exactly the night we had planned.

Her tail looks so sad (sort of like a rat tails), she seems to be in quite a bit of pain, and she abhors the head cone.  None of us slept very well last night because Lola couldn't get comfortable in the head cone, Bo and I could hear here moving around all night, and she had a tinkle accident in her crate because when we did get home she was still so drugged that we could hardly get her to stand...much less poddy.  Now, poor thing, she smells like pee and we can't give her a bath because we can't get the tail wet.

Thank goodness for scented candles.

Overall, she is just incredibly pitiful.  Between the pain and the head cone she seems totally defeated...certainly not the happy-go-lucky puppy girl we are used to!  She tends to whine most of the day from pain, discomfort, and displeasure, and it is breaking both Bo and I's hearts to see her so sad.  On top of it all, we are going out of town this weekend and now have to board her with her vet.  I know that they will take good care of her, but I am so sad to be leaving our little girl in her time of need.

Question of the Day:

What is your favorite dish in the kitchen?  Do you have a special coffee mug?  Maybe it's a special cereal bowl or casserole dish?  Is there a story behind your favorite dish?  

Tell me all about it in the "Comment" section below!

Blessings,
Ally and Bo

MIA

I know that I have been totally MIA for the past few days.

DON'T WORRY.

Everything's fine.

We've just been out of town...and then REALLY busy.  

I will be back on Wednesday and can't. wait.!  

Until then, here's a Lola pic to tide you over. :)

This is from Lola's first road-trip this weekend!

Blessings,
Ally and Bo

Summer Picnic With My Love

Even though Bo and I are married, live in the same house, sleep in the same bed, and see each other (almost) every day, sometimes we forget that "date nights" (or, in this case, "date afternoons") are still important.  And since, by some miracle, we both had today completely off from work, we decided to go on a picnic!

This morning, I spent an hour or so whipping up a special lunch; and I must admit that I felt like a regular Giada de Laurentis in the kitchen! :)  By 12:30 we were both starving and ready to hit the road!

Thankfully, we didn't have to travel far.  Less than a mile away is a local park; and since dogs are allowed, we decided to bring Lola along for the ride!  She has gotten SO BIG (over 50 pounds!) that now she has to ride in the back seat.  No more floor board of the passenger side for this little Labrador!

While Bo walked Lola around for a couple of minutes, I took my time setting the stage for our picnic date.  I brought an old family quilt along to decorate the table, and then I spread out our feast:

• Warm Goat Cheese, Spinach, and Tomato Panini;
• Macaroni Salad;
• Minted Fruit Salad (see recipe below); and
• specialty drinks from Whole Foods.

Since Bo wanted a little more protein with his lunch, I added some ham to his sandwich.  In the end, he actually said that he thought the sandwich was a little better without the meat.  SCORE for the vegetarians!

I guzzled my lunch down with Virgil's Zero Cream Soda, while Bo sipped on Steaz Zero Calorie Orange.  Both were delicious; but truth be told, my cream soda was the best out of the two.  It really tasted like the real thing!

Lola sitting pretty for a treat!

My handsome hubby enjoying his panini.

Me - chowing down.

(And yes, I burned my bread.  

What can I say, I am my mother's daughter (hehehe)!)

Absolutely LOVING what natural light does to my photography skills!  

Lesson: I think I need to take more pictures outside!

This fruit salad was simple and out-of-this-world delicious!  It was - in both of our opinions - the best part of the whole picnic.  And since I know you want it, here is the quick and easy recipe:

Minted Fruit Salad
Serves 2

8 medium strawberries, diced
1/2 C blueberries
1 medium nectarine, diced
1 packet of stevia
1/2T lemonjuice
1/2 tsp dried mint

Directions:

1. Add the strawberries, blueberries, and nectarine to a small mixing bowl.
2. Sprinkle the stevia, lemonjuice, and mint over top.
3. Toss to incorporate.
4. Chill until ready to serve.

It really is as easy as 1-2-3-4!

Lola chillin' in the shade...no doubt wishing she could play with the kids on the playground.

This macaroni pasta salad wasn't my recipe, and it wasn't a home-run.  Truthfully, it was just so-so.  Next time, I think I would do better to just come up with something of my own.  Regardless, it did hit the spot when Bo and I were still a little hungry after eating our sandwiches (Bo has a full sandwich, I just had a half). 

Yummm...

All gone. :)

Afterwards, we took a little walk to help digest our food.  Since it was VERY hot, we tried to stay in the shade as much as possible.  We watched Lola carefully to make sure she didn't overheat, and we also gave her lot and LOTS of water.

At one point, we even talked Lola into playing on the playground!

She and her Daddy even went down the slide!  

(I'm not sure she enjoyed it.)

We didn't get a picture of it, but Lola thought the swings were so. much. fun.  While I was swinging, she kept trying to jump up and catch me!  It was too funny to watch her.  On the one hand she was totally confused by what was going on; while on the other hand she thought it was this new game that she couldn't wait to play. I can't wait to see what Lola will be like when we bring our future children to the playground.

It is certainly something to look forward to...

Next up:  a creative way to use up all of the zucchini that is abounding in your garden/local grocery store!  Delicious AND healthy potato filling anyone?!

Question of the Day:


When is the last time you went on a date with your significant other, and what did you do?!

Blessings,
Ally and Bo