Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

I made this the other night and it was a huge hit! I combined a couple of different recipes to form my own and completely eyeballed the ingredients, so the measurements are off, but I wanted to give you a rough idea of the amounts.

Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

For the marinade:
1-1.5 cups white wine
2-3 tbsp. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
~2 tbsp. chopped garlic
~2 tbsp. dijon mustard

Additional Ingredients:
1.5 lb Pork tenderloin
6-7 pieces of bacon
3/4 cup or so brown sugar
2 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper

First, pour all marinade ingredients in a large plastic Ziploc bag and shake to combine. Add the pork tenderloin and let sit for a few hours in the refrigerator. I marinated mine overnight. Next, combine the brown sugar and black pepper in a small bowl and stir until combined. Add a little of the leftover marinade to form a thick paste. Wrap the bacon around the tenderloin with edges overlapping until completely covered. Rub the brown sugar mixture over bacon only on the topside of the loin. Place on a roasting rack in the middle of an oven at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, then drop the temperature down to 400 for an additional 15 minutes. Slice into medallions and enjoy!

Georgia Florida Trip

Aislyn and I went south this summer to visit family and enjoy a change of scenery. We stayed with my brother and his friend, Jeff, in my grandparents old house. It was very odd to see it completely different from the last time I was there, but I'm glad to know it is being taken care of. Aislyn and I flew from Boston to Atlanta with a connecting flight in Newark, NJ. Let me tell you, next time I am flying direct. It was such a hassle to carry 2 carry-on bags, a huge pocketbook, and Aislyn --whose legs had mysteriously stopped working right when I really needed her to walk-- and change terminals in a complex procedure involving 2 flights of stairs and 2 bus rides. We got there though and that's all that matters! We drove directly from Atlanta to my Aunt and Uncle's house in Florida and spent the next few days there. We had absolutely gorgeous weather, a great beach, and a wonderful time catching up with everyone.

On our way back to Georgia we stopped at a Texaco station in Eufaula, AL famous for having some unusual residents in it's backyard. It was good timing because Aislyn was getting tired of sitting in her car seat and it was nice to get out and move around a bit.

 

 

She still talks about the gators! We then spend the next week in Georgia visiting with family. I met my ninety-two year old great great aunt who is as vibrant as can be and still lives all by herself completely unassisted. I hope I'm like that at her age. It was really cool. We got some good Southern Preachin' at my Papa's church, visited my great-aunt who's in a nursing home, and learned a ton about sheep from my  aunt who has over twenty of them. I enjoyed the trip thoroughly. How was your summer?

Bathroom Makeover

Our house has one full bath and one half-bath. The upstairs full bath was in dire need of a paint job. The old paint made it look tiny, and it is a small bathroom to begin with. It wasn't cutting it for me. This was our upstairs bathroom before we painted it: 

Old, dark green and light yellow paint with dingy off white trim gave the bathroom a very dated feel.

We switched out the paint for a light blue on the top and a crisp white on the bottom half plus the rest of the trim. Eventually we are planning on switching out all of the fixtures so they match and putting in a different shade. Here's the after:

 Much lighter, brighter and it feels a lot more open. I had two photos from one of my trips to visit Santa Rosa Beach, FL and hung them in the bath to give it a little beach flair. The photographer is John Hollan Photography. My next project is either the guest room or the foyer/upstairs hallway, I'm not sure which one yet but I'll be sure to post before and after photo's!

-Kaitlin

Garden & Life Update

       Well, it appeared in the beginning that my garden (with the exception of the eggplant) was on its way to producing an bounteous amount of perfect vegetables. Oh my, how things have changed.  Unfortunately my zucchini and yellow summer squash have been infested with multiple types of bugs! It's gross. There were definitely some squash bug action going on and signs of the squash vine borer. But the puzzler to me is there are tons of the Mexican Bean Beetle. From what I've found out about them they attack bean varieties (hence the name bean beetle) but they were all over my zucchini. Take a look at these fellows:

       Pretty ickky looking, huh? Since my zucchini were not salvageable I had to take them out, which really stinks. I had much higher hopes for them, but it is my first time really gardening and there's always next year (unless the world ends in December.. ;p ). Since we are moving the garden next year, hopefully we won't have as hard of a time with the squash borers. Plus, where the current garden is now is where we are planning on putting the chickens, so they'll take care of eating the larva and cocoons that are in the ground from this year's infestation. Here's how a life cycle works, according to The University of Minnesota:
       Beginning in late June or early July, squash vine borer adults emerge from cocoons in the ground. Squash vine borer adults are good fliers for moths and resemble wasps in flight. These moths are unusual because they fly during the day while nearly all other moths fly at night. Soon after emerging, squash vine borers lay eggs singly at the base of susceptible plants. Approximately one week after they are laid, the eggs hatch and the resulting larvae bore into stems to feed. The larvae feed through the center of the stems, blocking the flow of water to the rest of the plant. The larvae feed for four to six weeks, then exit the stems and burrow about one to two inches into the soil to pupate. They remain there until the following summer. There is one generation per year.
Really gross. And a total bummer. Oh well, on to bigger and better things!

       My brother is visiting from Georgia and it's so good to see him. My cousins are also in town for the Flatley Frolics family reunion. The last one was over thirty years ago, so it's kind of a big deal. It will be interesting to meet very extended family and catch up with some we've lost touch with.
      After that, Aislyn and I fly out to Georgia to visit more with my brother and my mom's side of the family. I can't wait to go back home, and Aislyn is ecstatic about flying in a plane. Hopefully that excitement will prevent us from being that family with the screaming child.
      I'm off to prepare for a family dinner at my house. I love hosting little events like this :)

-Kaitlin

Laundry Soap

I have posted before about my Homemade Castile Laundry Soap. Although it worked well, I found myself trying out different methods and recipes to try to find the perfect homemade laundry soap. For the past few times I've used a variation of this recipe and I like it very much! Hopefully you will too :)

Ingredients:
1 cup Borax
1 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
1 bar Fels Naptha
1/2 cup baking soda (not pictured, sorry!)
hot water

Method:

 Using a cheese shredder, grate your entire bar of Fels Naptha. You might be tempted to eat it. Don't. Aislyn can testify that it tastes bad ;) hehe.

Add the grated cheese to 3 pints (6 cups) of hot water in a large pot. Heat over medium-low heat until the soap dissolves.

After the soap is fully dissolved, add 1 cup Borax, 1 cup Super Washing Soda, and 1/2 cup baking soda. Stir until dissolved and the mixture slightly thickens to about the consistency of honey.

 Creamy looking laundry soap:

Add 2 cups of hot water to a bucket that is 3 gallons or more (I used an old 5 gal paint bucket). Then add your soap mixture and mix well. 

At this point, you can add 15-20 drops of your favorite essential oil. I added lavender:

You can also add homemade fabric softener and stain remover at this point, but I usually don't. Fill your bucket with about 2.5 gallons of hot water, stir and let sit for about 24 hours or until set. You can use it right away, it just won't have set up yet. After 24 hours, it will become a jelly-like consistency. At that point, you can transfer it to a different container or keep it in the bucket. If I transfer it, I use recycled drink jugs.

Use 1/2 cup of the detergent (top loader) or 1TBSP (HE front loader) for an average load, more if the clothes are heavily soiled. It does not have a strong odor, but the clothes do smell light and clean. 

The best part?? It costs about 3-4 CENTS per load! Woohoo!
Now go wash your smelly clothes :)
Kaitlin

Splash Pad Fun

 My friend Amoura and I took our daughters to a splash pad the other day. They had a BLAST. Aislyn didn't really like being sprayed by the water, but Layna loved it! I gotta get that child in the sprinkler more. They get along so well, it's super cute. I hope they are friends for years to come.

Layna is so outgoing and energetic, while Aislyn is much more laid back. She tends to take a lot more time adjusting to new surroundings than the other kids. And she likes to stick close to me, that momma's girl. But I don't mind :)

The splash pad was so much fun! It had a lot of different water jets spraying in all directions, and nice picnic tables for parents to sit and watch their kids. Next to it was a large playground which the girls also enjoyed. 

This shows how different their reactions are to the water jets!

< Timid vs. Outgoing! >

  

We had a great day! I've been working on painting one of our bathrooms for the past week or so. I'll post pictures soon!

Kaitlin

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Birthday America!!!

A big thank you goes out to all the service men and women of today and yesterday that have sacrificed their lives for the good of this amazing country.

Fittingly, I was assigned to read the Declaration of Independence for my American Literature class. I think every American should look over it from time to time and remind ourselves of the men, principles, and ideas that founded this nation. It is time to get back to this standard; we do not need career politicians and a corrupt government. States need more rights, federal government needs to be limited and the American people need to regain the "American Dream" and work hard to improve their lives instead of rely on a welfare system to provide for them. Abraham Lincoln's philosophy was  “a government of the people, by the people,for the people,” not a government full of politicians that do not listen to the people, pass certain health care bills that will hurt the middle class, and don't pay taxes because they consider themselves better than us. But enough preaching, let's go wave the flag, light off some fireworks, drink some beer, and celebrate!

 Me, Aislyn and Mike participating in The Yankee Volunteer 

Fife and Drum Corps at a parade last summer.

God Bless,
Kaitlin