The past 2 months in 10 photos

It's been a whirlwind two months...we've moved to Lexington, Kentucky! David has started a new job as a chemistry lecturer at Eastern Kentucky University, and we traveled to Florida to meet my new nephew, Judson. I'm still commuting to Knoxville a couple days a week to teach, but the drive is beautiful, and the fall leaves are changing colors.

I know I haven't posted a lot, but I'm trying to catch up. Here are 10 photos that represent what's been happening in our lives since August 13, the day David received a phone call about teaching. I'll write more soon about each experience, but this is a good recap.

If you're a Gator fan, you know football season hasn't been a great experience. Oh well. At least my adorable nephew Judson has a cute outfit to wear for basketball season. I found it online at the Disney Store. 

Cash and Sammie love the stairs in our new house. Although, Cash is more daring than I'd like. He tries to step outside the railing and walk down.

On our final day in Knoxville, David was packing up the car. Sammie didn't want to leave, so she hid in the green chair AFTER he folded it up. That's classic Sammie.

Her curiosity got the best of her, and she jumped up into the Jeep Liberty once David had packed it in the garage. Little did she know that she'd be riding inside a Honda a few hours later and wailing at the top of her lungs. I guess she prefers Limousines.

David lived in a temporary apartment for about a week that smelled like a combination of cigarette smoke, animal urine and mold, but look at those gorgeous hard wood floors. Lucky him!

During a moving trip to Kentucky, I managed to give Heidi Honda a flat tire when I tried to parallel park at the temporary apartment and hit the curb too hard. Where's the candidate for public office who wants to eliminate parallel parking? Let's focus on real issues!

David really likes his job teaching chemistry lecture and lab courses at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Kentucky, about 20 miles south of Lexington. It's a beautiful campus, and this is the view from his office. 

In case he forgets where he is, there is a sign outside his door.

Speaking of chemistry, we also gave Judson his first Pooh Bear, but I think he was upset more about his own pooh in this photo. :)

My mom finally has her first grandson, but she's had an "adopted" granddaughter for a while who she adores. I think the feeling is mutual. :)

I'm officially an aunt

My first nephew, Judson, was born Sept. 14 at 6:18 p.m. He weighs 8 pounds, 6 ounces and measures 21 inches long. I'm posting a few photos of the cute little guy.

I think he looks a lot like my dad. Congratulations to Jason and Kristen and all the new grandparents. I think he's a keeper! :)

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while. Crazy life changes have been getting in the way recently. I'll post an update soon.

Shrimp Boil

In the spirit of summer and shrimp, we recently cooked a shrimp boil feast with Old Bay Seasoning. It was quite good, and we had plenty of leftovers. The recipe below says to use uncooked and unpeeled shrimp, which we did, but I hate peeling shrimp, so for the leftover version, David peeled all the cooked shrimp (bless him), and I added a few more unpeeled ones we bought. Both versions were quite delicious.

Recipe from Old Bay's web site

Ingredients
4 quarts water (16 cups)
1 can (12 ounces) beer (optional)
1/2 cup OLD BAY® Seasoning
2 tablespoons salt
8 medium red potatoes, quartered
2 large onions, cut into wedges
2 pounds lean smoked sausage, cut into 2-inch pieces
8 ears fresh corn, shucked and halved crosswise
4 pounds unpeeled jumbo shrimp (21 to 25 count)

Directions

Bring water, beer, OLD BAY Seasoning and salt to boil in 12-quart stockpot on high heat. Add potatoes and onions. Cook 8 minutes. Add smoked sausage. Cook 5 minutes. Add corn. Cook 7 minutes.

Stir in shrimp. Cook 4 minutes or just until shrimp turn pink.

Drain cooking liquid. Pour contents of pot into large serving bowl or platter. Or, mound on paper-covered table. Sprinkle with additional OLD BAY Seasoning, if desired.

Enjoy!

A visit to Daniel Boone's Tavern

During a recent trip to Kentucky to explore possible job opportunities, we stopped at the historic Daniel Boone Tavern Hotel in Berea, Kentucky for lunch. According to its web site, the hotel was built in 1909 for $20,000 and is named for Appalachian Revolutionary War hero Daniel Boone. The "tavern" part of the name is from the historic definition that refers to a public inn for travelers rather than the modern definition related to the sale of alcohol.

The hotel is beautiful on the inside and out. It has a modern historical look and feel. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served daily, and the food was delicious.

The tavern is also is part of Berea College, which is rather unique. It is a liberal arts school, and students who are accepted do not pay tuition but are required to work on campus as part of the college's Labor Program.

Many of the tavern's servers are also students at Berea, and our server is a recent graduate. My sandwich was served on Amish pretzel bread, which was very good. There is an Amish store and deli in Berea, but we didn't stop there this time. I have a feeling we'll be back.

A trip to Kingston

We recently decided to explore a part of East Tennessee we hadn't been to, the town of Kingston. It's not very far from Knoxville, but it was a nice drive through the country. Kingston Pike is one of the major highways in our area, and if you keep heading west on it, you'll end up in Kingston. It starts as Cumberland Avenue near downtown and UT's campus, also known as U.S. Route 70. Before Interstate 40 was constructed in the 1960s, it was the main road from Knoxville to the western edge of Knox County.

An afternoon thunderstorm rolls in as boaters enjoy Watts Bar Lake.

It was about a 30 minute drive, and we ate at Red Bones on the River, one of the few restaurants in Kingston. Red Bones serves a variety of dishes, but we focused on their seafood and sandwich options and ordered alligator tail as an appetizer. I had a shrimp poor-boy, and David ordered a sirloin steak sandwich. Our window view overlooked the lake.

Red Bones on the River is right off the main road with outdoor and indoor seating.

It was a nice afternoon outing, even though we stayed on land. Maybe some day, we'll own a boat, or at least have some friends who do. :)

Another view of Watts Bar Lake

A year with Cash

It's been a year since Cash joined our family, so we celebrated his first "birthday" with us last weekend. Since we don't know the date our rescue cats were born, their birthday becomes the day we brought them home with us. Cash's birthday is July 18, and Sammie's is November 1.

We celebrated by giving Cash and Sammie "special" canned cat food for dinner, which they absolutely love and could eat every day.

Ironically, our neighbors next door brought over two birthday cupcakes since their little girl had a birthday party. Cash and Sammie thought the icing was too sweet, so David and I enjoyed the treat.

Happy Birthday Cash!

Homemade Herman pizza

We made homemade pizza Friday night using Herman bread as the pizza dough. So delicious! It was a thick pan-style pizza with turkey pepperoni, black olives, roasted garlic and sauteed mushrooms as the toppings. We baked the crust for about 15 minutes first, and then added the tomato sauce and toppings and cooked another 15 minutes. Finally, we added mozzarella cheese and baked it another 5-10 minutes at 350 degrees.

I realize that while I've mentioned Herman bread before on this blog, I haven't explained what it is or how I make it. My mom started making Herman when I was in middle school. Herman is the sourdough-based starter that people have used for years, primarily in the South and similar to Amish Friendship Bread, from what I've read. The bread doesn't taste like traditional sour dough, but it's very good. It's not too sweet or too sour.

Once you receive a cup of starter, you take Herman out of the fridge and feed him every three to seven days with a mixture of sugar, water and dried potato flakes (the kind you would use to make instant mashed potatoes). You can either use a cup of the starter after it has sat out for several hours to make Herman, through the cup away or give the cup to friends to start their own Herman offspring, which my mom and I have done many times.

After moving to Knoxville, I asked my mom to bring a cup of starter when they visited a few years ago, and I started making Herman. It's not hard, but you have to remember to feed him and be patient when first mixing him up with all the ingredients, especially the bread flour. Herman can be fickle. Some days he likes to rise in a perfect mound shape, and other days, he doesn't. Bread loaves and rolls (Dolly once ate a entire Herman roll off my plate!) can be made, and I've taken both to parties and given a lot of baked Herman away, just like my mom. Everyone strongly adores Herman for the most part, and if you don't, there might be something wrong with you! :)

Last year, I started adding Italian seasoning and garlic salt to the dough to spice it up a bit, and we really enjoy it. I also use olive oil at times instead of corn or canola oil. I've never made the cinnamon rolls using Herman, but my mom has, and they are delicious.

My friends used to give me strange looks when I told them I had to feed Herman or that I had brought some Herman to share at a party. Now, they just smile and realize they are about to enjoy a special homemade treat.

Fun on the river

We had a great dinner at Calhoun's on the River Saturday night with some great friends who are moving to North Carolina soon. I've written about them before, and I can't believe how grown up Sara and Aljosha are now. Katerina and Iso should be very proud of them.

Sara told us that they're moving to the other side of the mountain, which is true since they are crossing over the Great Smoky Mountains into western North Carolina. She also said her brother is big, but he thinks he is bigger than he really is. :)

After dinner, we fed the ducks and geese with the extra bread from the restaurant.

A visit to this part of Knoxville isn't complete on a summer evening without jumping into the fountains and water falls. 

They were both soaking wet but loved every second of it.

Have a great time in North Carolina. We'll miss you!

Summer sunflowers

Sunflowers are my favorite flower, and while I wish these were growing in front of our house, they belong to our neighbors. I can't believe how tall they've grown, but they could use some rain. (It was the second hottest June on record in Knoxville with little rain.)

I do have a sunflower to look at thanks to a birthday gift from my parents in May. It's a solar-powered sunflower that stays outside during the day and then lights up at night. I keep it on our back porch and can see it lit up at night.

During a storm one night last week, the wind was very strong and knocked it over, so we brought it inside.

Here's a better shot of how it lights up. Cash is in the photo too. Can you find him? Thanks for my sunflower Mom and Dad! :)

Sleeping the summer away

Here are a few recent shots of Sammie and Cash sleeping the summer away. They like to be close at times, but they also need their space. Cash is definitely more active than Sammie, who could sleep all day and night. However, after his spazzing episodes, he crashes and doesn't wake up for anything unless the doorbell rings, and then he gets scared and hides under the bed. He's a great watch kitty! :)

Since we can't trust Cash on our back porch, he likes to spend hours in the garage on top of the car. I know it's hot out there too, but he loves it. In honor of the Fourth of July, I thought about dressing Cash up as George Washington and Sammie as Betsy Ross, but they weren't feeling it.

On a bittersweet note, Dolly gained a kitty friend in heaven this week. Our good Florida friends, Brad, Mandy, Ryan and feline sister Kelsey, had to say good-bye to their beloved cat Cali, who had kidney disease like Dolly. We know how hard it has been on them, and they continue to be in our thoughts and prayers. It's a comforting thought that Dolly was there to welcome Cali, and they are now chasing birds, squirrels, and lizards together. (Sammie hates fireworks and wants to make sure there aren't any in heaven since Dolly didn't like them either. I assured her there are only soothing trumpets.)

Speaking of fireworks, Happy Fourth of July! We're having BBQ chicken, Bobby Flay's grilled sweet potato salad, grilled veggies and ambrosia for dessert. Sammie and Cash get a canned salmon and shrimp feast! :)

Picking a peck of peppers

We've cooked a variety of pepper dishes recently, thanks in part to our Sam's Club that sells a combo pack of six (two yellow, two red and two orange) for around $7, a great deal! They are pretty to look at, and I like the flavor a bit more than green peppers.

After making fajitas a couple of times, we decided to make some stuffed peppers. I remember my mom making delicious stuffed peppers filled with rice, tomatoes and hamburger meat. I added a new twist by adding corn, black beans, and tomatoes to the dish below. Another idea came from the back of a jambalaya box. I made the jambalaya with sausage meat and rice like I usually do, and then I stuffed the peppers with the jambalaya. Yummy!

The last recipe I made was Paula Dean's brunch stuffed peppers on Father's Day. I substituted turkey sausage for the bacon and used green peppers. Using green and red would make a nice Christmas brunch dish, and yellow and orange would be nice for Easter.

The peppers are easy to make, and there are plenty of leftovers that heat up nicely for a second meal. How many pecks of peppers can you pick?

In the blink of an eye...

Even though he looks so sweet and innocent above, we had a scare this morning with Cash. Sammie and Cash love being out on the back porch, and since it's been so hot recently, I only let them out in the early mornings. Sammie likes to clean herself while sitting on one of the chairs, and Cash enjoys watching the birds.

I check on them every few minutes or so just to make sure Sammie isn't walking on the railing and Cash is keeping his front paws inside. After making Herman bread, I looked out and couldn't see Cash. He likes to "hide" on the other side of an old orange desk that faces the bird feeders. I went and looked out our bedroom window and could see him more than halfway out. I called David, but it was too late.

Cash jumped down onto the ground. David immediately ran outside, and I was trying to coax Cash not to run down the hill or around the house. He sat on the ground happily eating grass, but got a little scared when David came around the corner and started to run under the porch. Luckily, David was able to grab him and lift him up so I could take him. David and Cash had clay all over their feet/paws.

Our neighbor cat Darwin had been under the porch since he has a bell around his neck that David heard, and Cash decided to jump down and defend his territory. Darwin ran to the front of the house and crossed the road, and I'm so thankful Cash didn't follow him. I've now realized that Cash is willing and able to jump down, so his time outside will be extremely limited. He doesn't have front claws, so it would be impossible for him to climb back up. I hate even thinking about what could have happened if I had waited a few more minutes to check on them.

This scare comes a day after he went into the garage while the garage door was up. We had returned home from grocery shopping and were unloading when he opened the cracked door to the garage and went out. David yelled at him, and he ran under the car. We were able to get him back in quickly, but after this morning's incident, I think it's time to take cat naps inside the house. My Crazy Cash!

Where did May (and the first week in June) go?

I know I haven't blogged in more than a month, and I'm sorry if the five or so of you who actually read my blog have missed my random ramblings. I haven't been motivated or inspired to write about anything.

So here's a brief update. I finished teaching at the beginning of May, and while I usually teach during the summer, I'm not this year. The additional salary would be very nice, but teaching every day for an hour and a half is time consuming, and I have a dissertation to write.

My brother Jason and sister-in-law Kristen visited us at the end of May. It was great to see them. They had been to Nashville and Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg on their last child-free vacation for a while and stopped at our house on the way home. Kristen is due in mid-September with their first child, a boy they plan to name Judson. It's a name Kristen found when reading about Adoniram Judson, Jr., a missionary from the United States who was the first Protestant sent to preach in Burma in the 1800s. His work led to the formation of the first Baptist association in America. For some reason, they decided to go with his last name and not his first. :) I doubt he'd ever find Adoniram on a key chain.

We made an overnight trip to Asheville, North Carolina for the wedding of my graduate school colleague Angela. It was intimate and beautiful. I didn't take a lot of photos, but here's one of the yummy cake. The bride was beautiful. Congrats Angela and Greg!

We also had a great drive through the mountains in North Carolina and Tennessee. On the way back, we stopped and ate lunch at the Pancake Pantry in Gatlinburg. It was the Sunday before Memorial Day, so it was very crowded, but we managed to find a parking spot and enjoy the delicious Dutch Diplomat and French Royale sandwiches.

It's been hotter than usual in East Tennessee, and we've already experienced some highs in the 90s. I'm hoping for a cool down very soon. Sammie and Cash still want to go outside on the back porch even in the heat. Sammie enjoys a cool drink of water when she comes in, and my latest trick is putting ice cubes in the water container. They like to "chase" them with their paws and seem confused when they melt so quickly.

Cash is still a bit on the crazy side, but we love him. He loves to lay on his back, with all four paws in the air and demand to be petted and loved. He'll stay in this position for a while until one of his humans comes along and caters to him.

It's hard to believe it's been a year since Dolly left us. We miss her and think about her often, but we know she's in a better place, and Sammie and Cash do a great job of loving us.