Lifestyle

A Visit to Four Points Alpacas

/ Jodi / 3 Comments

ALP Girls Group

How cute are these girls?!?!

And who knew they only lived 10 minutes away from me….  at Four Points Alpacas – – one of the most beautiful places in Butler County, PA!

aLP House front

This past week, Marty and I had the wonderful pleasure to visit Four Points Alpacas – the home of our friends Don and Christina Wright (who we’ve met through our weekly date night to John’s Bar).  Don asked Marty to look at some electrical work, and they treated us to a wonderful tour of their extraordinary little piece of heaven on earth followed by an amazing dinner al fresco on a beautiful August evening.

alp front porch 3

This was my breathtaking view while dining on perfectly grilled medium-rare filet mignon steaks, fluffy baked potatoes, and tender-crisp roasted fresh asparagus.  (We’ll have to recommend that as a “special” at John’s!)

alp front porch

alp front porch 2

ALP FRONT GARDENIt is apparent Christina not only enjoys, but works very hard to keep everything looking beautiful, from the décor inside and out to the gardens and grounds.

alp GARDENAnd the front porch was only outdone by the beautiful back patio with bar/kitchen, Jacuzzi, gathering area, and a relaxing stone waterfall..

alp back porch waterfall

Driving up to Four Points Alpacas, which also boasts a beautiful bed and breakfast suite (The Inn @ Four Points), you experience 360 degree views of rolling hills, beautiful foliage, ponds, birds, and wildlife.

ALP Road

It really took my breath away.

ALP view

And I just love Christina and Don’s style and all of their little homey and whimsical touches.

alp pinterest sink

alp piggy

The trip to the barn was such a highlight.

ALP road barn

And there is no doubt that Christina loves her alpaca family…

ALP kisses

ALP hugs

and they love her!

ALP one of these things is not like the others

And besides alpacas, there are chickens, guinea hens, a duck, cats, and an extremely lovable Mom, Dad, and “Puppy” Great Pyrenees family that hang out with the alpacas (and that I also fell in love with!).

ALP barn I was amazed at how many different colors of Alpacas there are, and the Wrights also have a beautiful shop of handmade clothes, socks, teddy bears, rugs, and other beautiful treasures all made from the Alpaca fur at their Alpaca Apparel & Gift Boutique.

alp group shotTEN of these Mommas are “expecting” and due any day.  Christina has promised to call me so I can run over and experience the birth of a Cria (Baby Alpaca).  She says a healthy one is 17-20 lbs, and can you believe these lovely ladies carry them for 11 1/2 months!  They get about a two-week break before they start all over again.

alp fieldAnd the piece de resistance of the evening was watching the beautiful sunset as the Alpacas romped through the fields.

alp field sunset

alp field sunset 2

Thanks Don and Christina for one of the best Wednesday evenings I’ve had in a long time!

alp closeup

If you are ever in the area, be sure to check it out or consider spending the night or weekend at The Inn at Four Points Bed & Breakfast.  I guarantee you’ll make lots of new friends (like this pretty girl who stole my heart) while enjoying some of the best views in Western Pennsylvania with a couple of great hosts in their little piece of heaven on earth.

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

Remembering Moments

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moments

Happy Wedding Day Jackie and Matt!

May this be a special day, but may you also always keep in mind that life is full of “moments.”

May you have many memorable moments in your lifetime together.

#mrandmrskallis

Love ya,

Mom II

xo

Bloom with Hope – Always and The TOUGH MUDDER!

/ Jodi / 10 Comments
Bloom with Hope Always

StampinUp Bloom with Hope Watercolored in Shades of Blue

Tomorrow is THE BIG DAY!  Jackie and Matt’s Wedding!!

Hopefully she is much too busy to be bothered reading my little ole’ blog post (or she will see her wedding card!)

This card is my #FreebieFriday post for our #WheretheRubberHitstheRoad group, and I couldn’t be more excited for a Friday!

Tomorrow’s celebration will be followed by an overnight with some of our besties, Joyce and Rob, followed by the #ToughMudder Event on Sunday, where Jake and Nick are participating in a team with Nick’s best buddy, Jon and his sister, Kelly.  Go Team McKinney/Randza!

#ToughMudder is a 10-12 mile (18-20 km) obstacle course designed to test all-around strength, stamina, teamwork, and mental grit.  The idea of Tough Mudder is not to win, but to have a story to tell!

Check out this video:


Oh Boy!  Eh?  It sounds like a lot of fun (for us spectators!) and is for a great cause – the Wounded Warrior Project.

Hopefully, I will get some fun photos and have some good stories to tell, but until then, have a great weekend all!

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

 

PS – In perusing some new bloggers and blogs, I came across a fun new challenge site:  Addicted to Stamps Challenge Blog and Laurie’s beautiful entry into the CAS Challenge #109.

CAS means “clean and simple” in the stamping and cardmaking world, so I thought I would give it a try with this card I made last week for Jackie and Matt’s wedding.

Clean and Simple can often be a challenge for me – I tend to want to over-embellish, but I think I kept this one pretty clean and simple 🙂 .

Grandpap’s Rocking Chair

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grandpaps rocking chair

I wonder if my boys (or maybe my grandchildren if I am blessed with them someday) will have something of mine that will bring as sweet of memories as Grandpap’s Rocking Chair does for me?

Do you have any thing(s) like that?

This beautiful chair, that grandma refinished and varnished to a S-H-I-N-E, is now safely preserved in one of our guest bedrooms, but oh the memories it evokes of evenings spent on Grandpap’s lap watching his favorite show together – Lawrence Welk.

I’m surely showing my 51 years of age.  Who else remembers:  “Uh oneah and uh twouh and a three…. ?” as good ole’ Lawrence swung his magical musical baton….

or the polkas, the accordians, the singers, and the dancers.

What shows will our children and grandchildren remember like that?

The Housewives of New Jersey?

The Bachelorette?

Yikes!

Grandpap was a very gifted musician.  Oh if I only would have gleaned even a drop of that talent, but despite a stint at clarinet lessons, and even shorter stint of piano lessons, and don’t even ask me to sing (even though I love to 🙂 ), it is lost on me.

Grandpap died when I was only 10 years old, but I smile thinking of him.  I can vividly picture him shaving his 5 o’clock shadow in the deliberate and methodical way he did twice every day with his bristly lathery brush in the basement sink…

I can still hear him saying, “Grandma’s gonna gimme the dickens!” every time he took us to Kerber’s Dairy and bought us double dipped ice cream cones taller than we were, which he helped keep from dripping all over the car by taking turns licking around my brother, Johnny’s, and mine one after the other, but we still ended up dripping it all over ourselves…

And I can still taste the Coffee Soup he so loved that was made out of saltine crackers and coffee with lots of cream.

grandmas cup

Another very treasured item I have, but one I DO USE –  probably EVERY single day – is Grandma’s tin measuring cup.

Of all her treasures we divided up when she died, I longed to have this and her recipes the most.

Marty has even had to repair this by re-securing the handle, but I love how it allows me to fondly remember her when I measure a cup of rice for dinner or a cup of flour when baking.

path

What tangible things will our children and grandchildren hold dear that evoke such fond memories of us?

The sweetest ones usually come from the simplest of things we don’t even realize….

as we travel through this journey of life.

Hope your day is memorable…

at Life in Between.


Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

BLT with Fresh Basil Mayonnaise – A Simple Sunday Supper

/ Jodi / 2 Comments

blt

We had such a wonderful weekend – starting with The Best Book Club Ever Friday evening followed by a fun Saturday with family and friends eating, shopping, brewery touring and tasting, and lake cruisin’ at #ConneautLake.

After a busy weekend away, a simple Sunday supper was in order:  Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato (BLT) Sammies with fresh corn on the cob.

basil mayo

The fresh basil mayo is what REALLY puts this sandwich over the top (thanks Joyce for teaching me this yummy twist!).   Simply mix some chopped fresh basil and a sprinkle of sea salt to mayonnaise.  You WILL NOT REGRET it!

Mediterranean Sourdough

I picked up a loaf of Mediterranean Sourdough bread at the local farm market  (#Soergels) where I also got the Yellow Heirloom Tomatoes and Corn on the Cob.

All you need do is:  Toast the bread, then generously spread with some fresh basil mayo.  Top that with lettuce of your choice, fresh sliced tomato and a couple slices of crisp smoky bacon.  Smoosh it together and ENJOY!

blt cut

Add a side of corn on the cob with a sprinkle of Old Bay Seasoning (thanks Rob for this idea, because now I don’t even want or need butter on it!) – and that completes a yummy, but simple Sunday supper.

corn on cob with old bay

I’m just guessing, but I think this dinner would also taste good ANY night of the week :).

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

 

Wedding Survival Kit

/ Jodi / 4 Comments

Jackie Wedding Survival Kit

One week from today is Jackie and Matt’s wedding.  Another one of “our children” is getting married…  (sigh)

Where did the time go?

When I met my BFF, Jill, we were pregnant with Nick and Jayme and had two little babies.  I had Jake.  She had Jackie.

Last year Jake married our beloved Colleen.  This year Jackie gets to marry her dear Matt.

jackie and matt

I can still picture our two little toe heads and the wonderful times we shared as we weaved our way through diapers and bottles and strollers and trips to the mall (just to get out of the house)….

to being homeroom moms together and planning holiday parties and the best obstacle courses for field day…

kids 1996

to PTA meetings, playgroups,  the best themed birthday parties and homemade Halloween costumes…

to Jill & Jodi’s Junque craft shows, and then re-entering the workforce, being parents of teens, then sending them to college and empty nesting…

and now weddings.

It is a great life to share with friends like we are, and I am so excited to celebrate our Jackie next week.

Jackie Jodi Jill

One of the shower gifts I gave Jackie was this simple little “Wedding Survival Kit.”

I put all the items in a cute little keepsake box that Jackie can use for whatever she wants.

You can customize it to suit your special couple and make a sweet, personalized gift.

Jackie Wedding Survival Kit

 

A crayon – to “color” all the days of your marriage bright and sunny

A rubber band – to remind you to always be flexible

A candle – to help the glow of romance always be part of your love for Matt

A paper clip – to help you hold it all together

A penny – to give you extra “cents” to know which battles are worth fighting and which are not

Some tape – to remind you little things can be “fixed”

A highlighter – to highlight all of the wonderful moments you and Matt will have

A glue stick – to help you “stick it out” during the rough patches

A battery – to help you recharge after a long day (or week…or month…)

A button – to remind you that sometimes you need to “button your lip”

A safety pin – to help you pin-point your problems and solve them

A dental pic  – to always pick out the best in Matt

A q-tip – to dig out all the bad things in your relationship

A band-aid – so you can tackle those high heels in August

 

Can’t wait to celebrate your day next week at this time Jackie!

Love ya!

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

She left BEAUTY wherever she went

/ Jodi / 3 Comments

All Abloom DSP She left beauty wherever she went

Another little treasure from our trip to Hobby Lobby last weekend was this this little stamp set Janet found in the clearance rack.  It “spoke” to both of us, and I had to have it.  It reminds me of so many amazing women in my life.  I wanted to list them – starting with Stella Star all the way through life, but I am afraid I would accidentally forget someone…

I wanted to show pictures, but again afraid I don’t have all that I would want to post and/or forget someone.

But I think this sentiment should really speak to ALL women.

Be your own kind of beautiful….

Know that there are many kinds of beauty…

Beauty comes in all shapes, sizes, and even senses….

Beauty can be visual or it can be something from the heart – the way someone makes you feel – maybe with the words they use – spoken or written…

Beauty can come from the way something or someone smells…  like flowers or freshly baked bread or cookies or a favorite perfume…

Beauty can be the way something feels – like a tight hug from a friend, your favorite slippers or comforter, your favorite sweater, or the warmth of a kiss.

Know that you have the potential to leave BEAUTY wherever you go!

Happy Friday!  We are off to “The Best Book Club Ever” tonight!  Woohoo!  “People of the Book” by Geraldine Brooks and lots of discussion and wine!  🙂

The layout of this card was designed from the Freshly Made Sketches Sketch #148:

FMS Final 148-001

Go out and be your own kind of beautiful!

All Abloom DSP She left beauty wherever she went

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

 

A Kangaroo Burger at Burgatory!

/ Jodi / 4 Comments

burg1

After a “brief” 3 -hour (yep – we rushed!) visit to Hobby Lobby on Saturday with a couple of my favorite girls – my sweet “daughter” in law, Colleen, and one of my BFFs, Janet, to look at/purchase/limit ourselves to various crafty supplies and home décor, followed by a visit to Volkweins’s Music to check in on one of our favorite guys – Jake – we ladies were FAMISHED.  It was 3:30 and none of us had had breakfast or lunch – with the exception of coffee and a biscoff blondie :).

burg2

None of us had been to #Burgatory yet, so were excited to try!  It was a great time to go.  We hear there are long lines and standing room only at lunch and dinner time – but since we went at an odd “in between” time for lunch/dinner/linner/whatever you want to call eating at 3:30pm – there was no wait!

burg3

I told our awesome waiter Andrew, I would be blogging about this, so I wanted to know what the BEST burger was.  He recommended Morty’s Steakhouse.

burg4

In addition to being famished – we were extremely parched and excited to try some refreshing cocktails.  It was a hot day, and though I am typically a wine or G&T kinda gal, I had a hankerin’ for a beer, so I took Andrew’s recommendation on an amazing IPA.  Janet had a Raspberry Ginger Beer combo and Colleen had a “lemonade.”  We kinda wanted to try one of their famous drunken “hard milkshake” cocktails, but decided you can only handle so much in one day!  CHEERS!

 

burg5

While we were waiting for our food, I had to grab a shot of this humongous sign that might need to be everyone’s Mantra – Honor Thy Burger & Thy Mother!    Look at the friendly chap smilin’ for me :).

burg6

Andrew was awesome – and (ahem)  CHECK OUT the MORTY’S STEAKHOUSE BURGER!  It seriously has a huge steak knife jabbed in it to keep it together!

burg7

Janet was the brave one of the three of us and willing to take the risk for the sake of us all and tried the KANGAROO Burger.  Apparently they choose a different game burger to feature each weekend, and we hit on Kangaroo weekend.   This “sandwich” consisted of:  garlic crusted kangaroo with cheddar, braised short ribs, roasted cauliflower puree, onion marmalade and mixed greens on brioche.  We all tasted it.  EVEN Colleen!  Probably our first and last time to have kangaroo.  Not bad – but not great either.

burg8

Colleen had the Standard Deluxe:  All natural beef burger with white American cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and the house burger sauce.  She loved it.

burg9

And now – the piece de resistance – the MORTY’S STEAKHOUSE!  (and yes – there is a burger under that bountiful bouquet of haystack onions.  Are you ready for this?  Peppercorn crusted beef burger with horseradish cheddar, haystack onions and cabernet sauce.  Like the greatest steak dinner you’ve ever had reincarnated as a burger.

burg10

Andrew was right.  IT WAS THE BEST!  Done to a perfect medium for me.  Had to smash it down and crush all those crunchy yummy onions to fit in your mouth, but oh so worth it!

burg12A cute touch at the end of the meal is a custom fortune cookie with a Burgatory twisted message inside actually the best fortune cookie I ever ate.  It was super fresh and very vanilla-ee, and the messages were fun.

burg11

We would have had a great time wherever we went, but we enjoyed our experience at Burgatory.  (even if a burger linner set us back a mere $85 – counting a generous tip for Andrew!) – Budget Shmudget!

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

Drink More Water

/ Jodi / 5 Comments

water

We hear it everywhere – right? We know it is good for us – right? But do you drink enough water?
I know I don’t myself.
Coffee all morning – many cups… Wine in the evening – (ahem) no comment…

All dehydrating.
So I TRY to drink a couple of glasses of water in between.
I was watching a show on Food Network recently that took muddled honeydew and coconut water and lime juice that they made look like a cocktail!
Fruit Infused Water seems to be all the rage.
So I thought I’d try my own version.
I must say – DELISH!
water 2
For my water “cocktail,” I simply mixed some muddled fresh red raspberries and lime juice to some sparkling water over a tall glass of ice.
water 3


Another really refreshing way to drink water that seems all the rage is with freshly sliced cucumbers; and with all the cucumbers I’m harvesting (YAY!), I tried this too – with simple tap water.  Nice when you don’t want something “sweet.”  And it is amazing how quickly it infuses.

cuke water

It’s not quite cucumber vodka (which – – have you tried yet?  with tonic – YUM!) …… but – I so easily digress – we’re hydrating now – remember?!

And it always tastes better with a cute straw – right?

Drinking Water…
At Life in Between.

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Blessings Jar – Thankful for one of the Best Gifts Ever

/ Jodi / 6 Comments

blessings

So it’s the Day After #GFC2014 Weekend, and I’m still feeling so thankful and so blessed!  Relaxing with Marty on this Sunday evening, and a teensy glass of red wine :).

For some reason, I was reminded of one of the best (birthday) gifts I’ve ever received.   And it made me realize what a great Wedding Gift this could be during wedding season, so I wanted to share.

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My BFF, Jill, gave me this gift on my birthday a year ago, which just so happens to fall on New Year’s Eve, so coincides beautifully with New Year’s resolutions and new habits to create for the new year.

You see, “best gifts ever” don’t have to be expensive or elaborate.  The best gifts ever are from the heart and those that create memories for a lifetime.

My gift was a jar filled with blank colored  index card sized pieces of paper.  In explaining the gift, Jill encouraged me to write down blessings throughout the year and things I am thankful for.  She said we could then reopen it the following year, and revel in the wonderful experiences of the past year.

I still have the jar, and I review the notes occasionally.  Sometimes when I’m feeling blessed and happy, and sometimes when I need a lift.

In my happiness and afterglow of the blessings of this past weekend, I decided to revisit the jar and read some of the blessings from 2013.  It doesn’t need to be New Year’s or Christmas or a Birthday or Thanksgiving to be thankful.

Let me share just a small sampling of some of the little notes I scribbled throughout the year.  Some of them are BIG – like my oldest son, Jake’s wedding, my youngest son, Nick, getting a new job….    Some are very small – like planting tomatoes or a phone call from a friend.  But ALL of them bring a smile to my face and heart, bring me joy, and make me realize how fortunate, thankful, and blessed I am.

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January 1, 2013:  “Celebrated the first moments of 2013 with some of the people I am closest to – Marty, Jill, and Todd. This was our FIRST year when all the kids did their own thing – be we savored the moments, the friendship, the blessings, AND we texted with the kids!”

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January 7, 2013:  “Received a beautiful card from Joyce and Rob thanking and celebrating our recent reunion.  A reminder to consider perception becomes reality until clarified, and can result in boundless blessings.”

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May 4, 2013:  “Jake ran and finished the Pittsburgh Marathon!  26.2 miles in 4 hours, 53 minutes.  Such a amazing accomplishment!  So proud!  Jill and Todd were there with us to cheer him on!”

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May 8, 2013:  “Pam called today.  Had such a nice talk.  Good friends are such a blessing.”

*****

May 13, 2013:  “Nick got a new job.  Starts 6/10/13.  So proud and so happy for him.  I know he will be a great SUCCESS!”

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May 25, 2013:  Planted tomatoes.  Can’t wait to watch them grow and enjoy the bounty!”

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May 28, 2013:  Girl’s Day Out with Janet – manicures and pedicures and bridal shower shopping!

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June 1, 2013:  Today was Colleen’s Bridal Shower!  It was a great day to celebrate a very special young lady we love!”

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June 1, 2013:  Jake brought flowers to the shower for Colleen, Teri, and me.  So proud of him and love him dearly!”

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June 13, 2013:  “Marty got a ride in the autonomous car!”

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July 12, 2013:  “So thankful for best friends ever helping with Jake and Colleen’s Wedding Rehearsal Dinner – Janet, Jill, Dawn, Tracy, even Todd and ” Baby” Jake – LOVE them all!”

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July 13, 2013:  “WEDDING DAY for Jake and Colleen!  AMAZINGLY WONDERFUL DAY!”

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August 15, 2013:  “Matt and Judy came to visit and stay for the weekend.  GREAT time catching up and reminiscing.  Love them!”

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September 1, 2013:  “First invitation to dinner at Jake and Colleen’s.  So good to be with them in their new home.”

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September 17, 2013:  “Card-making class with Colleen.”

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October 12, 2013:  Wonderful GFC Weekend with Pam, Jill, Janet and Joan!”

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November 16, 2013:  “Marty’s 55th Birthday!  Fun time with family and Hendy’s – lots of love!”

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November 22, 2013:  “Jackie and Matt ENGAGED!  YAY!!!”

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November 28, 2013:  “WONDERFUL Thanksgiving – Johnny came to visit – SURPRISE! with Nancy – and it was GREAT to hug him!  Then a lovely dinner with Dad and Carole.”

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November 29, 2013:  “So Thankful for my Marty.  His heart and mind are my ROCK!”

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December 22, 2013:  “Christmas with the Hendy’s at Jake and Colleen’s House!”

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December 31, 2013:  “My birthday lunch with my Dad.”

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You see – there are so many things to be thankful for!  BIG and small!

Wouldn’t a Blessings Jar or a Thankful Jar be a great wedding or birthday gift to give a friend or loved one?  Hardly any money, but it will create a lifetime of memories.

Appreciate the moments at Life in Between…

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi