Homemade Vanilla For Christmas

 I found this recipe last year on the blog Cattle and Cupcakes. I thought it would make a great gift. The recipe said to let it set for two to three months. I knew I wanted it for Christmas was I let it set for about 5 months. Wow, it turned out so good. I have made cakes, cookie, and candy out of it. I had plan to give most of it away. It didn't turn out that way. I only made three jars. Heidi did get one ,but the other two I ended up keeping.  I did make 5 more jars. That I promise I will  give away when they are ready.

This is the website and address for those that would like to order any. Their prices beat any other site I have seen. It about a dollar a bean. But the more you order the cheaper it is. I bought 25 beans for 20 dollars. At the store you pay 13 dollars for 3 beans.  I know because that where I bought mine before finding this site.These also come vacuum sealed so they are much fresher  then the one in the store.
The recipe is very easy .

1 cup vodka ( Has to been gain base . You can not use potato )

5 vanilla beans.

Slice your beans lengthwise ,then cut in half. add to your cup of Vodka.

  Place in a cool dark place. I use my closet. Shake once a day.

 Can be used as early as 3 months. I found leaving it 6 to 7 months make the taste more intense.

 I use a pint canning jar and 10 beans. I place the beans ( after they are cut) in the jar and add Vodka  to the top. Leaves a little room so you can shake it.
This is so worth the time. Start today and you  can have world class vanilla by next Christmas.You can also make  and give it this Christmas with the directions and recipe. Just make sure they know not to use it for 3 months. Believe me they won't care for the taste if they try to use it right away.

Early Christmas Present

 My dear friend Donna gave me these dishes a couple of days before thanksgiving.

 When my husband came home he told me how he grow up with these dishes. They brought back fond memories of her grand mother.

 I am missing the lid to the sugar bowl. Which is a blessing in disguise. Now I have a reason to go antiquing.  Not that I need one.

 I love this bowl.  Does anyone know if you can put these in a dishwasher?

I almost made the mistake of putting this in the oven. I would of been really upset if I had ruined  a piece of this set. I can't thank Donna enough. Not only is it a lovely set,but for my husband it bring a bit of his grand mother into the house.

Thankful for hard times.

What am I thankful for? Everything! During this time of year people ponder on the things they are thankful for. They range from family, to health, to jobs. For me I am thankful for the hard and sometimes bad things that have happened in my life.  Those dark days that looked like they would never end.  As I look back now, I thank God for these times.  I couldn't see anything positive coming out of them. But now I see so much that I learned along the way.  It taught me to appreciate the good things in my life so much more. To get over myself. It gave me a taste of my own medicine that I so much needed. I learned to see people as they truly are. Not what I wanted them to be. To see not only the bad but also the good in myself. That I am a lot stronger than I ever thought I could be. I learned to value little moments in my life.

I learned what a true man is. It's not the one that values money over all or turns woman's heads. Or the bad boy we seem to think we can change when were young. But the one that sees the beauty in us, even when we are at our worse. The one that holds us when we feel our world is falling apart around us. Whispering everything will be fine in our ear. When they really have no idea whats going on.

I thank the Lord for those hard times that have blessed my life so much.

What's this.

 What is mom drinking? It doesn't have any color to it.

 I don't smell anything. It looks like the stuff mom puts in my bowl.

Yap. It's the same stuff. But anything mom's always  taste better.

This says it all !

That had to hurt !

I was really surprised when we got this egg. My young chickens had just started laying ,so I was expecting little eggs not this monster.  It was so big we had to measure it. It measured 3 inches long and 6 inches round. I have never seen an egg that big. We did notice we were 1 egg short for a while after getting this one. I can't blame her.  I'd never lay again. We gave a dozen to my mother with this egg in it. She called to tell me that the egg held 3 yolks. She said she only need that one egg to make an omelet for daddy.  What a way to conserve eggs. LOL

King Tut Exhibit

 We were able to go  see the King Tut exhibit at the Idaho Falls Museum. I had to use my camera phone to take these pictures, so I apologize up front for the quality of the photos. I honesty don't remember what they said about all the exhibits.  I will let you know  information about the item that I do remember. I do need to warn you that the photos of Tut himself are a little gross.

 These three statues were under the Tut sign.

 These are what the main origins were put in.

 They believe this was a gold statue of King Tuts wife.Sorry for the quality of the picture.

 These are statues of the main Gods.

                                                      King Tuts chair.

 This chairate (I told you when I started blogging I couldn't spell. That still hold true.) had to be cut in half to be taken out of the tomb and the wheels were removed.

 This was worn around Tuts neck on special occasions.

 King Tut was only 5feet 4 inches tall . When he died he was only 15 years old with a broken hip, two infections, and meningitis. Thankfully the pictures aren't as gross as the real thing.

         If you look on his fingers you will see these gold fingers and toes on him.

 

                                                     This is the lid to his coffin.

                                                        King Tuts bed.

                                                          Statue of king Tut.

              This was a favorite came during that time.

                                                      King Tut

                    This was the bed they carried King Tut in for the burial parade.

                                           These pictures are things found in the tomb.

                                                     His honeymoon chest.

                                                    Picture of King Tut and his wife.

         They think this may be part of his staff .To serve him in the after life.

                                              King tuts shoes.
Hope you enjoyed the tour as much as we did . Have a great week.