success!

so, it did snow.  and snow and snow.  however, at the same time the wind would blow and blow and blow.  it didn't add up to much, but all the road signs were unreadable thanks to horizontal snow.  they say we're in for it this weekend, though, so we'll see how it goes.  it is COLD anyway, but somehow that doesn't seem so bad when it's actually supposed to be cold.  30 in Charleston was plain misery, but here it's just cold.  it's not so terrible when it makes sense...  i think i'm saying things out loud that i will wish i hadn't in about a month or two.  woops!


the cold has persuaded me to get down to business and utilize my new sewing machine.  my sweet husband got me one for my birthday!  i've sewed two pillows, but the one i did this afternoon has a pattern and turned out well (if i may say so).  when i'm completely done with the first--it needs a particular embellishment that i'm pretty excited about--i'll share that as well.  it occurred to me once i was done that i should've been scared of a pattern; it's good that i wasn't.  i'm famous for not doing things because i'm too afraid to start them.  i've finally realized started to believe that the worst thing that could happen is i start over or redo it.  the best that could happen is that it's a success.  there's no in between, so i need to DO more often.  someone remind me of that every so often, please?  thanks.  it even has a zipper--woot!

the front--it reminds me of my favorite zinnias

the back

i found this fabric at wal*mart, of all places.  nothing there has ever really caught my eye and made me so happy, so i was pretty stoked when i saw it.  i've been looking for a particular color scheme, but no specific pattern that i could put my finger on, so when i saw it as i was walking by and got that "oooooooh--look!" feeling, i knew i had to go for it.  it will be fabulous in our den, with its pattern that matches just enough.  i'm pretty pleased with it.  on to more!  

Let It Snow!

i think we're about to get our first "big" snow.  well, our first forecasted snow.  it snowed here on october 5th, and was all gone by that saturday, the 7th.  it had rained most of that week, and we were supposed to get a cold, rainy few more days, but there was no talk of snow at all.  i'd finally broken down and turned on the heat that morning when it was 63 degrees in the house.  then i looked out the window and couldn't believe what i saw.  it was coming down.  we got a few inches as part of a freak pre-season West Coast snow--Mammoth, California, got dumped on, and many other northern California towns were trying to figure out what in the world had just happened.  it was strange putting out Halloween decorations with the snow falling outside...  I was drinking hot chocolate from a witch mug.  weird.


people here keep saying the snow will come the beginning of November; that seems to be true.  there's an alert ticking across the bottom of the Weather Channel screen, and the radio mentions that there will be a big change in our day.  it's changing all right.  


this morning i was out and about at just before nine, and it was chilly--about 30--but was getting warmer by the time i'd finished my third errand.  the sky was blue, without a single cloud.  it was so clear, i could see the Grand Teton peak from our neighborhood.  it's usually pretty clear here, but every so often it's clear enough out there that she's standing out.  for a little perspective, Grand Teton is about 120 miles away.  beautiful sky!  anyway, as the day goes on a few clouds have rolled in, stretched across like torn cotton.  still blue, but getting cloudier.  i couldn't see the peak, or any of the range, by about noon.  


fast forward to 5:00...  my internet went on the fritz for a little while this afternoon; i'm just getting it back.  since around 3:00 we've gone completely gray, no blue and the wind has been picking up progressively since around one.  crazy.  it was 54 degrees at 3:00. it's 46  now.  i'm ready!  well, not really.  i have bread and milk and toilet paper.  is that ready?  


here's what scares me a bit about the impending Idaho Winter.  i looked out the front window and saw my neighbor putting up Christmas lights.  this is what went through my head:  what?!  it is november fourth, why is he putting up Chr--oooooooh.  because if we don't do it now we won't be able to.  uh oh.  my hunch is that he won't turn them on till it's time, but they are up because the snow starts tomorrow and doesn't melt before Christmas.  crap.  no, not ready.    i'm pretty sure hoping he's only getting really prepared, but that definitely struck fear in my heart.  maybe we won't get too much--there are differing forecasts--but i'd like to see some this weekend.  i'll let you know what happens. 


where's my hot chocolate,
kt


UPDATE:  it's snowing!!!  58 minutes since i finished this post!!!  

millions of peaches...

*um, an update of sorts.  this post is from THREE YEARS AGO!  i always wonder what happened to it when i'm hunting that recipe.  i just saw it with the word "draft" next to it in my blogger app.  hmmm...  so weird.  anyway, enjoy!*

...peaches for free.  anyone remember that song?  loved that band and have some fun memories of riding around in my best friend's Cutlass, listening to Presidents of the United States of America on a tape player.  

so, fast forward to these days, and i'm reminded of that song when my new friend Christina (also just moved here from Charleston, but i only met her once there--our husbands worked together and both transferred out here this summer) invited me over to help rescue what seemed like millions of peaches from a branch that had fallen from the peach tree in her new backyard.  i'm excited to have her here and really enjoy her company so i was thrilled to head over and visit.  when she opened the door to let me in, she began singing that song.  *grin*  we're going to get along really well.  


i left with a plastic grocery bag bulging with peaches and headed straight to my kitchen.  i had a pie in mind!  i found a ridiculously easy pie crust recipe a couple of months ago and had tried it once with success.  hand picked peaches and scratch-made pie crust?  yes please!  so i blanched, peeled, sliced and baked and ended up with this yumminess.  just in time for my first in-law visit, by the way.  good times!

the crust is so easy!  y'all, you mix it in the pie dish and bake it right away.  there is no chilling, no butter, no waiting.  i love a great, time-cosuming crust, but this one is great when you get a sudden craving and NEED a pie TONIGHT for dessert (or with lunch?)!  you can use olive oil and a little less salt/more sugar for a savory-ish crust, or leave it as is if you'd like.  i've also linked to the recipe above so you can  see recommendations and suggestions.  enjoy!

i found a recipe online for a rhubarb pie a few summers ago, and have NO idea where i found it, but i scribbled it down on a post-it and have used it every time i want a pie.  i usually use peaches & blackberries instead of rhubarb (i can never find it!) and keep the rest of the ingredients the same. i think it works out well.  

the easiest pie crust in the world

here they are if you'd like to try:

the crust:

1 1/2 C all purpose flour

2 T sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 C vegetable oil

2 T milk

mix all in a pie dish, then pat and poke across the bottom

and up the sides of the dish.  bake at 400 for 15 minutes.

peach filling

the filling:

4 C rhubard (or other fruit--

i've used peach/blackberry mix 

and just peaches before)

1 1/3 C honey

7 T flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp butter

mix the first four ingredients in a bowl, 

then pour into prepared crust.  

bake at 450 for 10 minutes, 

then put the butter on top and 

continue baking at 350 for 50 minutes.  

backyard peaches + scratch crust = fabulousness

and there you have it!  my first dessert for my in-laws.  they said they liked it!  *wink*

Where Do I Start?

...from the beginning sounds like as good a place as any, but somehow i always manage to make things more complicated than they need to be.  oh well, all i can do is keep trying.  


so i moved to the Gem State almost three months ago with my brand new husband.  we arrived on july 1st, just under two weeks after saying I do!  we got married june 18th and, after a fabulous honeymoon and one last weekend in Charleston, we left the sunny and scorching East Coast for a road trip to the Wild West.  


we drove south through Georgia, Alabama (rollllllll tide!), and Mississippi--where we stayed for the night; then over through Louisiana to Texas where we spent an evening with my new in-laws (interesting fact:  The Hubs is from outside Dallas and i am from outside Washington, DC.  do you know what this does for football season?!  joy and heartbreak in our house on this past Monday...  more on that to come, i'm sure).  ANYway, we saw no less than 99 degrees for almost that entire trip, and we were in triple digits for most of our ride through the Lone Star State.  meanwhile, did you know it takes almost nine hours to drive from central Texas to the New Mexico border?!  holy cow.  in one day we went from 89 (at 6:45 AM), up to 103 and back to the low 70's.  ahhhh.  we hit the 70ish mark in Colorado, then enjoyed normal summer temperatures for the rest of our trip northward through Colorado and Wyoming.  What gorgeous places we have in this country, by the way.   

colorado springs, CO * garden of the gods & pike's peak

driving through wide-open Wyoming

and then we arrived in Idaho.   here's a little of the things we see almost every day.  you can't beat that...

this is our house:   

 it is a different world, but i sure do enjoy it.  we left 100+ degree South Carolina for this lovely humidity-free state and i am pleased as punch about what "hot" means here.  the first week we were here i heard a man in the grocery store parking lot say to someone, "whew!  hot enough for you?!"  it was 84 degrees.  oh, and humidity was a whopping 16%.  

our first weekend:  4th of July and
"the largest fireworks display west of the Missippi"

i can't believe saturday will be three months here; i can't believe we've been married three months!  time does fly when you're having fun.  it has been a fun journey so far:  we've unpacked, set up, painted and rearranged, but we've also been hiking, camping, checking out new cookbooks (and old ones), using new kitchen things (YAY for gift registries and THANK YOU to all our amazing family and friends), brewing, exploring (two national parks in one day!) and making new friends.  i miss the ocean and the sand on my feet but the breeze and the mountains are so much more than i expected.  they'll never replace the ocean, but definitely share an equally-sized space in my heart.  well, almost equal, but it's getting there!  ;) 

our first road trip since arriving.  Grand Teton in the distance.
amazing!

well, i've got that dreaded beginning sorted out, i guess.  now i'll get working on going through all the pictures i've got so i can put them up here for y'all to see.  i'm liking the new surroundings and the new things that are unique to this end of these united states.  Virginia has its quirks and its unique parts; so did North Carolina and South Carolina, and i'm enjoying finding the ins & outs of Idaho now as well.  


Home is where you mom is, but perhaps home could also be where you love living.  Hopefully you'll come back to enjoy some of what we're up to in Our Home.  can't wait to see you again.  


chat you soon,


katie