Mom's Cookies and MeeMaw Muffins as Comfort Food

No-Bake Chocolate Cookies (They're not what they look like!)

     Even though our children had a great first week at their new school, it was still an adjustment.   We all had to get used to waking up each morning by 6 AM since it is a 45 minute drive to school.  Dozens of papers were filled out and signed; four lunchboxes were packed in the morning; and there was a frantic shopping trip to numerous stores for book covers which seemed to be sold out everywhere (we ended up getting the last remaining ones at Staples.)  They were introduced to new teachers, made new friends, and adapted to a new routine.  Our youngest was such a proud first grader with real homework each afternoon that she eagerly tackled as soon as she got home.  They even made it through a week of humid, ninety degree days in a school with no air conditioning.

     By Friday, I wanted to have a treat waiting for them when we got home from school to celebrate their first week.  Although I love to bake cookies, it was just too darn hot to heat up the oven for an hour.  So I quickly cooked up a batch of chocolate no-bake cookies.  I still remember making these annually in home economics class in middle school, and they were one of the first treats I learned to make.  Okay, maybe they're not the most attractive cookie (I won't mention what my boys said the above photo looked like,) but they are yummy.  They started the weekend off right.

No-Bake Chocolate Cookies

2 cups sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1 pinch salt

1/2 cup peanut butter

3 cups quick cooking oatmeal

Mix the sugar, milk, cocoa, and butter in a pot.  Cook on medium heat and keep stirring until it boils. Remove from heat and let cool for one minute.  Add the vanilla, peanut butter, salt and oatmeal.  Stir well.  Drop by teaspoon onto wax paper or parchment paper.  Chill in refrigerator, and if it's hot like it's been here this week, store in refrigerator too.

MeeMaw Muffins

     Our weekend continued to get better with the arrival of grandparents from out of town.  Life is always a bit of a celebration when they come to visit, and they know that our children also look forward to their grandma's big red tin of "MeeMaw Muffins."  No matter how busy she is before they leave their house, she always finds time to bake a variety of breakfast muffins: strawberry, blueberry, chocolate chip, cranberry, and brown sugar & cinnamon.  This time she surprised us with banana nut muffins for the first time along with blueberry ones.  I won't disclose her secret recipes here or they won't be exclusive MeeMaw muffins anymore.

     These particular muffins held special significance as comfort food when our weekend took a sad turn. When we awoke Saturday morning, we discovered that our tiger-striped "barn cat" had died unexpectedly in the night.  Life on a farm means we are exposed to both new life and unexplained death from time to time.  With the livestock, we expect these occasional losses, even though every life lost is mourned here.  However, it is rare for us to find one of our cats or dogs lifeless on the back porch.  Many of our cats have gone off into the woods to hunt here on our mountain only to never be seen again.  This young kitty, however, rarely left our porch because he always wanted to be the first one to be fed throughout the day, so his passing was quite a shock.  Such a seemingly small loving touch of leaving homemade MeeMaw muffins on the kitchen table actually brought some comfort to our younger children upon their sad awakening and made the morning a wee bit better.  While food alone certainly can't bring solace and heal all sadness, special foods made with the intention to share our love with others can truly be comfort food.

Any food can be comfort food if made and served with love.

Another Great School Year with L.L. Bean and Land's End

September is here, and our four youngest children have started a new school year with gear from L.L. Bean and most of their uniforms from Land's End.  We love these L.L. Bean thermal lunch boxes in colors that match their backpacks and their personalities.  They can hold a lot of items with a special pocket inside to carry an ice pack and a zippered front pouch for snacks or milk money.  They're still small enough, though, to fit inside their backpacks if they don't want to carry them.

We think L.L. Bean backpacks are the best.  With so many colors and prints to choose from, it's hard to decide which one to order.  Our family has found that these hold up better than any other bags we've purchased in the past.  They have all kinds of nifty pockets inside, and they are incredibly tough and durable.  They come in different sizes too for various age ranges.  Even though this floral one looks a little big on the back of our six year old, I know within a few years she'll need it for the binders and textbooks she'll be bringing home each afternoon.

Even though I prefer L.L. Bean, our eighth grade daughter wanted something more unique and suited for her personality.  She found this Candie's backpack at Kohl's.  It is cute, but it's a bit smaller than her younger siblings' packs, and I have my concerns that it won't hold all her homework and projects.  She assures me that it will be fine.  Notice the Champagne Sparkle hand sanitizer from Bath & Body Works attached.  It's a must for her that every item matches, right down to her pink sparkle nail polish.

Our boy's uniforms are simple this year with white polo shirts and navy blue pants.  These shirts are from Land's End, and the boys comment on how incredibly soft they are.  I am hoping they will withstand bleaching because I'm sure there will be ketchup, paint, and ink coming home on them many days.  These pants were actually purchased impromptu at Walmart when I didn't have time to wait for an order from elsewhere, and they've actually held up fairly well.  The backpack slung over our redhead's shoulder is not L.L. Bean, and it is beginning to rip inside from being overstuffed the past two years.  I can't remember where I bought the black dress shoes.  They get handed down from one brother to the next, much to our youngest son's dismay.  Actually, he doesn't mind so much what he wears, as long as he's not getting hand-me-down Legos.

Our girls get a little more variety in their uniforms.  The blue oxford shirt, navy skirt, and plaid jumper are all from Land's End.  Our little one's white blouse is Genuine School Uniforms brand, and her white ballet flats are from Walmart.  Our teen's black ballet flats are Bongo brand from Kmart.  She usually only wears them on Mass days, so hopefully they will make it through the school year, if she doesn't outgrow them first.  Notice that she is not thrilled to have her picture taken so early in the morning.

Our youngest two were great sports about being photographed.

And they are off to another great start of a new school year and a new chapter of our lives.  All shirts here are from Land's End.  The skirt and skort are also from Land's End.  Shorts are from Old Navy and Flynn O'Hara.  Have a great first day, Kiddos!

Here's wishing all of you readers a wonderful start to a new school year as well!

Much More Than a History Book

     While our family was in southern Virginia last week, a new book by Tamy Kay Thompson was released by The History Press/Arcadia Publishing titled Curiosities of Hampton Roads.  This is no ordinary history textbook or tour guide.  The paperback describes mysterious, eerie, and somewhat ghastly tales and occurrences from the coastal southern cities of Virginia.  I was able to acquire a pre-ordered copy at the beginning of our trip, which made our time in Williamsburg even more meaningful.  We viewed or toured most of the buildings Thompson describes in chapter four, including the Governor's Palace, the College of William and Mary, and the public hospital, just to name a few.  During the candlelit ghost tour, some of the same strange apparitions mentioned by the tour guide were also written about in this book.

     I had the pleasure of interviewing the author in her home, and I wanted to share with you what I learned.

Preppy Mountain Farmer: "What led you to write this book?"

Tamy Kay Thompson: "I was interested in the history of America's birthplace, but the research I did wasn't exactly matching the stuff my kids were learning in school.  I started digging deeper and uncovered some interesting historical facts that can't be found in mainstream history books, like the fate of the first German immigrants, the true story of John Smith and other early colonists, and the Native American Indians' side of the story.  At the same time, I learned that a lot of places in Hampton Roads are considered haunted.  Yet none of the books I read combined the historical aspect with the legends.  I decided to write a book that did just that, and write it like a tour guide of the area so it could be used by tourists, local residents, and historians alike.  Along the way, I discovered some unknown historical sites that deserved some recognition."

Preppy Mountain Farmer:  "What was the writing process like and how long did it take?"

Tamy Kay Thompson:  "The writing process was difficult at times.  I had to decide where to begin, what to include and omit, and how much detail to go into.  Plus, I had to visit almost every site to get a feel for it, see it, and photograph it.  And, of course, there were countless hours of research involved.  Every time I thought I'd read everything there was to read about a specific place, I found something else.  The historical section/genealogical room at the Main Street Library was useful, and the librarian stationed there was incredibly helpful.  I accessed old books, diaries, newspaper articles, and censuses.  I also delved into the deeds, property patents, and public records in downtown Hampton.  All-in-all, it took about a year to write, then another few months to edit.  But the writing process took much less time than getting it published; it was rejected by numerous publishers over a few years before The History Press/Arcadia Publishing accepted it.  On a brighter note, one of my favorite things about researching for the book was taking my kids to several of the sites, which helped them learn more about the area than they ever learned in school.

Preppy Mountain Farmer:  "Have you always been interested in these topics?"

Tamy Kay Thompson:  "Growing up, I wasn't interested in history and could never memorize specific dates and names of places.  As an adult, I began to enjoy learning about American and world history...if it was interesting.  I like the bizarre, obscure, and curious stuff.  I've always liked ghost stories, strange tales, and historical legends that leave you wondering if they're true or not.  I thought Historically Haunted Hampton Roads (which was renamed Curiosities of Hampton Roads by Arcadia Publishing) was an interesting combination of historically accurate facts and strange tales."

     I couldn't agree more.

     Did I mention that the author just happens to be my little sister?

     Copies of Curiosities of Hampton Roads: Ghostly Colonists, Hidden Crypts, The Black Swan of Westover and More can be found at: (Click on any of the links below, and they'll take you directly to her book.)

Arcadia Publishing

Amazon

Google Books

Wordery

Barnes and Noble

Walmart.com

...and many independently owned, local book stores.

More Family Friendly Destinations in Coastal Virginia

...While Still Avoiding Theme Parks and Crowded Boardwalks

After many hours of walking around Colonial Williamsburg and a morning spent at Buckroe Beach, we decided to drive over to Newport News.

Destination 3: Virginia Living Museum

We've been to a number of zoos and aquariums throughout the country, and this one is now at the top of our favorites list.  From the cafe to the indoor exhibits to the trails and the outdoor gardens, all of our children enjoyed this place.  An added perk to purchasing a membership is that it can be used to enter other selected museums throughout the country.  We found four of them within a two-hour radius of our house.

There is currently a special frog exhibit that made my younger boys very happy.  Our pool attracts a variety of frogs and toads every spring as they seem to find it a perfect place for laying strings and globs of jelly-like eggs.  Unfortunately, the tadpoles never make it to adulthood since we have to remove the pool cover in late May when we open our pool for the season.  All summer, though, we have frog visitors that we have to rescue from the pool with our net.

It was here, and not at the beach, that we got to touch starfish and crabs.  The only things we found at Buckroe Beach were seashells.

Out in the Children's Garden, the Hobbit House was popular with my little ones since we are big fans of J. R. Tolkien.

This museum had a lot of fun, hands-on areas for children that allowed them to actively learn, but it was also interesting for our teens and us adults as well.  Not all places we visited appealed to every age in our family, which leads me to our next stop.

Destination 4: College of William & Mary

With two teenagers in tow, I figured it's never too early to tour an institution of higher education.  Since this "Public Ivy" is just across the street from Merchant Square in Colonial Williamsburg, we couldn't possibly pass up the opportunity to walk around campus, and a beautiful campus it is.

Being the second oldest college in our nation, the architecture perfectly matches the rest of Colonial Williamsburg.  The first photo shows the Wren Building which was built in 1695 and is the oldest college building in the United States.

I think we're all hoping one of our children ends up here to give us an excuse to visit many times in the future.

Interspersed with visiting these sites, we also tried many different restaurants, visited my sister's family, attended Mass at the chapel at Langley Air Force Base, walked through the art museums in Colonial Williamsburg, played some miniature golf at Pirate's Cove, hit the Williamsburg Outlets,  and even acquiesced and took the children to the Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum.

I wish I could say our boys enjoyed learning about folk art and colonial furniture in the art museums more than seeing the shrunken heads and the tattooed, fork-tongued man at Ripley's, but I suppose that might be expecting too much.

Most of us left with good memories, smiles on our faces, and wishing we had just a few more days before we had to go home.  There was almost no arguing; we didn't have to fly; we steered clear of rides and thick crowds and long lines; and the cost was minimal.  That's my definition of a good vacation.

Vacationing in Southern Virginia with Teens, Tweens, and a Pre-Teen Wannabe...

...While Avoiding Theme Parks and Boardwalks!

When we decided to take a late-summer family vacation, I wasn't quite sure what we would do, but I knew it would not involve amusement parks, water parks, or crowded boardwalks.  The challenge was finding places to go and things to do that would keep the interests of two teenagers, two tweens, and a precocious six-year old who thinks she should be twelve.  Additionally, it would be nice if these middle-aged parents could enjoy part of the trip as well.  So where did we go?

Destination 1: Colonial Williamsburg

We started with a candle-lit ghost tour where our 9 year old son had the privilege of holding the lantern and leading the way through the dark streets.  This was a mile-long walk and took about an hour to learn about some of the buildings that have reported strange apparitions throughout the years.  Other than being incredibly humid, it was a perfect night with a crescent moon and a sky full of stars.

Over the next few days, we spent hours meandering the streets and stopping in various buildings and shops.  Even though it is free and open to the public, many of the houses require a ticket to enter.  Since we stayed in one of the Colonial Williamsburg facilities, our passes allowed us free entry to everything in the park for the duration of our stay.

I expected the streets to be crowded, but they weren't at all even though there were carriages, joggers, and families throughout.

The exception to this were the taverns at lunch time.  No reservations are accepted for lunch, so it is a first-come, first-serve kind of deal.  Within five minutes of opening, tables were filling up and patrons were waiting on benches outside.

Our favorite restaurant of the entire trip was Chowning's Tavern where my husband and I had beef and potato pasties, our 13 year old daughter marveled over shepherd's pie, and we listened to a colonial minstrel sing "Yankee Doodle Dandee" throughout the tavern.

We were expecting all of Williamsburg to be stifling hot, but we were pleasantly surprised to discover that the insides of buildings are now air-conditioned.

However, there are still plenty of outdoor exhibits that involved fire, and I wondered how these reenactors make it through the ninety degree days next to earth ovens and open fireplaces in their layers of colonial garb.  God bless them!

The one thing we all felt at the end of the day was tired feet!  Colonial Williamsburg means lots and lots of walking---miles and miles of it daily.  The positive side to that is that we walked off many of the calories consumed while there.  Next time I will not be vain and wear cute little sandals that give my feet no support.  I'll be breaking out my walking sneakers.

We didn't restrict our vacation to Colonial Williamsburg though.  There are so many things to do and see in southern Virginia that it was difficult to narrow them down to just a few.

Destination 2: Buckroe Beach

Wanting to avoid Virginia Beach, I decided to give this public beach and park a try.  We arrived mid-morning and had a huge part of the beach to ourselves.  There were several piers, pavilions with picnic facilities, a huge playground, and public restrooms.  This is located in Hampton at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.

Our children would have liked to spend the entire day here since it was the first beach experience for most of them.  I have a husband, however, who doesn't enjoy the Atlantic beaches at all since the water is not clear like it is in the Gulf of Mexico or the Caribbean.  He (and one of our sons) is a tad bit uncomfortable with what might be lurking unseen in those waters.

There was initially a concern about possible jellyfish, but once they experienced those rolling waves, my kiddos didn't want to come out of the water.  I'm happy to report that we didn't see or feel a single jellyfish or any other sea creature for that matter.  At least not here...

...To Be Continued Tomorrow...

A Preppy Touch to Farmhouse Gifts

This week my teen daughter and I put together some gifts from our farm and we dressed them up with just a wee bit of preppy style. 

1. Peach Syrup: This is the peach chocolate mint jelly recipe we made last weekend that didn't gel.  It's delicious as a syrup however.  The recipe can be found here at one of my previous posts.  Although the peaches didn't come from our farm, the chocolate mint did, and the syrup was made with care by my husband.
2. Dried Apples: These are from last year's harvest and were dehydrated in our Excalibur dehydrator.  We added some cinnamon to the jar and shook it up to add a delicious fragrance (and taste) when you open the lid.  Our apple trees are full of apples this year, and we're hopeful that we'll have a great crop for pies, apple crisp, and apple schnitz this fall.
3. Dried Parsley Flakes: Dried in the dehydrator another year past from our herb garden.  This year's parsley got nibbled down to the ground---either by a rabbit or one of our goats when they found a way out of the pasture.  Believe it or not, we have a goat that can climb the fence stock panels like you climb a ladder!
4. Peppermint Foot Powder: This is actually the same recipe as the carpet freshener I made back in April and can be found here.  Instead of using the lemongrass oil, we used 8 drops of pure peppermint essential oil.  This is excellent to use on your feet or to put in shoes, especially in the heat of summer.

We found the black and white paisley handkerchiefs for $1, so I didn't feel guilty for cutting circles into them to put on the top of the Mason jar lids.  I found the green ribbons in a drawer in my dry sink, and I really wish I'd had some preppy pink ones too.  Of course, our basement is always full of Mason jars, and gold mailing labels make the perfect labels for these farm gifts.  This was a fun hour for the two of us, especially when we were doing the photo shoot outside, and our Maine coon cat kept dashing around our display.  Now I'm on the lookout for preppy accessories to use as we head into fall and the holidays that are just around the corner.

Sights on the Farm

Today I share pictures of life on and around our farm.

I hope your remaining days of summer are filled with beauty and peace.