Homemade Madagascar Vanilla

I love to bake!  Jerry and I decided to try our hand at making Vanilla.  Being that my cowboy is so smart and thinks the only way to go is the quality way...he researched the beans, the vodka and the different final products.  We chose to buy the beans from olivenation.com.  We received lovely long, plump and fragrant beans.  He bought Smirnoff Vodka.  The bottles were ordered from specialtybottle.com.  They come with caps and we ordered little shrink wraps to go around the caps. The labels came from onlinelabels.com. They have a very easy and free template you can use and save when designing your labels.

March 2011 - The plump beans, split and ready to be scraped

Scraping the beans and putting them in the 2 qt jar

Seeds...Paste...Caviar

Beans and Caviar in Vodka...going into a dark cabinet to age.

Look how dark it is after just a couple months

September 2011...It has aged 6 months.  We've strained it and are mixing the 2 jars together before bottling. We probably went a little overboard this being the first time we've made it.  If a little's good, more is better :)  We increased the amount of beans we used...ending up with a 4x Vanilla.  Mercy is it good.

Cutest little 2 ounce bottles waiting for liquid heaven

TaDa!!!  Bottled, labeled and ready for gift giving :)

We ended up with 55/2 ounce bottles.  We're gonna go ahead and pour more vodka over remaining beans...just to see if it's worth it to use the beans 1 more time as so many online say to do. 

Michgan June/July 2011

My Parents Garden June/July 2011

 I went to Michigan the end of June...another grandson was on his way :)  Spent 2 weeks with my family...had lots of fun.

My Dads strawberries

My angel girl Kaitlin Virginia. She's almost 5 years old. We always go to Barnes and Noble when I visit.  Lots of fun with this sweet child.

Look at that angel girl face :)  When we go to the bookstore we stop into the Starbucks and get her hot chocolate.  This time she wanted a BIG cookie.

After the bookstore we played with Silly Sand I think it's called...out in Nanny's yard. She is a happy child.

Then...we played with a princess oven..sorta like easy bake oven.  We didn't like the cake very well...but it was fun.

Later that afternoon we made bracelets.  She worked very carefully...paying close attention.  Was fun watching her pick out which color beads she wanted to use.

 

My grandson Sam...named for my father.   He turned 2 June 30th, 2011.  We gave him cowboy boots for his birthday.  He loved them...put'em on right away.  

My precious girl fishing with her great grandpa...my dad Sam.

We're having a sleepover...watching Tangled together.

Early the next morning it's back to fun activities.  She had a stepping stone kit....so we made that together.  Here she is painting the Tinkerbell imprint.  She wants to put it near her tree house at home.

And see what we have....June 27th, 2011.  A perfect baby boy.  Jace Thomas has arrived. My daughter in law is the ultimate.  She stays so calm and in control...I am blessed to have been able to witness the birth of my 3 grandbabies.

My son John with his new baby boy....their 3rd child.  Just look at proud Mama Kirstin in the background.  I love this photo.

My daughter Erin holding her new nephew. 

Daddy John, Mama Kirstin and baby Jace Thomas

Big Sister Kaitlin smoochin her new brother

This Grammy getting some hugs in.

My girl visits Texas....May 12, 2011

Yayyy, My girl is in Texas to visit us for 4 days.  I picked her up at the airport then we went for Lunch in the Stockyards.  We ate BBQ and watched the Longhorn Cattle Drive.  Fun!

 We both decided we are going to own a pair of these boots one of these days.  Beautiful!

                                                              Me...at the stockyards.

                       Me and my girl Erin Kathleen...playing around on the Brazos River.

                               Sigh....the 4 days went by too quickly.  Time for her to go home :(

April 18, 2011 ... My Uncle Gary R. Hall

April was a month of grief and sadness for my family.  My Uncle Gary went home to be with God.  He suffered with Leukemia & Liver Cancer for the last 3 years....caused by Agent Orange exposure in Vietnam.  The last few months he suffered quietly and bravely.  My Auntie got to the hospital just seconds after he passed...she fussed over him like a wife should...brushing his forehead with her hand, folding his hands over each other and kissing him lightly to say goodbye.  After a few minutes...she says he had the sweetest smile on his face...he was at peace.  He was a Navy man...and very proud.  

The service was wonderful, emotional and memorable. 

The day of the funeral...in the evening after the service...my gram fell at home.  She hit her head and came to spend the night with my parents.  She ended up staying there for a month.  She had a little confusion before that...now its worse. She's moved in at my nieces Assisted Living Facility...I hope she settles in and that everything works out for her.  She can't be alone any longer.  Makes me sad...

Here's my little Gram with my granddaughter Kaitlin

April 6, 2011

I've totally let 61 days go by without posting anything.  Will I ever  be organized and consistent?  Probably not.

Last night we went to a Pond/Fish seminar held at The Palo Pinto County Expo Center here in town. It was hosted by Walden Farm and Feed.  The speaker was "The Pond Boss", Bob Lusk. He's been doing the pond thing for over 30 years and is in cahoots with Purina. The scientists at Purina work closely with Bob developing pond fertilizers and fish food of all kinds. www.pondboss.com

The meeting was held in the same pole barn type building that the twice weekly Cowboy Church services are held. Inside at one end is a dirt floor with bleachers...I'm wondering if the cowboys bring the horses inside during the church service...hmmm.  The other end there is a cement floor, with a little kitchen area and a few other rooms. That's where our meeting was last night.  

Mesquite Pit furnished the food...BBQ sandwiches, chips, cookies and iced tea.  After the meeting we stopped by Braums for ice cream.  Then home to watch Dancing with the Stars.

Today I'm off to buy cake supplies.  I get to make a birthday cake for one of the ranch guests.  Will  be fun, haven't decorated a cake in a long time.

Feb 16, 2011 ... My tattoos

Bee the change you want to see in the world

(this one is on the top of my left foot)

Bluebird of Happiness above my left ankle

(I got both of these on my 50th birthday in 2007)

Feb 15, 2011 ... The neighbors house

I love this stuff...the neighbor has excellent taste.

Sure would be nice to sit here with your lunch everyday.

The perfect spot for breakfast 

Feb 14, 2011 ... Vintage Valentines

Happy Valentines Day!  

I love vintage postcards...these are a few I have used for avatars on facebook.  

FUN!

Feb 13, 2011 ... Megan Ann

Today is my nieces birthday.  She is my sisters daughter, her oldest child.  

She's a great mom to her precious baby girls. 

Happy Birthday Megan....

Feb 12, 2011 ... Orange Muscat Port

Oh my...you should smell this port.  It's still in the primary...still fermenting.  About finished and will be ready to put into the secondary carboy.  This will be a beautiful summer wine.

Feb 11, 2011 ... Zin

Feb 10, 2011 ... Pinot

Feb 9, 2011 ... Merlot

Have I mentioned that we make wine?  LOL

This is a photo of my husband adding yeast to the Merlot.  It's such fun to watch him do his thang with this project.  He reads about wine, blogs about wine, is on a forum about wine and tastes wine often.  Before too long we'll have a nice wine cabinet displaying his hard work. 

Feb 8, 2011 ...

Marjo's Cream Cheese Biscuits

These tasty gems are a must have for breakfast, tea parties and ladies luncheons.  They are made in a miniature muffin pan using a tiny cookie scoop to drop the dough.  Crispy goodness bakes all around.  I would love to add some shredded cheddar and serve them with Soup or Salad.  Or serve with Strawberries and Cream for my granddaughter.  She would love them.