Buzz buzz...

Sorry...it has been a while since I last posted.
I wanted to share with you, though, a new book that I just received in the mail the other day.
It is called Queen Bee Moms and Kingpin Dads by Rosalind Wiseman. I first heard about this book by reading about it in the back of Rosalinds other book, Queen Bees and Wannabes.
I dived in last night, but only got through the Introduction. Yet, I have already learned SO much.
It is not your casual reading material.... you have to take notes (or in my case, underline important areas...and I have already underlined quite a bit!)

Some of the stuff I learned so far:

-In this world, many parents compete ruthlessly through their own children.

-Parents' social hierarchies influence how they guide their own children's lives.

-Your job isn't to be your child's best friend!

-Our culture makes us feel that we have to be and look a certain way so that we belong.

- In many circles, being loyal means backing up your "friends" by saying nothing, laughing, or even joining in when their actions are unethical or cruel.

I am ready and eager to continue on with the book.
Just wanted to share...

...deep in the ♥ of Texas

The stars at night,

Are big and bright,

Deep in the heart of Texas,

The prairie sky

Is wide and high,

Deep in the heart of Texas.

The sage in bloom

Is like perfume,

Deep in the heart of Texas,

Reminds me of,

The one I love,

Deep in the heart of Texas.

I got a call yesterday from my Mom. She told me that her sister (my Auntie Marie) is in the hospital and her health is failing. Although the call came to me as a shock, a part of me knew that someday soon this call would come. You see, my aunt has lived a full life; a VERY full life; and now in her mid-90's her time is only that much more brief.
 
My Auntie Marie was married, yet never had children of her own. Her "children" were us nephew and nieces. She was married to my Uncle Otto.
Back in the mid-1980's, she and Uncle Otto packed up there things and moved from their home Chicago and headed down to Texas...to a warmer-retired life.
They settled in the small charming German town of New Braunfels and modestly they lived in a modular home community.
They became heavily involved in their Catholic church. They had many friends that were near-and-dear.
Uncle Otto died in the mid-90's, yet my aunts strong faith continued.
A child of the depression-era, she was a "saver". Nothing went to waste; everything could be re-used, at least one or two more times.
What I remember most about my Auntie Marie is her unwavering faith. She had many adversities in her life, yet she was always a pillar of strength. She was always healthy and always happy. Right until the last time I saw her, which was last summer, her zest for life was still the same.
 
In these last few days, although I am not able to be with her in person, I will re-live those dear and happy memories that I share with her. I will always have etched in my mind her special laugh, the unique smell of her home, and the time she showed me (when I was a little girl) how to make  proper pancakes. As my Godmother, she showed me a love of cooking, life and God.
 
 She was such a giving and caring individual: and  I will give that back to those around me I encounter...always!
 
I ♥ you, Auntie Marie...



 
 

a random Thursday thought...

the Iditarod...

The Iditarod. I know this won't come as any great interest to many of you. But, for some reason it does for me, as well as my family.

 Known as "the last great race", the Iditarod 2012 began in Willow, Alaska last Saturday, March 3rd. Over 60 mushers with their dog teams set out; hoping to finish to the end.
 The race's history is an interesting one, at best. Each year, in early March, mushers and their dogs embark on an 1,049 mile journey, through excruciating conditions, from Anchorage Alaska all the way to Nome.

The race can go on for almost 2 weeks! Along the way the mushers make sure that the dogs are well taken care of. Those dogs just LOVE to run...

I have always had a great fascination with all-things Alaska,the Iditarod being no exception.

When me and the family had the awesome pleasure of visiting Alaska last summer, (see here and here) we stopped in Wasilla (yes, Sarah Palins home-turf.) Wasilla is home to the Iditarod Trial Race Headquarters.

Inside, it contains ALL things Iditarod. It was a fascinating place to visit.

[Joe Redington Sr. - Father of the Iditarod]





[our less than 1 minute dog sled ride...those dogs were FAST!]

                                                         [paw mits from previous sled dogs]               

Later on our trip, at our stop in Denali we learned even more about the power and necessity of these hard working dogs. Our tour guide, Jamie, explained all about how necessary these dogs actually are in the Denali National Park, as well as surrounding areas. No vehicles of any kind are allowed in the park in the winter; yet there are park rangers, field guides and other naturalists that still work and live there over the winter. The only way for supplies/food/ and other items to be delivered into the park and the several miles to where they need to be is with the help of the sled dogs. Without the hard work of these dogs there would be no way to get this job done.

You may or may not have heard the name Balto before? Well, he was the dog that became famous for traveling hundreds of miles to deliver a serum that would help stop the deadly diphtheria epidemic in Alaska. His heroic efforts are still near-and-dear to many people, even to this day.

                                          

A great book: The Great Serum Race by Debbie S. Miller.

                                                                                  

                                                                  

comments or questions?

I appreciate any questions of comments you may have. I will only be taking these by email, from now on.

If you care to share; please email me at:

      junipercards@yahoo.com

...route 66



" A stop in one of the small towns most anywhere along old Route 66 offers evidence that life begins at the off ramp. Away from the super slab, you can still order a piece of pie from the person who baked it, still get your change right from the shop owner, still take a moment to care and to be cared for, a long way from home."

Tom Snyder ~ Founder, route 66 Association

Back in the summer of 2010, our family took a road trip down to Texas. The route down was an impromptu one: we knew the "where" we needed to get, but the "how" was all up in the air. Some of the fondest and dearest portions of this trip took place on the old route, once well-known as Route 66.
Here is a brief glimpse of some of the samplings we encountered on the Mother Road.

So we left Michigan and headed into Indiana; then the long journey down to the deep-southern part of Illinois.

Day 1 ended as we stayed there for the night.

                                                                    

Springfield, Illinois

[The Great Western Railroad]

[Abraham Lincoln's tomb. Rub his nose for good luck..I guess]



[Maid-Rite..home of the original loose-meat sandwich]

[Frank Lloyd Wright~ The Dana-Thomas House]

[Cozy Dogs]

...Continuing on from Springfield on old Route 66 can be challenging at best. A lot of the "old road" no longer exists; forcing one to continue back on the highway. Bits and pieces of roadside America still lives and breathes on, though, in the tinest nooks and cranny's along the way...

                                                  [Our Lady of the Highways - Raymond, Illinois]

                              [The old Soulby Shell filling station ~ Mount Olive, Illinois]

 

 [Rabbit Ranch ~ Staunton, Illinois]

 [a defunct filling station ~ somewhere in Illinois]

                                           [St. Louis (and the arch) kindly greets us into Missouri]

 [Oklahoma here we are!]


Once we hit Oklahoma, we went one way and Route 66 went the other way.
I would love to continue on further; continue with the Mother road of the past.
One day...







For some good books on Route 66, check out Route 66 The Mother Road

 and The Route 66 Cookbook.

One recipe from the book is Murphey's Slip Slide Custard Pie. Bill and Wanda Murphey owned Murphey's Restaurant in Baxter Springs, Kansas until the mid-1970's. Today, there are different owners, but Wanda's pies are still the rage. It was said that customers would come in to the restaurant just to see Wanda put her Slip Slide pie together.

Murphey's Slip Slide Custard Pie

3 eggs

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

sprinkle of nutmeg

Beat eggs slightly. Add sugar, salt, milk and vanilla.

Stir well to blend.

Grease a 9" pie pan and set it in a pan of water.

Pour custard mixture into pie pan and sprinkle with nutmeg.

Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes or until custard is firm to touch.

Cool thoroughly.

Loosen custard around edges with knife and slip into baked crust.



home made coffee creamer...

Somehow mornings are just not the same around here unless I have my morning cup of coffee (...or two!)
In the past, I have bought those fancy store-bought coffee creamers; in all sorts of flavors and such. They are good, but I was never really crazy about all those extra-added ingredients...you know, the ones you can't even pronounce.
Just recently I came across a recipe for a home-made coffee creamer recipe. Needless to say, I was very excited and eager to try this out! Well, I did... and I love the results!
Now, I know this is not a fat-free, health food...but, at least I know what is in my coffee!

My usual store bought french vanilla coffee creamer has the following ingredients:

Water, Sugar, Palm Oil, Corn Syrup, Contains Less Than 2% Of Each Of The Following Ingredients: Carrageenan, Mono And Diglycerides, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Salt, Dipotassium Phosphate, Sodium Caseinate (A Milk Derivative), Natural And Artificial Flavors. *Sodium Caseinate Is Not A Source Of Lactose.


My home-made french vanilla coffee creamer has the following ingredients:

sweetened condensed milk
milk (cow or soy/almond/coconut)
vanilla extract

Home-Made French Vanilla Coffee Creamer

 

* 1 can of sweetened condensed milk

* 1 1/4 cup of milk (soy, rice, coconut can be substitued)

* 3 teaspoons of vanilla (more or less to suit your taste....I added less)

 

Mix all ingredients and pour into lidded container(s). Can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

 

Enjoy!

the Pickers...

Last summer, weaving our way back from Texas through the midwest, we had the fun opportunity to stop and see where the American Pickers have their store, in Le Claire Iowa.

Hugging the Mighty Mississippi river is the tiny town of Le Claire. The population couldn't be more than a couple thousand, at best. Greeting us right off of highway 80 was a very friendly welcome center. There, I got my courage up -and sound like a major geek tourist- and asked where we could find "the pickers". Surprisingly we were not the first to ask this; for we were each then presented with a rather lovely color photo of Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz... AKA...the Pickers! Next, the nice lady pulled out a map of the town. She took her pen and circled the right spot to find Antique Archeology, their shop. BINGO!

With photo's in hand and a spring to our step, we headed out the door and down the windy road headed to the small, yet vibrant, downtown area of Le Claire Iowa. When we got to the gas station, that the nice welcome lady told us the shop was behind, we turned left and there it was! Ah, really?! Was THIS the same shop that I have seen oodles and oodles of times on TV? It looked so small! Basically the shop was smushed between two rather ordinary older homes. In my mind I was expecting to find the store on a large parcel of land, somewhere near an Iowan cornfield. No, instead it was shoe-horned in a space that seemed to not be quite right.

 We got out of our cars and proceeded to the shop, hoping to just get a glimpse of Mike or Franky. Well, a rather blunt woman told us that the store was closed that day. The guys were filming and that we should come back tomorrow. Tomorrow?! Um, no! I told her that we are driving back, cross country, and cannot come back tomorrow. We will be home tomorrow! She said sorry and also told me I couldn't take any pictures. Well, that was NOT about to happen. Are ya kidding!? I came all this way here, maybe never to be back again, and trust me! I WAS taking pictures...thank you very much!

  Cool red car...

 a Franky sighting! I really wanted to see Mike too...and Danielle, but no.

 a view from the side yard...

a view from behind the store. I guess a lot of people think that their junk is the Pickers junk!


Overall, despite NOT being able to enter the store to check things out and get autographs, it was a fun, random experience. It was a total unexpected side-trip in a otherwise rather ordinary day.
I do hope to go back one day, again.