Steam Engine

Ardmore, Oklahoma in the South Central part of the state has some of the neatest sites to see and historic things they have saved, for the education of future generations. This steam engine is just one of the many things I enjoyed seeing on a trip down I-35 to Ardmore.

Can you imagine traveling on this once "modern" mode of transportation?

Ardmore,Oklahoma had two major disasters that destroyed most of the town. In 1895 a fire destroyed the town and in 1915 an explosion and fire destroyed it again. As the sign says this locomotive brought doctors and nurses to Ardmore after the 1915 explosion.

Ardmore is rich in history! Ardmore is the hometown of the Williams Family,  Bill Dalton-outlaw, Rue McClanahan-actress, S.N. Goldman-shopping cart inventor, Mark Gastineau-football player and Samuel Lloyd Noble-oilman.

Weatherford Wind Turbines

As you travel around the Weatherford area you can see wind turbines in all directions.

This information display is across from the Weatherford City Hall. The wind turbines are huge, but work like a child's pinwheel. When you blow on a pinwheel, the blades spin around. It is the same with wind turbines. Western Oklahoma has enough wind to keep the blades of the wind turbines turning. The blades are connected to a drive shaft inside the large box on top of the towers. The drive shaft turns the generator, which makes electricity.

Next to the wind turbine information is a real wind turbine blade laying on the lot. As you can see it is very large. Each wind turbine has three blades. Each wind turbine operates independently of the others. Each is basically an individual power plant.

This is a look down the blade. It is quite amazing to think of this thing up in the air turning around and making electricity. The electricity is carried in cables from the generator down the inside o the tower, then underground to the site's substation. That power then goes into the off site transmission lines and is used by the local utility company to serve its customers. There are several wind farms across the state of Oklahoma.

This is the part of the blade that connects to the tower. My husband is six foot tall, you can tell the blade is huge!

We pulled off on a side road by one of the wind farms. My husband decided to walk out to the first turbine. See how tiny he looks walking out there!

The wind turbines are so strung out, I could not get a photo that captured the full view of a wind farm. Come to Western Oklahoma and see them for yourself. They are quite impressive.



Outdoor Amphitheater

McLain Rogers Park in Clinton, Oklahoma has one of the two remaining outdoor amphiteaters in the state. This 400 seat amphitheater was  built between 1934 and 1937 as part of the WPA. It has an impressive Art Deco brick entrance complete with neon letters that welcome visitors from Route 66.

National Register of Historic Places

The Amphitheater is a WPA masterpiece you need to see for yourself!

The amphitheater is not the only thing in McLain Rogers Park. You will also find putt-putt golf, pavilions, tennis courts, picnic tables, playgrounds, ball fields and lots of beautiful landscaping.

Pork Loin

This is another version of a pork loin cooked in the crock pot. My husband put the pork loin in the crock pot with whole red potatoes and a whole onion before we left for work. He only seasoned with black pepper and salt on top of the loin. He put a cup of water in the pot to keep the loin from sticking to the bottom. He set the crock pot on high.

When we returned home 10 hours later the pork loin had the house smelling so wonderful.

He cooked Kentucky Wonder green beans with some of the crock pot juice to give them added flavor. Took the loin out of the pot to cool while he whipped up a batch of cornbread. This was a wonderful meal for a week night dinner.

Since the loin was too big for us to eat before we got tired of it, we put enough slices in ziplock freezer bags to have for dinner a couple more times. We also freeze extra meat such as loin or meatloaf to pack in our lunches. We just take them out of the freezer and put in our lunch plates the night before. By the time we are ready to microwave our lunch at work the meat has thawed and is perfect.



Another way he fixes pork loin in the crock pot is to pour half a can of pineapple in the bottom of the pot and then pour the other half of the can on top of the pork loin. This gives the pork loin and good flavor.

Scrapbook Hints

I love to put together a scrapbook to give as a present commemorating a special event. I try to plan ahead and usually have a scrapbook or two on hand. I always check the scrapbook section of the store to see if they have any scrapbooks or supplies on sale. My favorite thing to do for a big event is to have those attending sign in on a few of the scrapbook pages rather than have a guest book. Then I can incorporate the pages right into the memory scrapbook of the event. This is one of the pages used at a surprise birthday party.

Another thing I have started doing is to find a scrapbook that has very colorful pages. I use a variety of craft scissors to cut around the photos and glue them directly on to the pages. Make sure you use acid free glue that is photo safe.  I love using stickers that say things, plus I hand write on the pages as well. When I first started scrapbooking I would cut the borders and back the photos and all kinds of extra work. Then I decided I like keeping it simple and they turn out just as neat.

Make sure when you are at the event that you pick up table favors and other items to include in your scrapbook. Leave several pages to add the greeting cards the person received at the end of the scrapbook. The goal is to put together a complete memory of the event.

There are so many types of scrapbooks and scrapbook page designs you can find the appropriate pages for the event or the person's personality.

If the scrapbook is about a special trip or vacation you can get maps of where you traveled and mark the route with a bright highlighter like I have below. If you cross several states make the pages next to each other so the route traveled will connect and continue.

You can also pick up brochures or other items from stops made along the way and include.

 Try to take photos when you stop at special places along the way.

Scrapbooks are fun! I get a lot of enjoyment out of putting together a gift of memories. I get amused at people who think a scrapbook has to be perfect, because they don't! A scrapbook should only show the love you have for the person who will be the recipient of the scrapbook. I promise they will not see it as having anything wrong with it! So if you do not scrapbook, it is time to start and have fun!

Stafford Air & Space Museum

Looking for a winter activity? I recommend a trip to the Stafford Air & Space Museum in Weatherford, Oklahoma just off Historic Route 66. The Stafford Air & Space Museum is the premier museum of its type in the southwestern area of the United States. The museum has some of the best flight exhibits and space artifacts in the country. The museum has expanded to 40,000 square feet since it was founded in 1981.

The museum mission is to promote the adventurous spirit of flight and space travel, while encouraging science and math excellence. It has an interactive aviation gallery that spans the history of flight, more than 20 historic aircraft, and exhibits displaying the history of rocketry. You can see the giant F-1 Saturn engine down through the Gemini and Mercury space programs, Explorer, Sputnik and other artifacts from the Shuttle program, Hubble telescope and the Mir Space Station. Many more exhibits than I have space to list in this post.

Thomas P. Stafford, Lieutenant General, USAF (RET.) NASA Astronaut (Former) was born in Weatherford, Oklahoma and has been instrumental in obtaining funding and displays for the museum named in his honor.

Tomboy Tools

TOMBOY TOOLS are something every female should own. My sister-in-law has this set of Tomboy Tools that she obtained at a tool party. This photo of the tool box looks more orange than pink, because I did not have the right light when I snapped the shot. This tool box also doubles as a step stool and will hold 500 pounds and not tip over. It is just an awesome way to keep up with your tools, and since they are all pink most males would not be caught using them.

On the Tomboy Tool website http://www.tomboytools.com/  I found that you can buy all the tools individually and the tool box can be purchased with just the basics or empty. They also have power tools to use around the house and all kinds of DIY (do it yourself) tools for home improvement projects. At a Tomboy Tool party the hostess can earn points to use to purchase the tools at a discount price. They also offer DIY tips for how to actually do simple home repairs.

Two sizes of hammers, hacksaw, measuring tape, gloves, screwdrivers, pliers, safety glasses, box cutter, and all types of tools can be added to your personal tool box.

I recommend you go to the TOMBOY TOOLS website  http://www.tomboytools.com/aboutus.asp 

to check out all the neat pink tools and read about the ladies that started the company.

French Toast

FRENCH TOAST

6 pieces of bread

3 eggs

3/4 cup milk

sugar - optional only helps brown better

nutmeg - two shakes

1 teaspoon vanilla

dash salt

cinnamon - lots of it

Whisk all ingredients together (except the bread)

Dip bread pieces in egg mixture on both sides

Grill at 350 degrees

Flip over when it browns

Serve with syrup

This is another of my husband's culinary delights! He has never seen a recipe he didn't like.

Castor Bean

Last fall I took these photos of the Castor Bean Plant at the Heirloom Garden. This neat little "pocket garden" was created and kept up by community volunteers. They plant a variety of old time heirloom plants and flowers. I just think these plants are so neat.

Castor Bean plants are impressive. Their huge, 5 –11 lobed, star-shaped leaves can reach 3 feet in length. The plant’s coarse texture makes a bold statement in a garden, and contrasts nicely with fine textured companions. They look attractive in groups, or as individual specimen plants. There are numerous varieties of ornamental Castor Beans. Many have been selected for bright red or purple foliage, instead of typically green leaves. Leaf shapes and plant size distinguish other varieties. I am not sure what variety this plant might be, but it is really pretty.

Castor Bean flowers do not have petals and rely on the wind for pollination. The flowers are separate sexed flowers on the same plant. Flowers are found in clusters, with the male blossoms below and the female blossoms above. Male flowers senesce shortly after shedding their pollen, while the female flowers develop ½ -1 inch long capsules covered with soft spines. The capsules open at maturity, revealing 3 smooth, attractive, ½ inch long seeds that come in black, gray, brown, yellow-brown, maroon and white colors. Each seed seems to have its own unique color pattern. It is the seeds of Castor Bean plants that have been of interest. They contain a valuable oil, but also some extremely toxic compounds.

Castor oil makes up about 50% of the weight of the seeds. Most of the world’s production of castor oil goes into lubricants for fine machinery and auto engines, plastics, paints, inks, soaps, linoleum, dyes, leather preservatives, waxes, polishes, cosmetics, candles, and crayons. Hundreds of medicinal uses have been claimed over the years, with purgative, laxative, and general cure all properties cited most frequently. Ingesting large quantities of the oil can result in poisoning, and many medical professionals feel the oil is a dangerous ingredient in a variety of folk remedies.



Brown Beans & Cornbread

My husband made brown beans in the crock pot. Normally he cooks brown beans on top of the stove in a dutch oven or large stock pot. The top of the stove method is to bring the pot to a boil and then turn down on low and let them cook for several hours until they are done. This crock pot cooking is such a good way to put something on in the morning and have ready to eat when you arrive home from work! With his crock pot beans he washed two pounds of pinto beans and picked out the goofy looking ones. He dumped the beans in the crock pot and added fourteen cups of water.  

Normally we add ham hocks or bacon ends or salt pork to the pinto beans, but this time he took a canned ham from the cabinet, cut it into little square pieces and put in with the beans. He also chopped one medium onion and added to the beans.

Next he added garlic powder, salt, pepper and a couple sprinkles of red pepper flakes. He does not measure so the amount is to your individual taste. He is not crazy about the red pepper flakes, but I love them. Stir everything together and put the lid on the crock pot.

He cooked the beans on high for seven hours. And the beans were just perfect. He likes to eat his brown beans in a bowl with lots of bean juice. You can see in the photo he was able to have enough. If you do not want so much juice cut back on the water a little bit. Just make sure you have enough water to cook the beans. They soak up a lot so I would use 12 cups for sure.

2 pounds pinto beans = $2.00

1 pound canned ham = $2.50

1 medium onion = .50

salt, pepper, garlic powder, red pepper flakes 

Approximately $5.50 for the entire pot of brown beans!

The bean package said 13 servings per pound of beans...now that made me laugh...if those fools think there's 26 servings in this pot they must have a really small bowl! 

YOU HAVE TO HAVE CORNBREAD WITH BROWN BEANS...

Shawnee Best White Corn Meal Mix made according to package directions: 2 cups corn meal mix, 1 1/2 cups milk, 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons melted oil. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put the oil in a cast iron skillet and place in the oven. Mix the rest of the ingredients together. Pour the hot oil out of the skillet into the mix. Stir and pour the mixture into the skillet. Bake at 400 degrees approximately 35 minutes until golden brown. Yield: 16 two inch squares.

Ok we are not going to get 2 inch squares out of a round cast iron skillet! My husband loaned his good ten inch cast iron skillet to our daughter and she forgot where she got it and kept it!! Bless his heart, he loved that skillet and we have not found a replacement.  He has to cook cornbread in two eight inch skillets. We get four pieces of corn bread out of each skillet so that is only 8 servings. NOTE: The reason for heating the oil in the skillet is to obtain the golden brown crust on the bottom of the cornbread like the example above.

He makes the best cornbread. Sometimes he adds jalapeno peppers or corn or onions or cheese to the cornbread and sometimes he puts them all in at once. You did note that he uses Shawnee Best White Corn Meal Mix because it is MADE IN OKLAHOMA!

Spray Paint Clean Up

For some reason when I use spray paint, I end up with the paint all over at least two fingers and under my finger nails. I tried lots of things to get the paint off and ended up with red sore fingers. I do not like to use chemicals, so I just put up with the results of scraping the paint off.

One day after spray painting something I was at the sink washing my hands and trying to get the paint off. I looked up and saw the sponge. I put a little extra dish soap on the green scrubbing side of the sponge and the paint came off with out leaving my fingers sore! Duh...why did I not think of that sooner. It took half as much time and had better results. Hope you can use this tip.

Onion

The kind does not matter white, green, yellow or red onions are all good. We eat them raw or cooked or cooked in something. We like the sweet ones and the not so sweet ones. Onions are a main stay in most of our meals. One of the first things I ask my husband, when we began dating 25 years ago, was his political affiliation and did he like onions. He passed both of those tests! 

My sister-in-law says when she was younger, and had not had time to get supper ready before her husband got home from work, she would quickly saute some onions to make the house smell like she was cooking. She said that would buy her time until she could get the meal fixed. My daughter believes that one should have sauteed onions with every meal too.

These two photos show the artistic beauty of the onion. I really took the photos because I could not believe we had an onion in our house long enough to sprout before we ate it!