Thursday, July 24, 2014

Don't have lunch with me at LJS!

I recently had a very disappointing lunch at Long John Silver's in Orange, VA.

Read my Review of LJS on Yelp to see what happened!

Read my Review of LJS on Yelp

What would you think of this meal??

You can comment about my review and commiserate with me right here on my blog :)

Monday, July 21, 2014

Book Review: Under the Dome by Stephen King 2009

Under the DomeUnder the Dome by Stephen King
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I felt as if I were under a dome as I was reading this novel by Mr. Stephen King. I began as an optimistic reader, curious, and ready for the ride to start. As I neared the end, I felt like I was running out of oxygen and my taste buds were gummed up with poisonous soot that I couldn't wait to spit out and be done with. While I admire anyone who records their creative effort, I regret having ever gotten the idea to read this book. A fine story perhaps to some, but not to this reader.

My S.K. past:
I have watched the first few intriguing episodes of the first season of the television show of the same name that was based on this book. I won't make any comparisons between the two, but the show is what inspired me to read the book.
I have not read many of Mr. King's novels, but it seems the couple I recall, The Tommyknockers The Tommyknockers by Stephen Kingand Lisey's Story Lisey's Story by Stephen King, gave me the same empty feeling at the end. I had endured so much, invested so much time and imagination and wondering; Under the Dome's conclusion reflected the same disappointment I felt with those other titles. I actually felt a twinge of apprehension as I read and began seeing the similarities between the set-up in Under the Dome and The Tommyknockers in particular.

Reading this book made me feel as though I were going to a theme park:
Seeing it on TV made me want to go. I excitedly waited in line for my turn on the roller coaster, watching other people go ahead of me. I boarded the coaster car and felt a bit nervous, but secure...millions of people before me had ridden, and there were lots of roller coasters designed by the same architect. I was excited, and a bit apprehensive, for the ride to start. The coaster climbed, slowly at first, then picking up speed it clacked up the track at an increasing pace. It seemed like it took forever to reach the top! When I thought I couldn't stand it any longer, the bottom dropped out from under me...but only for a second. It was just that first little dip you hit after the climax of the roller coaster before it goes speeding down. You know the good part is coming; you're expecting a great whoosh! and your tummy to do flips while you smile and scream all the way down.

But all that happened was a flat-line. A complete disappointment. The coaster chugs along, almost unnoticeably descending, until you are back on Terra Firma. I'm so disappointed that I may never want to ride another roller coaster again.

My final thought that I will share about this novel is that I was irritated by its pessimism. A line repeated often in the book is,"Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst." and I feel that is a stunning statement to summarize my feelings about this tale. Every good I hoped for was dashed against a senselessly invisible barrier. Every chapter held disappointment after disappointment, and while the basic premise and moral of the story was interesting to explore and ponder, the lack of goodness of the characters seemed unrealistic (at least in my, perhaps naive, existence). To live in a world populated by such evil beings as those in this book, would be a torturous existence.

Dear prospective readers, the nearly 1,000 pages of wind-up ends with Mr. King's change-up pitch. If you're a fan of his writing, that will be okay because,
"It's a small town, 
you know what I mean.
 It's a small town, son,
 and we all support the team."


But as for me, I hope to read something wondrous next so as to wash this acrid taste out of my mouth.



View all my reviews

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Beautiful Skies and Promises of Better Days

Sunlight streaming through clouds. Blue Ridge Mountains. Nature
One of the things that I am so thankful for since moving here to the mountains is the beautiful and awe-inspiring vistas.  Natural beauty is abundant here and even on the foggiest, dreariest, coldest day, the soul-filling serenity is as boundless as God's Love.

I have many days that I spend in pain and imagine how much harder my life would be if I didn't have the benefit of being able to stay at home while my husband works hard to support us.  Even on my worst days, just looking out of the window from my bed and seeing a fawn play with his mother or the birds soar, or the gorgeous sky fills me with hope and happiness.
A beautiful sunset over the Blue Ridge Mountains

I am not sure what this life has in store for me, and I will never stop looking for greener grass, but in the meantime I am happy to stop and smell the roses...or watch the sunset for the five-hundredth time.  If this is all there is, I am learning the patience of contentment.

Sappy Reflection Time is over.

So July is a busy month of birthdays in my family (lots of folks getting busy in September!).  My sister-in-law's fiancee, Brother, Father, and Hubby were all born in July.  Hubby and I invited the fiancee and family up for his birthday and we had a fun day of fishing, catching up, and of course, eating a lovely summer feast.
Low country boil at sunset Low Country Boil Fresh corn * smoked sausage * new potatoes * peel-on shrimp 1/2 C Old Bay * 2T sea salt * 8Q water Boil water with seasoning. Add potatoes. Cook 13 min.  Add corn. Cook 5 min.  Add shrimp and sausage, Cook 3-4 min. Drain. Dump onto paper or plastic tablecloth and dig in!
Brother has had some medical issues; he just found out that he has a bleeding ulcer.  I am unsure of how truthful he's being about the pain or the diagnosis because of discrepancies his story has had when telling Mother, Hubby, and me.  But I love him completely, fibs and all.  I hope he finds the  fulfillment he is seeking and desperate for.  I feel like he is lost in this life but that providing him with a guide would blind him further. I think it's in his best interest to find his own way out of the hole so that his roots will be firm.  He's been helped out of the hole so many times that he has become weak and reliant.  I hope and I pray that he will see the lights before his life is over and he has too many regrets.

Here's one of the cards I made this month
Happy Birthday card. #bunny #rabbit #sunshine #woodland animals #Aviary
This was taken in our driveway. Just another cute bunny crossing the driveway...and then I embellished it using the Aviary app on my phone.  I thought this was pretty cute.

Have Lunch with Me: BBQ Chicken

Have Lunch with Me: BBQ Chicken.  Simple, fast way to turn last night's leftovers into a yummy lunch.
Have Lunch with Me: BBQ Chicken
Today's leftover to recreate was a portion of chicken that Hubby and I had grilled over the weekend.  It'd be great just reheated, but even better shredded and doused in BBQ sauce and served on a piece of whole wheat toast.

  • Strip all of the meat from the bone.
  • Heat a pan to med-low and add a smidge of olive oil.
  • Add chicken to the heated pan
  • Add BBQ sauce and spices to taste
  • Heat until warmed through and serve open faced on warm toast
  • Top with Trader Joe's Fried Onion Pieces for a bit of crunch
 
I used a mixture of KC Masterpiece and a local BBQ shack's sauce called Shawn's Smokehouse Barbeque (in Culpeper, VA).  I also added a few grinds of garlic salt and cracked black pepper.

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Have Lunch with Me: Biscuits 'n Chowda

Even though I'm a housewife with lots of time during the day to piddle around and do what I like, I'd rather spend my time on one of my many projects than cooking and cleaning.  I love cooking and I actually don't mind cleaning, but it loses its appeal when it's just for me.  I cheat by making fast, simple, easy-to-clean up lunches for one like this one:

Biscuits 'n Chowda My easy lunchtime take on Biscuits and Gravy. Pepperidge Farm Garlic Cheese Biscuits, Campbell's Chunky New England Clam Chowder, White Pepper
Biscuits 'n Chowda
My easy lunchtime take on Biscuits and Gravy

 →2 leftover Pepperidge Farm Garlic Cheese Biscuits

I popped these in the oven for about 7 minutes.  I don't have a microwave; 'nuking them would be fast, but leave them a bit soggy.

→Half of a can of Campbell's Chunky New England Clam Chowder

I reheated this in a small pot on the stove, but again, this would be faster in the microwave.

→White pepper to taste.


It has that flaky-creamy-peppery thing going on that is reminiscent of traditional southern biscuits 'n gravy, but with more protein, less fat and calories, and is much easier to prepare.  At 560 calories (most of that is the biscuits!), it's not low-calorie, but I had a skimpy fruit-only breakfast, so it was a good complement to that.

Lunches like these Biscuits and Chowder are great for single-servings and would even be a hearty and warm microwavable workplace lunch.

My take on Biscuits and Gravy is simple, fast, and is great for incorporating leftovers.
That's just what I did here.  I had two leftover biscuits from dinner the night before and half a can of the chowder.  Heat and Eat!

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Sarah Kate Hunt

Monday, July 14, 2014

How to Clean a Midwest Guinea Pig Cage with Fleece Bedding

Midwest Guinea pig Habitat cleaning guide for fleece bedding
The guinea pig area
 I've been asked how I clean my guinea pigs' Midwest Cage so I thought I'd post a photo tutorial on my process in case anyone wanted some tips. 
I adopted these three girls, who I lovingly call The Piggals, a short time ago and my husband and I are building them a big habitat, but in the meantime they are living in the 8 sq ft. cage that they came home in.  It's on the small size for three of them but would be well suited for two if given adequate daily playtime outside of the pen.

The Midwest Guinea Habitat cage consists of the waterproof PVS/ canvas base, interlocking wire sides, and a wire top. 
We do not use the top normally, but we keep it on hand to help section off areas for the pigs to play in on the floor.
I set up the cage so that the wire side that is easiest to unhook is on the front (one side just has pins that hold the corner together) since I take the front off every day for cleaning.

I clean the guinea pig cage every morning and today is no exception; this is one day's mess.

Guinea Pig Fancy says, "Hey girls! I think I smell Mama...and breakfast!"
Guinea Pig Fancy says,
"Hey girls! I think I smell Mama...and breakfast!"
"Hey Buttercup, do you see Mama yet?"
"Hey Buttercup, do you see Mama yet?"
"There she is!"
"There she is!"
One day of mess for three guinea pigs.
One day of mess for three guinea pigs.

Guinea Pig breakfast: romaine lettuce, blueberries, carrots, cucumber.
Guinea Pig breakfast:
romaine lettuce, blueberries, carrots, cucumber.

I have their Breakfast ready before I go to their cage.  When I turn on my classical music and make kissy-noises at them, they know it's time for breakfast (and time for their house to get cleaned!).


I section off an area for them to play in using the front and top of their cage.  I pull out the desk their cage sits on so they can play under it.
I section off an area for them to play in using the front and top of their cage.
  I pull out the desk their cage sits on so they can play under it.

Guinea Pigs eating breakfast
Guinea Pigs eating breakfast

The Piggals go camping! Mike got a display tent from a sporting goods store and attached it to a cardboard box. Our pets love playing in it.
The Piggals go camping!
Mike got a display tent from a sporting goods store and attached it to a cardboard box.
Our pets love playing in it.
Sweep it all to the front and center.
Sweep it all to the front and center.
Use a dust pan to hold the fleece taut while sweeping.
Use a dust pan to hold the fleece taut while sweeping.
Clean the food dishes.  Rinse and let dry.
Clean the food dishes.  Rinse and let dry.
Washing the water bottle with homemade castille soap and a bottle brush. Nail polish is Orly in Berry Blast.
Washing the water bottle with homemade castille soap and a bottle brush.
Nail polish is Orly in Berry Blast.
I know there's polish-a-holics out there in piggie-land ;)
Washing the water bottle spout and gasket with a cotton swab and castille soap.  Nail Polish is Orly in Berry Blast.
Washing the water bottle spout and gasket with a cotton swab and castille soap.
Nail Polish is Orly in Berry Blast.
Wipe the pans with a disinfectant solution of vinegar and water.  
U-Haul cotton blanket padding.  Clean & dry.  Washed weekly.
U-Haul cotton blanket padding. 
Clean & dry.  Washed weekly.
Clean fleece blanket tucked around cotton pad. Washed every other day.
Clean fleece blanket tucked around cotton pad.
Washed every other day.
Tuck the excess material around the blanket and keep the fleece taut for easier spot-cleaning and sweeping.
Tuck the excess material around the blanket and
keep the fleece taut for easier spot-cleaning and sweeping.
Line the litter pans with puppy wee pads.
Line the litter pans with puppy wee pads.
 The beige pan is actually the base of the cage that our rabbit, Duchess, was housed in for 3 years by the family we rescued her from.  It is way too small for a guinea pig...let alone a rabbit!! We used this base from that cage as her litter pan.  It works well in this set-up for the time being, too, because it keeps all the messy hay and litter contained so the fleece stays clean.  The purple pan is a corner littler tray sold for rabbits.  I cut one wee pad in half diagonally to fit the corner pan.  These pigs don't nibble the plastic backing, but if yours do, please don't use these liners.  It could be dangerous for them to ingest it.

Fill corner potty with absorbent litter material. This is a mix of Kaytee Clean & Cozy Small Animal bedding in Lavender and Original.
Fill corner potty with absorbent litter material.
This is a mix of Kaytee Clean & Cozy Small Animal bedding in Lavender and Original.
 The Kaytee Clean & Cozy Small Animal Bedding is okay, but I think I will switch back to the Carefresh that I used to use for my rabbit when I am out of what I have.  I just don't like how small and light the pieces are because it tracks onto the fleece easily.  With this system, a little goes a long way.  I emptied 2- 1000 cu in packages into my tote and fluffed it up a bit.  I've used it a month now and there's still plenty left.  I mixed the lavender and original.  I do like the light scent but I felt it was too strong for guinea pig noses (and respiratory system), so I mix it which seems to be pretty perfect.
Fill the hay bin.  I keep part of a bale in this container under their pen for easy access.
Fill the hay bin. 
I keep part of a bale in this container under their pen for easy access.
 I buy the Oxbow hays, which are wonderful, and a whole bale of hay.  The Oxbow is given as a special treat as it's REALLY expensive ($10-ish for the larger bag), but it is wonderful quality so I don't mind the splurge now and then.  I live in hay country, the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia, so lovely, fresh hay is very inexpensive ($4-ish/bale) and plentiful.  Keeping the hay dark, dry, and bug-free is essential.  If it doesn't smell good, don't feed it to your pigs ...or even keep it in the same room as them.
Oxbow Essentials Adult Guinea Pig food in a clean, dry bowl.
Oxbow Essentials Adult Guinea Pig food in a clean, dry bowl.
 I fed the rabbit variety to my Duchess and it was very good.  They didn't have this brand the last time I had guinea pigs but it's highly recommended and the only pellet we feed them.
Cute guinea pigs happily exploring their clean home.
Cute guinea pigs happily exploring their clean home.
 Everything is put back into their home (don't forget the water bottle!!)
They head right for the hay...it's their favorite!
They head right for the hay...it's their favorite!
Luna under the rain flap of her tent.
"Thanks for watching our morning routine!"
Daily routine:
  1. Breakfast & playtime on the floor (be careful there are no wires or other dangers!)
  2. Take out the dishes, toys, pigloos, etc
  3. Roll up & trash the wee pads
  4. Take out pans and wipe if necessary
  5. Sweep poos/litter/hay to the front and then into pan and discard
  6. Shake fleece blanket outside if necessary (Wash every other day)
  7. Make sure underside of U-Haul pad is clean and dry
  8. Replace the fleece blanket and straighten
  9. Replace the pans and line with wee pads (add litter to corner pan)
  10. Replace pigloos/toys, etc
  11. Rinse and refill water bottle
  12. Wipe and fill food and hay bins
  13. Piggies come back home!
This daily routine takes me about 15 minutes total.

Other Routine:
  1. Weekly- All accessories cleaned (water bottle, dishes, pans, pigloos, toys, etc.)
  2. Weekly- Cleaning supplies cleaned (sweeper and pan, outside of the totes, food scoop, etc)
  3. Weekly- U-Haul cotton blanket washed
  4. Monthly- Canvas bottom and wire cage washed


Friday, July 11, 2014

Have Lunch with Me: Strawberries & Cream

Strawberries & Whipped Cream
Strawberries & Whipped Cream


I'm slimming down my meals and adding extra time to my daily workouts so I can look and feel my best for my upcoming trip to Myrtle Beach.  Today's lunch is a simple and healthy one: Strawberries with whipped cream.

Wash and dry 8ounces of strawberries (this was about 10 berries) right before putting this snack together since berries will spoil quickly if washed in advance.  Getting them dry is key so that the whipped cream won't slide off.

Slice 'em and pile them in a cute bowl. I just love serving berries in my vintage glass Strawberry Shortcake bowl.

The whipped cream is about 1T heavy whipping cream, 1t Splenda, and 1/4t good quality vanilla extract whipped until creamy.

The total calorie count for this yummy, fruity lunch is about 170 calories.

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Journaling about the market, picnic, mowing, and a low country boil

Mike & I had a busy Saturday:
We headed into town to go our weekly shopping and about half-way there I remembered that Saturday mornings there is a local farmer's market that we keep missing.  At first I thought it was in Orange, VA so Mike turned around to head in that direction...as soon as he did, I remembered for sure it was in Culpeper, VA which was where we were heading to begin with. Oops! On the way to Culpeper we pass Commonwealth Park which is equestrian competition grounds and there was a big show going on.  I was so torn because I wanted to stop and watch a while, but I was pretty sure the market closed at noon and we really needed some good corn, potatoes, and veggies for The Piggals (our guinea pigs).

We made it to the local market in time and there was a great selection.  We got some freshly picked corn, small red potatoes, and cucumbers from the C&T Produce stand.  I was encouraged to try the corn...even though I already had a dozen in my cloth sack.  I happily nibbled away while I browsed and Mike paid :) We had other shopping to do so I didn't pick up eggs or meat from one of the other vendors although it looked good. I was really glad we made it.

Three horses in the shade. Commonwealth Park, VA
Three horses in the shade. Commonwealth Park, VA
The shopping trip took longer than we had hoped (it always does) so at three o'clock we were soooo hungry and picked up a pizza and headed home.  I didn't want to eat in the truck and the pizza was way too hot anyway so I figured we'd find a pretty spot to park and eat.  My first thought was Mt. Pony where the Library of Congress is located. I've been up there for events before and it has a breathtaking view of the mountains, but the gate was closed and it didn't seem that anywhere else lead up to the vista.  My next idea was Commonwealth Park!  It was just a minute away so we quickly parked and found a nice spot under a shade tree next to one of the rings where the young-adult division was participating in the jumping portion of the competition.  It was great to sit and watch while we enjoyed our picnic lunch.

Enjoying our shady picnic next to this beauty
Enjoying our shady picnic next to this beauty

A young-adult jumper competing. Commonwealth Park, VA
A young-adult jumper competing. Commonwealth Park, VA

We cross the Rapidan River on our way home and we saw this
Rapidan River Mill cluttered with logs after the storm
Rapidan River Mill cluttered with logs after the storm
As soon as we got home, we unpacked, changed, and I headed out to mow!
Mowing silhouette
Mowing silhouette

Scene from the tractor - the Blue Ridge Mountains
Scene from the tractor - the Blue Ridge Mountains


Then I made my first attempt at a low country boil.
Low Country Boil  Fresh corn * smoked sausage * new potatoes * peel-on shrimp  1/2 C Old Bay * 2T sea salt * 8Q water  Boil water with seasoning.  Add potatoes. Cook 13 min.  Add corn. Cook 5 min.   Add shrimp and sausage, Cook 3-4 min.  Drain. Dump onto paper or plastic tablecloth and dig in!
Low Country Boil
Fresh corn * smoked sausage * new potatoes * peel-on shrimp
1/2 C Old Bay * 2T sea salt * 8Q water
Boil water with seasoning.
Add potatoes. Cook 13 min.  Add corn. Cook 5 min. 
Add shrimp and sausage, Cook 3-4 min.
Drain. Dump onto paper or plastic tablecloth and dig in!