Beetle Eyes

Trip to Idaho – Tea Time

marsha — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 16:43:31 +0000

Over the Fourth of July I spent some time with friends in Idaho Falls, Idaho. I had a wonderful time. My friends treated me to tea at a the Sillwater Mansion. We were “adorned” with hats, fans and necklaces.

Then we were treated to a four-course tea. The atmosphere was lovely and the food was delicious.

After the tea we went to the Titanic expedition at the Museum of Idaho. It’s a great exhibit. It also reminded me of the fact that I have a Titanic website planned. The hundred year anniversary of the tragic event is in 2012. I’d better make a start on the website soon!

Wine from Welch’s Grape Juice

marsha — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 18:26:30 +0000

I’m back from a lovely Fourth of July vacation in Idaho. I had a fantastic time and I’ll be posting photos soon.

In the meantime, Washington Winemaker (aka The Man of the House) has a great article on making wine from Welch’s frozen grape juice. The wine is very nice and the price can’t be beat!

Happy Fourth of July

marsha — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:40:00 +0000

I hope you all have a happy and safe Fourth. Just in case you’re thinking about a salad for tomorrow’s cookout, take a look at these:

Cherry Harvest

marsha — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 04:24:02 +0000

The Man of the House harvested cherries tonight. Our trees are still young so the harvest was small, but a huge improvement over last year.

Here are the cherries from one of our four trees.

Dutch Oven Cooking?

marsha — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 03:53:16 +0000

Mom and Dad told me that last weekend their friends made a yummy pineapple cake. The cake was baked outdoors in a Dutch oven. A Dutch oven!? Evidently you can cook all kinds of things in a Dutch oven – chicken, pork ribs, beans, stews and the list goes on.

Here’s a video about making chocolate cake with a Dutch oven.

Savor the Moment

marsha — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:24:57 +0000

Yesterday was quite a day. Farrah Fawcett passed away after a long battle with cancer. Michael Jackson died after an unexpected coronary event. The big take away for me was that illness can hit any of us at any time.

Ironically yesterday also brought a letter from my health insurance company. My health insurance premiums are going to increase by almost 20%.

After thinking about it all night, and doing a little insurance plan research, I’ve come up with a two-part plan. The first part of the plan deals with my health insurance. If I go with a plan that has a $3,000 deductible then I’ll save about $3,000 in health insurance premiums. So if I get sick, my out of pocket will be about the same with this new plan. But if I’m healthy, then I’ll be money ahead.

Part two of the plan is that I want to remember to enjoy the moment. Life is precious and meant to be savored.

Updated Software

marsha — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:27:13 +0000

I just updated the WordPress software that powers Beetle Eyes. Let me know if you see anything that doesn’t work.

Cheese Making

marsha — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 03:20:24 +0000

It’s been awhile since The Man of the House and I last made cheese. This video from Food Wishes makes me want to do it again. Click here to see Food Wishes’s cheese recipe.

Last Week

marsha — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 03:20:13 +0000

I brought in a bowl of strawberries into the kitchen and was greeted with the aroma of baking bread.

The Man of the House and I feasted on deer burgers featuring homemade buns. To wash it all down we had wildflower mead. (The mead, or honey wine, is made by the Man of the House.) We wondered if anyone else in the entire world was having the same dinner.

We had family over for lunch and a visit. We showed them all our projects and sent them home with a loaf of raisin bread fresh from the bread machine.

It’s That Time of Year Again

marsha — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 00:39:43 +0000

When we noticed that the cherry trees in the mobile orchard vineyard were starting to turn color, we netted them to keep the fruit from the birds. Once we’ve harvested the cherries it will about time to net the grape vines.