This is a family favorite holiday! In preparation, I have been cooking and baking up a storm.
There are 3 flavors of biscotti- cranberry orange, peppermint, and the favorite Cinnamon Bun. Some oatmeal cookies too. A cake to celebrate a birthday, it is just a plain vanilla cake but frosted with a peanut butter bourbon concoction! And lastly 3 pies, 2 cherry by request, and an apple pie. I have stumbled upon a new idea for a pie with bourbon in the filling. I will be trying the idea out for Christmas.
If you are saying yuck to the addition of bourbon, I don’t add enough to actually determine the addition. Just enough to add a back note of warmth. I have had lots of fun in the kitchen playing with bourbon. I mean if we buy a bottle at every distillery … we have to use it up somehow or run out of space to keep it.
I hope if you are traveling for the holiday or staying home, that you have the best time eating and visiting with your friends and family!
Happy Thanksgiving!
More later! Beth
Category: Daily
Life Happens While Making Plans
Life seems to happen while you are making plans. And yes it happens to me all the time. You? I can’t decide if I should catch you up… or just press on as if nothing has gone off the rails. October did not quite go as planned!
Posts and Errors
There was a plan to create a post. I got it done, but then the life part happened. The website and the blog experienced some technical glitches. One that greeted you with a blank page at IHaveANotion.com and the other would not allow comments. Several days and phone calls later fixed!!! Not what I had planned for the day or the rest of the week.
Next up the software, I use to publish the store had some updates. Yep, Another error. This is where the blog post actually disappeared. The “help” is all by email and takes considerably longer. So the blog plan was put off.
Of course, life just kept going but the whole design for the week went out the window.
The Plan for Fall
To catch you up a bit, In late October I Have A Notion, had another booth. It was further away from home so the drive to and fro was longer! After this one, I needed a day of rest! Definitely, not part of the plan! I was so tired I seriously considered not doing them anymore but I do love to be live and not just online! I was so out of time that I totally forgot I had planned to take pictures! I will wait until next year… I already have at least 2 venues scheduled, waiting on information about number 3. All early in the spring. One in Louisville and one in Valparaiso, Indiana.
Since I didn’t take a picture of the setup I thought I would share this cow and calf. They were in the field across the road and look so content and doesn’t that calf look comfortable and loved!
Plans On The Farm
So, here on the farm life is mostly going along with the plan. This week all the trees are showing color. The Poplar trees are all mostly yellow, most of the Maples are showing the reds and oranges, and this year the Oaks again are showing lots of colors too. The skies have been mostly gray, so the glory of the color is not really visible. The weather will turn cold next week. that means most of the show is over. The leaves will fall.
The plan for the pigs is almost complete. The pigs took a ride. Similar to the old saying ‘A long walk off a short pier”. These two were not as nice or as endearing as Iggy Piggy or Piggy Ann. They also were not as cute. I know, when is 400 pounds ever really cute? But I think in this case the personality made all the difference. These two did not have any personalities and fought over just about everything, food, treats, and attention. However, we are looking forward to BACON!
The ‘Cow boys’ are enjoying life with the cooler weather. During the heat of summer, they did most of their grazing in the night… and laid in the deepest shade in the pasture during the day. There is a very large strip of shade that never sees the sun in the summer and that is where they spent their days. Now they graze and lay about in many places out there.
Dog Life
Patton turned 2, a few weeks ago and Goldie turned 4 shortly after! Patton seems to have outgrown his shoulder issue (possibly shoulder dysplasia). Doctore suggested reducing his activity, weight, and Glucosamine. We did, and it worked! He is almost back to his 1-year-old weight of 90 pounds. He is looking good. Goldie is the same weight and also looks great. You might think she was the younger dog!!!
Coming Up
I am making plans for a week-long workshop in Wisconsin this month. The long list of supplies, fabrics, and of course, the necessities for personal appearance. Preparing to travel feels very strange, especially since my last trip was to Houston in 2019. I will try to remember to take pictures and share about the workshop. When I get back!
More Later! Beth
It’s Fall Y’all!
Its Fall and half of the month of October is nearly gone !!! I would love to say I don’t know where it went, but I do!
The Markers of Fall
Just like any other season, I seem to have a full plate this fall. Mentally September always signals that fall is here, for me. Of course, because I am of a certain age Labor Day indicates the end of summer and the start of the school year, and therefore the start of fall weather. I grew up in the northern wine country of California (Sonoma) and this time of year the fog and onshore breezes start to blow with just a hint of the cooler temperatures just around the corner. Kentucky is nothing like northern California. In September the temperatures are generally still very summer-like outside. The trees are turning, but nothing with any real color. Just this maple in the front yard with a little bit of fall color at the top.
September
In September the full extent of ‘Real Life’ came roaring back. The first quilt show since March of 2020 happened. The Elizabethtown guild has an annual fall quilt show in September. This year the Heartland of Kentucky Quilt Show was back on. When the USA shut down for COVID-19 on March 12th, 2020, I was on my way up to Chicagoland to have a booth at a quilt show. I was en route when I got the call. I turned around and came home and put everything away for the next 20 months.
Preparing for the Heartland of Kentucky Quilt Show felt very much like starting over! It took a good chunk of September to work it all out and to look things over, make plans, and pack. There were a couple of slight complications too. The show would be at a new venue and the booth spaces would be a different size, so I had to take that into account as well.
The show was a success. We asked everyone to wear a mask inside the building and all the comments were good and everyone enjoyed the quilts and the vendors. The new location was also very nice, especially since it was brand new.
October
During the first half of October, I prepared for another annual fall event. This time it is the Bluegrass One Stop Shop Hop, in Shepherdsville Kentucky. Because I just had a booth at the Quilt Show, I don’t need to think too much about how to get ready for it. The packing is done and I am getting the last-minute things together.
In addition to the regular fall events above, I have started my seasonal baking. I am early this year and it begins with biscotti and will end with biscotti!!! In the middle will be some pies and other desserts for the Thanksgiving holiday. Fortunately, biscotti is essentially already stale the minute it cools, so it keeps for a very long time! So far I have 3 flavors made, the traditional “Italian anise” (licorice flavor), an original Cranberry Orange flavor, and my own take on a ‘Cinnamon Roll’ flavor, also known as ‘crack’ around here! I hope to get a few more made next week starting with a Christmas favorite “Peppermint”. Personally, I don’t even need to have coffee with it.
Do you enjoy fall? What’s your favorite fall thing? Tell us in a comment!
More later-Beth