Dining Room Project, pt. 2

Working on our dining room fix-up has been a slow process. It’s so hard to get things done when you have basketball games two or three nights a week and football on Friday night!

With Thanksgiving a week away and the Christmas holidays beginning it is time to get it finished up, even if it means working late in the evening!

We started this about two months ago. Here are the before pictures (and I know I have shown you some of this before).

Before we started, there were “windows” between the living room and dining room which were really irritating when we had company over to play cards. If the kiddos were watching TV, we always had a difficult time enjoying adult conversation.

Now, Audley has enclosed the “windows” creating a solid wall between the two rooms.

As you can see from this picture of my mom last Christmas, when standing in the living room you could see into the dining room as it was completely open into the hallway, actually making the “two” rooms, one.

Audley expanded the wall by 16 inches, and despite all of the extra-curricular activity he has built walls to frame in the dining room.

With all of the sheetrock in place, the tedious task of taping and mudding the room has begun.

{And look how happy he is to do all of this!}

We finally decided on a paint color (not our original choices by any means!) and Audley wants to use a painting technique called “candlelight”. You can check out the technique here.

We will be using Ralph Lauren paint from Home Depot in Shale Blue ( VM124 ) and applying the clear faux finish on top.

You can get an idea of the color from this photograph here that I borrowed from designspongeonline.com.

It is a perfect combination of a blue/gray paint and will look great with my grandparents silver trays and bowls.

We will be adding cherry hardwood floors and eventually a glass door to the room as well.

Next we are deciding on a light fixture.

Currently this is what is in the dining room. It works well for a casual atmosphere, but not so sure about it for an elegant space.

This light (yes it needs to be straightened) is hanging in my bedroom and I though it might look nice in the dining room.

I also thought of something with silver in it. What do you think? Which light fixture do you like best?

Hopefully we’ll have a great room to share with you next week!

Cheers!

Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving dinner has been on my mind a lot lately.

I don’t know if it is because of all the commercials advertising Thanksgiving shopping specials, or the fact that every time I walk out the back door I see these two ladies hanging out.

“Thanksgiving” and “Christmas”, have grown from these really ugly babies into elegant (and huge) birds!

As you can see, my Winston is still plucking tail feathers.

{And he thinks it is quite funny!}

Just one last look at our turkey as she will be the centerpiece on my table next week.

We are excited about this first-time adventure that is coming to a close. I’ll let you know how it tastes!

“Coexistence…..what the farmer does with the turkey – until Thanksgiving!”

~Mike Connolly

Cooking in the Great Outdoors

It’s funny that even when we are out camping I enjoy cooking just as much as in the convenience of my kitchen. With just a little planning it doesn't take much (just a little patience) to have a great meal with minimal fuss.

For supper while camping on Saturday night, I had purchased a 8 pound pork tenderloin that would provide a filling meal for all of us camping. It was super easy to prepare and can also be prepared in the oven or on a grill. We just chose an open fire.

To prepare the tenderloin I sprayed an aluminum pan with Pam olive oil, placed the pork in it and covered it with chopped garlic, sea salt and pepper. I also threw in a chopped onion for added flavor.

We covered the pan with foil and placed it on the iron rack over our fire pit to slow cook. We kept check on it and turned it to prevent scorching and uneven cooking. We added about 1/2 cup of water to the bottom of the pan to help keep it moist when the tenderloin was about half done.

After the roast was about 1/2 way through cooking, Audley peeled potatoes…..

…while I sliced eight shallots, thinly.

We added these to the pan with our tenderloin, arranging so that the pork was more on top of them.

Next I poured about 2 cups of balsamic vinegar over the potatoes, shallots, and pork, stirring well.

We covered the pan again and continued cooking until the potatoes were fork tender and the pork temperature was about 160 degrees. Be sure to keep your potatoes mixed well so that they all cook.

Total cooking time over a fire is about four and a half to five hours, but it is well worth it. And with the slow cooking process, we were able to do other things at the same time.

It was awesome being able to enjoy a filling dinner with the family in the great outdoors. If you have other great recipes, I would love to hear them. We are always up for trying something new!

Veteran’s Day

It is the Soldier
Father Dennis Edward O'Brien
It is the Soldier,
not the reporter, who has given us freedom of press.

It is the Soldier,
not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the Soldier,
not the campus organizer, who gives us freedom to demonstrate.

It is the Soldier
who salutes the flag,
who serves beneath the flag,
and whose coffin is draped by the flag,
who allows the protester to burn the flag.

Today is a day when I honor and cherish the special man I married, not for what he does for our family, but for the service he gave our country for six years in the US Navy.

Not only was he a part of a group of men who served in peace time, but served during Desert Storm in 1991 and 1992.

Today I thank all of our military veterans.

The ones who married girlfriends from high school; the one who sat next to me in college one day and was called to active-duty the next; the one who took me to my senior prom; My uncle who served in the Air Force; my cousin three months older than I who served in the Navy;

my great-uncles who served in both the European and Pacific fronts in WWII;

My great-great grandfather who served in the Civil War;

the men of my father’s generation whose names are etched in the granite memorial in Washington for their sacrifice in Vietnam;

and now the boys I have watched grow up and at the age of 19, 20, 21…..are protecting us as we enjoy each day free.

"The LORD bless you
and keep you;

the LORD make his face shine upon you
and be gracious to you;

the LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace."

Numbers 6:24-26

Autumn Camping {A Photo Journal}

We made it home safely from camping yesterday evening. I was beyond thrilled to have a hot shower without the threat of scary spiders dropping in on me.

Fortunately we were not attacked by some crazy, wild animal like a raccoon or squirrel, which made for a perfectly lovely weekend.

And as you can see, it was gorgeous this weekend!

The daytime temps were in the 60’s and the night only got down to about 40. Nothing a big fire, a thick sleeping bag, and cuddling with Mr. Jones couldn’t handle.

Our sleeping accommodations were a far cry from the Hilton,

{oh how I missed a pillow-top mattress!}

but were cozy as we shared our tent with two girls.

We rough it when we camp; sleeping on the ground, carrying water to camp in buckets, chopping our own firewood, and cooking over an open fire.

{I LOVE watching my Mr. Jones work!}

We camped at Foster Falls in the Cumberland mountain range. It is a popular place for hiking and rock climbing which some of our group did.

Some of us had to break away for a soccer game.

See, I told you it was gorgeous.

Most all of my family was able to come for the weekend, as well as one of Kenzie-Grace’s best friends and my brother-in-law’s brother.

Here are my dad and mom. They have been taking us camping since I was in elementary school.

And here are my three rugrats with my nieces and nephew. They are so entertaining to be around.

Next year I will have another niece or nephew as my brother Wil, and his wife, Holly, are expecting their first baby…. “Wolly”.

If you camp, you will enjoy some of the best food ever! Nothing tastes better than a burger cooked in the great outdoors…

…or pickles if you are a mom-to-be!

The kiddos kept themselves well entertained. Hiking and checking out our surroundings made for great adventures.

Something about being in the outdoors that brings out the silliness in little boys. Here my nephew was pretending to be a turkey and my Bradley was hunting him.

{I wonder if the two turkey’s we are preparing for Thanksgiving at our house have anything to do with this?}

Everything was a family affair, including patching up Madeline’s knee after a fall.

Evenings were peaceful as we sat around the fire reading….

…and waiting on supper to cook….

…and roasting marshmallows…..

….and laughing until I thought that I would wet my pants as my brother-in-law recalled the time he burned his pants off while camping, and had to hike home in his underwear, a tee-shirt, and hiking boots.

It really happened.

His brother was there to verify it and add details that were conveniently left out.

It was truly a fabulous weekend.

And I think everyone agreed that it was fabulous!

While I would much rather spend the night in a Hilton, getting ready for camping is not a chaotic as some might think. Over the years Audley and I have put together some really fabulous trips that really don’t take a dime extra out of our wallet.

This weekend’s trip was a last minute activity for us as we are still in football and soccer season, but it still didn’t take a lot of preparation. We discovered a long time ago that the key to planning a successful trip is just keeping yourself organized.

We keep a Rubbermaid tub stocked and ready to go at a moments notice. Inside you will find airtight containers with coffee singles, tea bags, sugar packets, and baking soda for those camp-stove mishaps!

We also keep foil, reusable enamel plates and cups (think of protecting the environment), forks to use over the fire for roasting hot dogs and marshmallows, a cutting board, a couple of old kitchen knives, dish detergent, old towels, and several decks of cards.

I have a Gladware container with salt and pepper grinders and other spice mixes that we like to use when cooking out. All of it fits neatly inside our box for easy access.

When we return home from our trip, I make sure everything is cleaned well and then restock if needed. Super easy, and oh so convenient for those last minute trips. This “kit”, our tents, picnic canopy, Colman stove, and lanterns all stay together in the outbuilding so we just load and go. All I have to do is throw together an outdoor menu (starting with ingredients found in my kitchen), and make a quick grocery run if I haven’t got all the food we need on hand.

And if you need a few ideas for outdoor meals, I’ll have a bit of inspiration for you later this week!

Jennifer