Support Local Businesses

Well the only way to really tell you is to just tell you. I have wanted pretty ads on my blog for a while now.  To show where I shop and the like.  But after thinking long and hard about it I found that I really don't shop much.  Maybe I will buy a thing or two online, but most of my shopping is done at the grocery store.  And I am not looking for handouts or give aways from companies... unless they just really want to.

I got to thinking, since Shaun and I run a couple of businesses ourselves then I will make ads and promote them here.  Then I thought about my brother-in-law's business, and Perry's Smokin' Pig that I bake for, and my friend Jenn that makes homemade dog treats.  Why not just promote for the people that I know and that are from around here?  I think it is a great idea especially since the majority of my readers are local people that know me. 

If you are local, meaning White House, Greenbrier or pert near here and have your own business that you would like my readers to find, please let me know by replying by email to this post.  If you don't have an ad I will make you one and link it back to you however it is fit.

As of now, I am not charging for these ads.  It is just for fun and promotion. 

Weekend Adventures: WindRock

How do I even begin to describe what a good time we had this past weekend?  We took a mini vacation to the mountains of Tennessee to a four wheeling paradise called WindRock in Oliver Springs, Tennessee.  Oh... only 72,000 acres of fun!

We stayed at Indian Creek in a barn that has been converted into sleeping quarters.  Our cabin had two bunk beds, a mini fridge, microwave, coffee maker and of course a bathroom.  I was impressed that they had towels, sheets and blankets on the beds and coffee with filters all there in the room.  We had already brought all that stuff with us.  Next time I will remember that!

The trails were muddy and I mean muddy!  There were puddles of water to go through everywhere and rocks to climb.  I drove a bit on Friday and Saturday and let me tell you, it's a lot more fun to drive than ride in my book!  I didn't get stuck or break anything.  It is quite satisfying.

The best part of the trip is that we got to spend time with friends.  Some of them we see often, some of them we don't.  But like I told Shaun, "If you don't go anywhere and you don't see anybody, you don't have any tales to tell".  We obtained many a story from this trip that none of us will forget.  But we had a great time and I would do it again in a heartbeat! 

 Beautiful scenery everywhere.

 Up in the clouds.

 Bunch of heathens!

I really wish I could share all of my pictures.  That would probably be like watching a slideshow of somebody else's vacation.  Pretty boring for you... unless you were there.  Or have been there.  Then... you know.

Four Fanciful Things

Looks like I am looking forward to Summer! 

1. Shoes

2. Top

3. Book

4. Vanilla & Vanilla

Lovely Spot for a Tub Shelf

I had a purchaser of one of our tub shelves send me a picture of our tobacco stick bath tub shelf in her world.  I love the way she has a small towel hung through the sticks.  And I adore the way the wood in the shelf blends so well with the wood lining her tub.  So unique and chic! 

Thanks Maddy!  Love it!  What a gorgeous bathroom!

If you are interested in our tub caddy you can view it here.

A Survey

While I was making breakfast at home this morning I had an epiphany.  I was taking two pieces of raisin bread from the plastic bag and as I took the pieces out I took out and replaced the heel.  The heel being the end piece of the bread loaf.  I do like the heel on raisin bread and will eat it, toasted and slathered with butter.  I do not, however, eat the heel of white bread.  In fact, I remove it and put it back every time I get bread out of the bag.  Why I do this I truly don't know.  Is it because my Mom did it and I mimick what I saw growing up?  I don't know that I really believe that it helps keep the other pieces fresh so that's not really why. 

It made me wonder, does everybody do this?  Is it one of those "old wives' tales" that the replaced heel keeps the bread fresh?  And does it really?  Are there people who don't do this?  Does somebody out there do the non-wasteful thing and eat the heel on the first sandwich that is made? 

I want to know.  I really, really want to know what it is that you do.  Please leave a comment or email your answer to the question: Do you keep the heel in the bread bag and why or why not?

Most of the people I have asked so far say that they do put the beginning heel back in the bag and most have said that they believe it helps keep the rest of the loaf fresher.

I will post my findings in a later post.  Maybe by then I will also have preformed a test on the freshness theory! 

Thanks in advance!

Coming to Terms

I have always had a wish.  One particular wish that I have felt would take me places.  That wish would be to have that one thing that I am really good at.  Something I could make a living from.  A profession, a title.  Never certain of what that one thing could be because of not having a degree from college, of which I did not go.  Or a certain art like pottery or painting.  One where I could choose to devote my energy towards and either draw an income or make a name for myself.  Maybe that one thing is "dreamer!"

I have been self employed since May of 2012.  I have tried to find different ways of making money since a paycheck is not coming from one place anymore.  This venture has not been a desperate attempt.  It is purely putting my all in many directions.  I have the day care here on our farm (which needs a couple more kids).  But I also sell items online and bake pies and cakes for Perry's Smokin Pig.  I am using multiple talents in three areas at one time to derive an income.  This is the result of a talent in multi-tasking!  I have many irons on the fire.  Even when I am not at work, I am working.  My grocery list is larger and so is my heart.

I am "Coming to Terms" with that prayer and wish of finding that one thing and letting it go.  I am realizing that I have talents in many areas that are needed to make me who I am and who I am going to grow up to be.  So maybe all I can say is, the one thing I need to be good at is being myself.

Giggle Box Kids

Well folks, I have done it now.  I have created another blog solely dedicated to my day care.  I am really excited and at the same time sad to say that I won't be sharing much of what goes on at the dc here.  I have so much kid stuff to share that I don't want it taking over peppysis and what my initial intentions for this hobby of mine are.  So, please add one more blog to your bloggy list of blogs to check on a daily basis.  I really hope I can pull this off... hosting two blogs.  But  I have plans for them both and faith in myself.

Visit www.giggleboxkids.blogspot.com and please bare with me until it's all set the way I like it.

Love ya with all my heart and one messy play room!

Sunday's Walk

Walking in our woods always refreshes me.  This time it just about wore me out!  Sunday, my niece and I, took an almost two hour walk through our woods.  We went down to the waterfall, searched for rocks and tried real hard to keep our balance in the slick creek.  That alone will wear your legs out! 

Let The Inspiration Begin

I have created a new journal to lug around!  In addition to my normal journal, that lacks about six pages of being full, I have made myself a different kind of journal.  The kind of stuff I will be saving shows up in my journal already, but there's a lot of talk in between.  So I have dedicated this journal for pictures and ideas for decorating, lifestyle and crafty things.  So whenever I see pictures in magazines I can cut them out or when I come across inspiration on blogs and pictures on the internet, I can print them for my use.

I have a little area on my PC here where I keep these items now.  And I know a lot of people "pin" things, of which I am not into.  I just can't get the hang of it.  This journal and way of keeping inspiration that I want to go back and look at any time where I can put my hands on it and look back.

As I said before, I already keep tidbits in my regular journal, but this idea came from the blog herlibraryadventures.  I get really inspired by her vignettes and pictures and also their sister blog.

I made my journal with, of course, ModPodge.  A product of which I am dedicated to.  I covered the outside of a composition notebook with floral pictures from the Burpee seed catalogue.  Then I started glue stickin pictures and making notes.  Also leaving room on certain pages for future inspiration on the same subject.  It is going to be a lot of fun.

Summer Laundry

I am a summer girl.  I am also a laundry-on-the-clothesline kind of girl.  I was looking back on picture archives and thought I would share.

 

Feel the warmth of the summer sun on your shoulders and the coolness of a slight breeze in your hair.

 

Take a few deep breaths in through your nose for a count of five, hold it five, then out through your mouth for five.

I feel better already, don't you?

Baking Tip

Granny and I were talking the other day about baking and how instantly forgetful we can be.  You know you've done it!  When you get ingredients out and begin tossing them in a bowl and lose count on the sugar.  Was that six-quarter cups full to make one and a half cups of sugar or was that five?  Or a half panic as the decadent Hummingbird Cake goes into the oven... I forgot to put the pecans in the cake mix! 

While I am sure there is some fancy ingredient ap on those fancy phones everyone but Shaun and I own, I obtained my tip from the one and only Julia Child.  I received The French Chef (one and two) DVD series for my birthday and pop them into watch while I am in my kitchen at least twice a week.  A week or two ago she was baking her Queen of Sheba chocolate cake and threw a tip at me.  Place all of your ingredients out on a tray or cookie sheet before you begin baking.  Go ahead and measure out the flour and other dry ingredients in separate bowls.  I know these steps take more time but really it adds to the fun and I know for sure I have everything out and measured before I begin. 

I tried this last weekend when I made a cake for the BBQ place.  And Lord knows I look for any excuse to use my enamel trays I adore so much!  I have mentioned my enamelware fetish haven't I? 
Anyway, I did just as Julia said and guess what... the pecans were in the cake this time.  Just as the recipe calls for.  If you are going to bake, try not to get in a hurry and enjoy the entire process and if you make the proper preparations you shan't forget or mis-measure a thing! 

The next step in this baking tip is to remove the ingredients from the tray and put them away as you use them.  Put the empty bowls in the sink and the vanilla bottle in the cabinet.  That way when you think you are done and you look over at your tray and something is still there..... guess what?  It's not too late to add it because the cake has not entered the baking zone yet.  Brill Julia... brill.

This tray is stained from another place in time before I got it.  But it is old and I love it!  I hadn't exactly premeasured at this point nor does it look like I had the flour out.  But I promise you, it did happen and it took a teeny bit of stress out of the whole process because I knew I wasn't going to forget a thing. 

Current Book Crush

I would like to report that I am the very first person to rent this particular book from the library.  And that just tickles me to death!  I have loved this series by Alan Bradley that began with The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie.  I read this first book in the series in October, then proceeded to read the next three in the line through December.  I found that fifth book was due out in January and my library already had it on order, so I put my name on the request list to read it.  Low and behold, it was in transit last Thursday and when I got it I noticed the date on the outside of 1/31/13.  Meaning.... I am the first one to read this book... not the story itself ... just this one book.  OOhhh I like it!  And I am on the tenth chapter and already have some favorite parts.  One of them is this:

"A seed is a remarkable vessel," he told me.  "Our one true time machine.  Each of them is capable of bringing the past, alive, into the present, Think of that!" 

I just love living normal life and then being lucky enough to have the interest of popping into a story of someone else's life, mostly fictional lives but still, to look around and see their world and meet people related to the story line.  And mostly with this one, I can't wait to see if five hundred year old seeds are collected and successfully germinated to bloom.  If that really happened I would be in awe.

Little Journals

You are never too young or old to begin a journal, in my book anyway.  Whether it is something you write in everyday, an art journal with drawings or a style journal (which I am desperate to begin for myself) a journal is a great way of tracking... well... yourself.  In this case, we are at the day care.  I had the thought a couple of days ago that instead of throwing away old colorings or storing them in a box, wouldn't it be neater to let them begin a journal?  That way when the notebook is good and full of whatever we want to put in it we can see how far they've come with their drawings, colorings and even writing.

I am super excited about this idea.  These books will eventually go home with the kids so that their families can see how far they've come.  And the notebooks are cheap.  I actually bought these around back-to-school time for seventeen cents a piece. 

This morning, we broke out pictures, stickers and glue sticks and decorated the outside cover of the kid's journals.  I made sure to pick a color that each of them would like.  They do have their favorites.  For story time today we read a library book called "All Kinds of Families" by Mary Ann Hoberman.  We talked about what a family is and named people in each of our families.  Then we broke out our journals and filled up the first page with pictures of people in our families.  They did great. 

I am looking forward to filling up these books with the kids and seeing how far they've come by the end of the book. 

The Dirty Dirty - Part Four

I am clearly a person who ignores organization.  Over time a clean and uncluttered room can be completely destroyed by my lack of discipline in simply putting things back where they go.  And also taking the time to find a proper home for incoming traffic.  In the case of The Dirty Dirty - Part Four, the room of great concern is unfortunately at the day care.  It is the smallest room that I call my own.  It is my office slash craft supply room.  A place that has a small gate at the doorway to let everyone know "this is  my space."  Although the more I have used the desk in the center of the room as a landing strip and used the closet and shelves as a disorganized place to store crafts made long ago the more I don't go in there for anything other than to toss new arriving supplies. 

I mentally made the resolution to "put things back" where they go in my life.  If I remove it from a drawer then that's where it goes back when I am finished using it.  This new found form of self control can be a tough one.  Mainly because it involves getting organized in the first place.  So one day during nap time I tore in to this room.  I didn't buy any fancy Martha containers, I simply used what I had.  I threw some things away and have a couple of bags to take to Goodwill.  I also moved my desk out from the center of the room to avoid using it in the wrong way.  The main thing is that it feels better.  When I walk in there I know exactly where the glues are and where all my tissue paper is and fake crafty flowers live.  And I know they are there because the last time I used them I put them back there.  Aha!  There's the key to staying this way.  I have done well in the other rooms involved in this Dirty Dirty adventure.  Unfortunately, the task is not over. 

Before

 oof

And After

Thank you for loving me through my faults of un-organization.