Travel....It's The Year of Stopping!

Travel!  I had the chance once (for a quick minute) to join some friends and take a one month photography course.  The kicker was...the course was in Italy.  This is one of those 'shouldacouldawoulda' moments where I coulda kicka myselfa!  Once again....Silly girl!

Yes, I'd still LOVE to go to Italy!  But you know, there are a lot of places here in the good ol' USA that I'd like to visit.  I checked one off a few years ago...California!  I booked it and off I went....thanking my intuition to bring a hoodie for the flight!  People....shower before you travel!  Please!  I think I sprinted off that airplane as soon as I possibly could.

Of course, I wanted to see the beautiful streets lined with palm trees and of course dip my toes in the ocean!  But this was the ticket...Thom did the teachin' and I did the learnin' with the Dremel and wooden stump!  Oh and don't forget the hammer and the In and Out Burgers!

 With California checked off, there are a few others I'd like to add to the list...

• Nashville, TN (maybe wait until the pickin' is better!)
• New Mexico to see the Hot Air Balloon Festival
• Spend the weekend at a Bed & Breakfast
• Martha's Vineyard
• Coast of Maine
• Christmas in New York (I've been to NY, but not for Christmas)
• And...wherever the Country Living Market,The Vintage Farmhouse Market or HobKnob Market is being held!

Now...don't get me wrong, I'll get in the car and go just about anywhere for a day trip too! Stephen and I are a perfect pair for traveling because he likes to drive and I like to ride. This year honey, you won't get off the hook so easy because it's the year of 'stopping'.  If I see a hole in the wall shop or conveniently placed thrift store off the beaten path.....loaded to the ceiling with STUFF....I'm stopping!

Obviously, with both of us working full-time jobs the chance of me completing that entire list is pretty slim.  However, I'd be happy with one! Babe, fill up the car and let's hit the highway!  There's memories out there just waitin' to happen!

MUSIC....No Sappy-Sad-I Can't Live Without You Songs!

I need to learn how to count.  Oh my!

My birthday is the 6th (I didn't forget that), but I should have started today if I truly wanted 10 days! Silly girl!

I pulled out my Bucket List and found that I have more than 10 items on there! Soooooooooooo... some days will have more than one item, which is fine with me.  I like to be busy anyway.

Since I started with the banjo, I'll keep with the music theme and list a few others in no specific order:

• Write my own song 
• Sing in a full blown, pew rockin' gospel choir
• Catch a citation bass

How does catching a citation bass relate to music?  Darlin'...when I catch Bubba, you'll hear me singing all the way across the rivah and you'll say to yourself.....Robin caught Bubba....Check!

I've always loved to write poetry and if it weren't for going back in time and reading about heartaches and broken hearts, I probably have the making for a song.  No thanks.  I'd rather come up with something new.  I'd thought of a ballad of sorts, but I always go back to how wonderful it felt to drive that red fifty six and there were no sappy-sad-I can't live without you songs on the radio - so it needs to be a song that will generate smiles.  I'll get to work on it!

THE truck!  The lawnmower I wasn't allowed to use and the lawn chair used frequently at Yorktown Beach! (Off to the side was my first car - a red maverick.  As you can see the truck was still my preference!

When Stephen proposed, I wanted to have a full blown, pew rockin' gospel choir sing at our wedding.  However, once the date was set for Christmas Day and at Mom & Dad's, I knew that probably wouldn't happen.  No worries, I'll just add it to my BL.  And just so you know...I'm not looking to do a solo or anything h-o-w-e-v-e-r...I'm amazed how much I sound like Aretha when I'm singing along....in my car.....alone!  

I just knew tagging along with Nannie to all those BINGO games, Cindy and I would get our big break and they'd ask us to provide the entertainment. We just KNEW we'd be discovered! We had to settle for backyard recitals charging 25 cents/person.  With loot in hand (maybe $1.00) we'd sing and step-ball-change all the way to Minor's Store to get a bag full of candy.  

Good times and more to come!

Fab 50? Nifty 50? FANTABULOUS 50!

In ten days (what will more than likely be ten quick days)....I'll be 50!

I know as women we don't often like for our ages to be announced, but who am I kidding?  Most of  my friends are the same age(ish) and even if they aren't they already know how old I am.  

"Are you sad that you are turning 50?".....Not at all!

Do I wish I'd done anything different?  Well of course, I COULD say yes to that question.  Wouldn't we all like to push the replay button a time or two...or three?

There are a few things that I hope to accomplish this year.....I guess the latest craze is calling it a Bucket List!  What's on that list?  What do I hope to achieve that I haven't been able to do in FIFTY YEARS?  D' Lawd that makes me sound old!  The first step as I prepare for this ten day countdown is to put aside...the What if's.  I've been thinking a lot lately of a quote I read.....What would you try to do, if you knew you would not fail?

Today, I'm launching my Countdown to Being Fantabulous 50....and we'll see where it goes.

Day #1 - I started this last year and set it aside because the instruction I was receiving....quit on me!  Even though my dear friend Tommy Nelson was supportive and kept saying....Everyday!  Everyday!  Pick it up and play it EVERYDAY!  I allowed the craziness of life to stand in the way of me and my banjo.  I may not be Earl Scruggs by June 6, 2015, but I'll be playing better than I am now. Tommy...I made you a promise and I plan to keep it! If I learn to play with half the passion you play with, I'll be a happy woman!  Thank you for having faith in me.

For those of you just seeing this photo for the first time.  This is NOT my Dad.  I know it looks just like him but it's Tommy giving me my very first lesson on the banjo.

Here we go.......

Joy for a Woman's Soul

How does a woman find Joy?  How does anyone find Joy?

God promises to refresh our spirit.......but we have to open our eyes and our hearts!

As I started to pull my thoughts together for this blog post, I searched my many photos of flowers and architectural items because, other than my family, I love to photograph the unexpected and well, I just love flowers too!

I was looking for a photo that would capture....JOY!  This is what landed right smack in front of me..........

This photo is...in stackable order from top to bottom....Kiley, Robin (me!), Robbie, Nannie and Dad.  Five generations of joining hands, pulling together and as you can see from Nannie's grip...refusing to let go! JOY. 

I've had a dream, vision, call it what you want for the last 4-5 years or so to revive our women's ministry at church.  For years my prayer has been....God show me what I need to do to for this thirsty ministry.  Last week the direction changed a little....well it changed 'a lot a little'!

God - tell me what YOU want me to do and I'll do it.  In a matter of minutes, I'd taken over the Young Women's Sunday School class, talked about plans for the women's ministry and headed for home not even worried in the slightest how I'd manage to pull all this together. JOY. 

I picked up my Daily Devotional today and the message for today......The Joy of Being Me!...........I fling joy - beyond my next door neighbor's fence, clear across town and into the universe.  Then it curves right back around to me.  Sometimes with a whack on the head when I need it.  Sometimes with a thwack into my heart.  But it always comes back. No doubt about it.

Now back to the Young Women's Sunday School class...........If you are a young woman between the ages of 18-25, I invite you to come to our class.  You will be blessed!  You will be inspired!  You will laugh and possibly cry, but you will find JOY...because God promises it will be there.

Flowers.......just because!

JOY!

Now residing with the Ward family.....Goadie Nell!

There was no question that I would have a painting of a cow in my kitchen!  Not a 'Guh-huh...Giddy Up Cow' and not one that looked primitive.  I wanted one that's different and well, ME!

I love Pinterest and started my search there.  I typed in 'cow painting' and looked at what seemed like hundreds of possibilities. 

Finally, with the scroll of a finger THE cow appeared!  I couldn't  tap on it quick enough to take me to the web-link.  All excitement, including the smile on my face and flash in my eyes immediately vanished with the words....NO LONGER AVAILABLE!

If you know me, you know I'm not a quitter.......I kept searching....found the artist....no luck!  Even found some other possibilities and all wonderful, but not MY cow.  I had to resign to the fact that this was not going to be an easy task and if this cow was meant to be in my kitchen, it would appear. 

In the meantime, I became friends with T-bone, Lola & Millie at the Meadow's Farm!  Love these three and their personalities.  Yes....personality!





I'd been playing around with many options for my cow painting and trying to decide whether to play around with the photos of my new friends and do a canvas wrap or one of many cool photo printing techniques on you guessed it....Pinterest!  OR.....try to paint it myself.  Hmmmmm....what's a girl to do?

Imagine my excitement when I was scrolling through Facebook early one morning when one of my favorite Facebook pages...Antique Farm House posted a giveaway......and it was MY cow!  I could hardly contain myself!  I wanted to order it right away fearful it would be sold out or something, but hey I've got just as much chance as anyone to win it too!

The drawing was in four days...I can wait!  I can wait!  I can wait! (I know what you are thinking....order the daggone painting and if you win, return the one you bought!)  I checked into that and this painting could not be returned.  No worries - I need to learn a little patience anyhow!  D'lawd it was killing me!

I didn't win!  But the winner was announced at 11:30am and by 12:00 noon she had started her journey to the Ward's home!

She is here!

She arrived and needed a name!  I already knew I was going to use the name 'Goad' somehow because Stephen's grandparents used to farm this land and yes, had cows! (That's why I wanted the painting in the first place).  However, I want her to have a clever folksy name.......Goadie came to mind immediately and I loved it!  But what else...she either needs a middle name or a last name....I prefer a middle name. 

I consulted Melvina (aka Cindy) for name recommendations and we came up with the following:

• Goadie Maude (Mom had an Aunt Maude)
• Goadie Ward
• Goadie Gertie (Pap used to call someone Gravel Gertie!!)

I was just about set with Goadie Maude and asked Stephen what Grannie Goad's first name was......Nellie!  Oh My Goodness!  Are you kidding me! 

I didn't want her exact name....Nellie Goad....but decided to flip it and MY cow's official name is:

Goadie Nell

She is beautiful and exactly what I wanted!  Goadie Nell - Welcome to the family!

WANTED: Bob's Red Engine Walkers......Hospice Hike 2014

Only caption I can come up with......Love this!

Bob's Red Engine Walkers are gearing up for the Hospice Hike and we have 12 people registered to participate (Team goal: 20 hikers!).  We've also had donations to help us reach our team goal of $1000!  We are now at $700!

If you are thinking of joining us, don't be afraid of the walk!  It's not a run....It's not a fast paced trot....It's a leisurely stroll through Governor's Land and only two miles.  You walk that far when grocery shopping....at Short Pump shopping....or at a flea market! 

Additional perks.....for the first 20 people to register to walk, you'll get a free t-shirt! I don't have a live version to share with you, but I can show you the artwork.....



T-shirt front!  The t-shirts will be red, of course!  (I drew the truck and then my friend and co-worker redid it into a format we could use for the t-shirts - Thanks Kealan!)



The back of the shirts will have a saying that Dad used to say all the time.....Great Day!  Great Day...look at that old truck!  Great Day...that's a good report card! Or sometimes just.....Great Day!  We felt that saying was appropriate for this occasion as well!

T-shirts will be ordered next week so if planning to join us, please message me your t-shirt size (unisex sizes)!

The link below will take you directly to my web-page via Hospice House and just follow the directions to join a team.  The team to join of course is Bob's Red Engine Walkers!

http://williamsburghikeforhospice.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=1094150&lis=0&kntae1094150=AB2C4335D1B245A98CA6C4FC5E044803&supid=402144180

The countless hours of the Hospice House staff and volunteers are such a blessing to those in need.  Yes, our loved ones were patients and in need of comforting during those final weeks, days and hours.  But we needed the care and compassion as well and what better way to give back to this wonderful establishment in our very own community.....Let's Hike for Hospice!

Love you all!

Robin

What else? Make cookies!

What does one do with leftover white chocolate and a box of carrot cake mix?

What else......MAKE COOKIES!

When  Peyton was here for a visit this past weekend, I promised her we'd make cookies.  Grammie went to work to find the easiest recipe because I knew the fun would be in the icing of the cookies.  And....I was right! 

The Funfetti cookies, made from a Funfetti cake mix were a hit!  And yes, the strawberry icing was the exact final touch they needed.

I started thinking....what other cake mixes would work?  I just so happened to have a carrot cake and because this afternoon was the first time all week I'd felt like moving, I needed to do something. 

Here is my recipe:

• 1 box of cake mix
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• icing (or in this case dipping chocolate!)

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large mixing bowl, combine first 5 ingredients and mix well.  Batter will be thick because this is cookies, not a cake!

I used my Pampered Chef cookie dough scoop and on a lightly grease cookie sheet, dropped each scoop about 2 inches apart.  Lightly press down each scoop. I'll warn you now, don't try and squeeze all the cookies onto one cookie sheet!  They spread out and you'll have one large cookie bar vs individual cookies.

Cook for 10-12 minutes at 350.  Mine weren't quite ready after 12 minutes, so I cooked them for another 2 minutes.  Put the cookies on a cooling rack and then move to a plate/platter.....waiting patiently to be dipped!

 If you are planning to dip the cookies into white chocolate like I did.  You might as well wait until after the cookies have cooled completely before starting the melting process.  It only takes a few minutes and you don't want to dip warm cookies. 



These lovely wafers can be found at your local grocery store in the baking section.  Suggestion:  Get the real chocolate!  Why go to all this trouble and then use fake chocolate?  DONTMAKENODERNSENSE!



Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper and start dipping!  I tipped the bowl up a little so I could get as much on one side as possible. Let the extra chocolate fall off into your bowl and then place on the parchment paper. (Now you can put them close together).

I had leftover chocolate!  Imagine that!  I sure wasn't going to let it go to waste, so I double two Ziploc bags and poured the rest into the bag.  I let it all pool into one corner and barely snipped off a corner.  See where I'm going with this?

I drizzled the undipped portion of the cookie with the chocolate and then let them cool for about 20 minutes.  The chocolate doesn't take long to harden and after not having much of an appetite this week......I assumed the position on the couch with my newly created carrot cake cookie and enjoyed every bite!

ENJOY!