Travel day

Today, I finally finished packing the van, put Winston on his fluffy throne and we headed out for Hillsville, VA. This is our stop for the night. Tomorrow we stop at Snow Mountain  to make a payment that was lost before heading for the chalet in Doe Run.

Winston was an excellent rider. His throne in the passenger seat is topped with his fluffy pillow. For the first hour or so he was sitting up, waiting to see where we were going. He finally just curled up and slept.  He was also very good when we stopped.  Clipped on his.lead, out in the grass and peed so we were not wasting time sniffing at every leaf and stick.

We did run into a problem. As we headed out, it was cloudy, drizzly and cool. The sun was out when we hit Virginia and the outside temperature reached 80 degrees. It became very warm in the van,  so I turned on the air conditioner but it did not cool anything down. Winston got quite warm sitting in the sun. So, I am guessing that I will have to have the van serviced.  Would have preferred to have been at home for this, but I am sure it will work out.  The weather turned back to rain and the van cooled nicely until we got to the motel.

Tomorrow is move in day.  Marji and Danny will be here too, so it will be a fun day. And I am betting that this month will fly by.....

Finally, the windows are open.....

And I totally felt like that silly commercial where they open a window and take a deep breath.  With each window, That is exactly what I did.  Opened a window and took in a deep breath of fresh air by each one.

I had planned to be in full on packing mode today, but I got side-tracked, as usual.  But it was for a good cause.  I have mentioned before that Sheila Williamson, Patty Naftziger and I have been doing pillowcases for Hershey Medical Center on the 4th Saturday of every month at a quilt shop in Ephrata.  This past month, the quilt shop let us know that they would be moving just up the street from where they are, but the space is much smaller.  They would not have the large space for us to come and sew.  However, the owner is still going to be getting fabric and making up pillowcase kits for the Hershey Pillowcase project.

So, we decided that we would reserved the church community room for the 4th Saturday and sew the pillowcases in Parkesburg.  Sheila, who lives just up from the shop, will pick up the kits and we will sew them and Sheila will return the finished pillowcases.

We have been talking about the need to share our sewing skills with others who want to learn how to do basic sewing.  Sheila had mentioned our desire to do this and has had several co-workers volunteer sewing machines.  We are hoping to eventually work this into sewing lessons for anyone in the area who might want to learn to sew.

The project is quickly gaining speed... probably faster than we anticipated.  Sheila announced our plan at church this morning and the response from the ladies in our congregation who want to come and sew was remarkable.

So today, I ordered a couple of things that we will need to just do the pillowcases that will stay at the church.  Then I created an embroidery design around the name we came up with today...
Sew Much Love....

I managed to get three shirts that were just spares I had lying around embroidered and a couple of canvas bags.  I will see Sheila tomorrow and I want to give one to her.  I ordered some Tee-Shirts, too, that will be here Tuesday and I will try to get as many made as I can before I head to Fancy Gap.  I will miss the first session, but I will be back in time for the second one.

It is so wonderful to see this dream that we have been toying with for several months suddenly have all of the pieces fall into place.  We know this endeavor is indeed something that we are being guided to do.

Busy week, but I still got into trouble.....

This week was a very busy week.  At one point, not too long ago, I had nothing planned after Easter except to get ready for Fancy Gap.  But this was my week:

Monday was the only day without an appointment of some kind.

Tuesday I had to take the van into L. C. Autobody.  I had babied the van all winter long with an aging battery.  But I decided that before I head to the mountains I would get a new battery in the van.  I did not want to get on my peaceful mountaintop and find a dead battery.  I am sure I could have gotten help, but I prefer to be proactive.

Wednesday I took the Elantra to the dealer for inspection.  They do a free inspection for all of my cars/trucks as long as I own the Elantra, but the van also gets free inspections from where I bought it and I trust L.C. with the truck, so I just pay for the truck inspection.  Anyway, with under 30,000 miles for a 2010 Elantra, it needed nothing but a blown license plate light.  The Elantra is staying at home for this trip and the inspection would have run out while I was gone... so I can get back and not worry about inspections.

Thursday was a very busy day.  I went to a lunch meeting of PABA.  I have not been to a meeting for over a year, but they are trying really hard to do new things, so I wanted to see if it was new.  It was being held at the VFW and instead of the 4 or 5 people when I was there, they had about 25, so they are making strides.  Still not sure I want to be involved, but it was nice seeing everyone and meeting some new and interesting members

From there I drove to my dermatologist where he removed a small growth on my thigh and a larger growth on my nose.  I was concerned about the thigh one as it had started as a freckle kind of thing and had begun to mound, so while it was the size of a pinhead, I had it removed.  The nose growth was much bigger, so I decided to have it removed so it could be healed by my reunion.  I am so happy to not see it on the tip of my nose.  The doctor is having both of them tested.  I will hear this week and no news is good news.

That night was Lions.  The good thing is that I will miss the next three meetings, so it might be the break that I need, although I doubt it.

Friday I had a haircut.  I went to a lovely young lady I met at the PABA meeting.  She is about the age of my oldest child.  She is bubbly and adventurous, and her daughter's name is Jane.  I sat in on a meeting of a group of people who are trying to get a "First Friday" going for the summer in Parkesburg.  And now I think I may be part of the group.  They will have to get the first one done without me.  Anyway, Erin trimmed my hair so I would be ready to head out to Fancy Gap and for fun, she 'stained' my hair with a bright maroon coloring.  Now, we did not use the pre-lightening as I really did not want to damage my hair with that, so we experimented by just applying the color.  It was not as vibrant (fine with me) and it was only done like a highlight (also fine with me).  It will fade to a lighter pink color and will likely be gone by the reunion, but for now, I love the looks from friends who have not seen this side of me.  Tomorrow at church will be a hoot.

Not the best picture of me, as I have not mastered selfies yet, but what do you think?

Yummy....yummy.... even Winston liked it!

Well, it was a success.  It was delightfully yummy and I will be doing it again.

Here is the plate, all dressed for eating...

The small potatoes in the foreground were tender and delicious.  The buttery flavor was throughout the spud and I will do them again.  The fresh herbs were almost overpowering, I will cut back on them.  These would be good with garlic seasoning and topped with Parmesan Cheese.

The bean puree... was a bit bland.  There were chives in it and bay leaves, along with olive oil and a bit of lemon juice.  It did not add anything to the dish, so I doubt I will do that again but if I do, I will season it differently.

The lamb.... OMG... tender, gently flavored and did I say tender?  These were coated with Dijon Mustard, fresh lemon juice, chopped thyme, garlic powder and a little fresh chopped garlic (the recipe ingredients called for chopped fresh but the directions only used garlic powder so I used both as I like garlic) and lots of freshly ground pepper.  I think I cooked it too long.  The directions said 18 to 25 minutes, after 20, I gave them another close to 10, then they are broiled to give them color and then rest for 5 to 6 minutes.  They are lightly pink but I was afraid that they were too rare at 20 minutes.  Next time I will do as the recipe calls for and see what happens.  But even so, the meat cut easily and the flavors were well mingled in the meat.  In the picture above, you will notice a small bowl.  in it was a syrup I made yesterday.  It is white wine vinegar, sugar and mint that was cooked down to a yummy, tangy, sweet concoction. Dipping the lamb into the syrup before eating made the lamb super delicious.  But even without the syrup, the chops were exceptional.

Yepper, I will do this again.

Winston liked them as well.  He has a very keen nose and can smell yummy meats a mile away.  He was outside as I was plating my meal.  I let him in and he was at my heels sniffing and wagging his tail until I sat down and took my pictures.  I shared a few nibbles with him.  Anything new, I try to be very careful about how much to give him.  He has what I call a tender tummy, but this week I have started giving him either scrambled eggs or oatmeal for breakfast with me.  (It helps me actually eat breakfast which I tend to skip if left on my own.)  Since I have been doing that, we have not had the gurgling tummy or the digestive issues that he has exhibited.  But all during my eating, Winston had his chin resting on the recliner foot and watched every piece of lamb go from the plate to my mouth.  He really gets me with that little, lost doggie face!

Preparing a Greek Orthodox Easter Dinner....

One of my favorite daytime shows is on in the morning on the Hallmark Channel.  It is called Home and Family and they do two hours of fun things to make, interesting people to talk to, shopping and beauty helps and cooking.

On Wednesday, the show made what is a traditional Greek Orthodox meal and it looked yummy.  Rack of lamb, small red potatoes cooked in butter and herbs and a mashed bean thing that the lamb sits in when served.

I have not done lamb often and I know it takes a special touch, but it seemed so easy and the guests on the show were eating as though they were starved.  So yesterday I went out, bought some fresh herbs, small red potatoes and a package of New Zealand rack of lamb ribs.

The potatoes are in the pot, doing their final cook....

The lamb has been coated with yummy goodness and are now in the oven...

The beans are warming up and the food processor is at the ready.

The house is filling with the fragrances of Rosemary, Thyme, onion, garlic, Dijon Mustard and some soy sauce.  Tummy is rumbling and mouth has begun to water.  Stay tuned for a full report!!

Easter Holiday and preparation for Fancy Gap....

Wow, Easter has come early this year.  Last year I actually celebrated Easter in Fancy Gap.  But this year, Easter is the very first Sunday in April.... and next year... it will be the last Sunday in MARCH.

This year Winston and I will be driving to Middletown, DE to spend the afternoon with my niece and her family.  Nancy is my late husband's niece, but they have remained in my life after he died.  That has not been the case with some of the other family members, but Nancy always calls to invite me to holiday dinners.  The only time I have not been there was when she was ill and not cooking or when I was just a few days from major surgery and did not want to risk getting sick.  The nicest thing about going to Nancy's house these days is that I get to go totally as a guest.  She is on a very strict diet with salt and other items, so she prepares all of the food so it will not be a problem for her to eat.  While I certainly do not mind cooking and bringing along, it is also very nice to be just a guest.

Today is Maundy Thursday.  We are having a service at my church..... so nice to say that.... My Church.  I began sitting in on the worship committee and ended up writing the small service that is being used tonight.  I have written my fair share of ceremonies that I used with my Red Hat ladies, but I have not written anything that is being used as a religious observance.  To tell the truth, I am a bit nervous.  But no one knows that I wrote the thing, other than the committee members.  And I hope that it remains that way.  I prefer to be anonymous when contributing to things.  I have put together the candles for the ceremony and I have made Tomato Basil Soup for the light supper that we will eat before Communion and Feet Washing.  I made it yesterday and it should have some really good flavor after stewing it's flavors today.

Tomorrow I am going out to get some food I am not used to buying... lamb and other spices to go along and I am going to try making a Greek Orthodox Easter meal.  It was on Hallmark Channel's Home and Family show that I watched today and it looks so good.  I will cook it on Saturday.  I will try to remember to take some pictures as I prepare and cook the meal.

And I am now on full blown Fancy Gap prep.  I have a couple of food boxes with several items already in the,.  I want to have some basic things to start with, as stocking a kitchen from nothing to something workable can be expensive.  So I will bring some things from here and hopefully use them up in Fancy Gap so there will be empty spaces in the van coming home.