MIA Lately

Ok, ok, ok, I know I'm not the avid blogger that some are. I rarely post daily but I do enjoy coming up with posts and following others. However, when I get this message on Facebook:

"isn't it time to update your blog missy?? :) I keep checking it and no updates, come on!!:)"

I feel like it's time for an explanation. Apparently, my one, loyal follower is getting a little PO'ed at me for not keeping up the ol' blog. First of all, I have been a little busy. Which I know isn't really a great excuse because everyone is busy. Second of all, I haven't really done any great blog-worthy projects for posting. Third of all, I have been pretty uninspired due to this frickin' ridiculous, ugly, cold, rainy, gray awesome weather we have been having in the PNW. Fourth of all {is that really how you say it?} not too much has been going on around these parts. We have had a couple of really lazy weekends which have been nice considering Hub has some work-travel time coming up and we haven't felt huge pressure to do anything outside because of the aforementioned awesome weather. We did go bowling with some friends this past weekend which was a blast. Seriously, I don't think I have ever had a bad time bowling. 

So, I apologize for being a little uninspired and even a little gray lately but I feel like that's better than posting a bunch of copy-pasted crap just to have somethin' on here. I mean, I do like to put thought into what I put out there for y'all to read. 

On that note, Happy Monday and here's to hoping I feel inspired soon! 

Five Minute Friday: If You Met Me

I decided to join in over at The Gypsy Mama's Five Minute Friday.

If you met me...

You would think I was quiet. You may think that I am judging you but that's not the case. I am observing. Taking you in and deciding how to engage. You would then learn how I love to listen. I love to listen to people's life stories, their opinions about themselves and others, any issues they may have. You would learn that I am kind of a loner. You would realize that I am not the "life of the party" but I am fun. You may hear that I don't talk about myself very much but I like to ask questions about you.

If we get into talking about hobbies, you will hear about my love of food. How I love to try new recipes and fill bellies. Particularly my husband's. You will also hear about my husband if we continue our conversation. Because I love him a lot. 

Delving deeper, you will learn that I like a lot of "stuff" but don't always act on it or buy it. There are a lot of things I want to do but may not always follow through on. You may also get a sense for the procrastinator in me. I will let you know though, when the time comes, I get it done.

I hope we part ways on a good note.

Head on over to The Gypsy Mama to link up!

Fun with Mod Podge

I love Mod Podge. Seriously. It is pretty much one of the greatest inventions ever. It makes me feel super creative yet it doesn't make me feel challenged to the point of wanting to quit the project and never come back. Like my sewing machine does sometimes. My mom and I have something in the works {more information on this to come later} so I have been working on some projects for it. 

I really love old music books and music sheets. They are whimsical, vintage and can be dressed up or dressed down. I had some canvases from a previous failed project that I pulled out and Mod Podged with some music sheets and some pretty cliche sayings. But I think they are cute and fun!

Materials:

Mod Podge, sponge, paint brush, punch out letters {I know, taking the easy way out. No stenciling or free-handing for this girl!}, old music sheets, canvases

Cut the music sheets to fit the canvas. I leave the edges to be painted the color of my choice. For these I did black. 

Spread Mod Podge all over the canvas. I find this is easiest with the sponge. Spread Mod Podge on whatever side you decide is the "back" of the music sheet. Adhere to the canvas making sure it is lined up properly with all the corners. 

I wasn't too careful with making sure there was no rippling or bubbling from the Mod Podge because I think it adds to the "vintage" look. 

Allow this to dry. Adhere letters or words of your choice with whatever letters you are using. I just used these punch-outs because I got them on sale at Tuesday Morning. {Weirdest store ever, by the way. Have you ever been in one?!} 

Apply one final layer of Mod Podge over the whole piece, front and sides included. Enjoy your masterpiece!

Tasty Tuesday: Braised Beef Short Ribs

As a I mentioned in my post yesterday we shared in part of a whole cow with my parents. For some reason, the first think Hub was really excited to have was short ribs. Or maybe it was me that was excited. I can't really remember. We got the beef on Sunday and the short ribs were on the menu for last night's dinner. I looked at a few different recipes here, here and here and as usual kind of did a combo of all of them. Adding some ingredients and leaving some out for what I didn't have or didn't feel like using.

I took about four pounds of the short ribs and dredged them in flour and put them in the Dutch oven on the stove with some hot olive oil and let them brown on each side.

I took the beef out and added diced carrots, diced celery, diced onion and garlic. I let these soften a bit and then added in about a cup of Cabernet Sauvignon and let it come to a boil. Then I added three cups of beef broth. I am seasoning through all of these steps, in the flour, the beef, in the vegetables and in the beef broth. For seasoning I just used salt, pepper and garlic salt.

I added the beef and bite-sized chunks of carrots and celery, covered and put in the oven on 350 for two and a half hours. I lowered the temperature to 325 for a half an hour.

I boiled some whole wheat pasta, put beef, sauce and veggies on top and a salad on the side. Yum! Easy and delish!

Where Are All The Fish?

This past weekend Hub and I went fishing with my parents. They have been going on this fishing trip for about the last five years and our schedules finally worked out where we could go too. We were supposed to go last weekend but due to some bad predicted weather and poor fish reports, we decided against it. The location is on the Columbia river about three hours from our house.

Hub took Friday off so we left at the ungodly really early hour of 3 a.m. {I guess you could look at that as really late depending on who you are.} Mom and Dad picked us up and somehow, Dad managed to stay awake the whole way down as the rest of us slept on and off. We arrived at our destination and got the boat ready to head out.

We spent all day on the water and the weather wasn't to bad. It wasn't too cold, no rain and not too much wind. I guess I can't do much commenting on the weather because Mom and I stay pretty cozy in the cabin with the blanket and the snacks. Dad and Hub go out and check the poles and the bait and the water visibility and so on and so on.

We came in Friday night and went to the bar in town for dinner. There were some characters here. This is a pretty small town and "the locals" gave us a little entertainment. There was an older man with white hair and a white beard wearing a grass-green leisure suit with no socks and Birkenstocks drinking a martini and eating his prime rib. There was a group of ladies that appeared to be in their 60s visiting and having some drinks who were then approached by some men of the same age who proceeded to throw out pick-up lines including questions about grandchildren. Needless to day, some of these prowlers left with some ladies.

We finished our dinner and a show and headed to our place of rest. A Bed and Breakfast. My parents usually stay in one of the small cabins at the marina where we launch the boat, however the were all full since we changed weekends. Mom found a B & B run by a little old lady that wasn't too far away. Hub and I had never stayed in a B & B. It was interesting. Just her house with a couple of rooms upstairs for us to sleep in. Each room had its own bathroom and it was clean. I guess it's just hard to know what the protocol with a B & B is. We got in late Friday night and had told her that we would probably be gone Saturday morning before she got up. She packed us a brown bag breakfast which was a blueberry crisp and some fruit.

We were out on the boat for most of the day Saturday except we encountered a little bit harsher weather this day. It was windy, really choppy on the water and there was rain and hail. We came in a little bit earlier so there was more time for the B & B host to want to chat with us. We showered, changed and headed out for dinner and by the time we got back, we were really full, really tired and the hostess was in bed.

We got up early for the last day of fishing and wanted to be on the water for first light. Winnie, the hostess, had other plans. She said in a stern voice, "I'm making you breakfast." We looked over at the table and saw it fully set for us. We couldn't say no so we stayed for omlettes, bacon and spiced apples. Mind you, this was all at about 5:30 a.m. She had told us the first night that she usually rises between 6:30 and 7:00 a.m. It was just kind of a funny feeling like she just liked having the company and people to cook for and talk to.

We fished for the half the day on Sunday and then went to pick up some beef a couple hours further south because we went in on buying a cow with my parents. We are pretty excited to have some good beef from a rancher that my dad knows.

The weekend was really fun and relaxing and nice to get away for a couple of nights. We came home fishless which was pretty disappointing but it was okay. This hasn't been this best fishing year in that area so it made us feel a little better that we weren't the only ones not catching.

Here are some pictures of us having fun on the river:

Hey, Hub! Look over here!

Relaxing

Dad, tending to the gear

Any recent weekend getaways for you lately? Have you had any experiences with Bed and Breakfasts?