Burr Oak Cabin

In 2010, for Carter's third birthday, we planned a summer trip to southeastern Ohio in the area of Hocking Hills. We did our research on potential spots, and finally chose Burr Oak Cabin in Glouster, Ohio. I spoke to the owner of the cabin, who was incredibly cordial, polite, and helpful. She answered all of my questions in a timely manner, and I had absolutely zero problems in setting up our stay. During our stay, we accidentally broke a lamp, and she was kind enough to allow us to send a check in the mail to cover it. She even sent us the prices she had researched on the lamp.

The cabin was only $100 per night, so it fit into our budget, plus it had all the amenities we needed. And when I say "all," I mean all. Once we arrived, we realized that we had over-packed.

From the Burr Oak Cabin website.

The place was accommodating. It fit 6 adults and a 3-year-old comfortably--very comfortably. There were two bedrooms---plus a fully-enclosed back porch with a pull-out sofa bed.

This is the fully-enclosed back porch. It was super comfortable at night.

Carter in the covered back porch. They had crayons, games, toys, and paper readily available!

The living room had plenty of comfortable seating, a DVD player and VCR--plus a small amount of movies for both. There were enough window A/C units to keep the place nice and cool--even though we spent most of our time outdoors. There were alarm clocks in both bedrooms, an ironing board, an iron, bath towels, all the soap and shampoo/conditioner that you need, and even a blow dryer.

Next time, we won't have to pack much at all. And I'm pretty sure there will be a next time.

The kitchen was fully equipped with all appliances, including a microwave. A dining room table was in the open kitchen with seating for five. There were dishes, cookware, utensils, kitchen towels, dish detergent, paper towels, coffee filters, and a coffee maker.

I mean, seriously. What do you have to bring that isn't already there? This place was outstanding! It exceeded our expectations.

Outside, there was a beautiful back deck that overlooked the woods of Burr Oak State Park--you could even see the shimmer of the lake below in between the trees. There was seating for four, plus a table for four. There was a gas grill and an outdoor fire pit, and my favorite outdoor accommodation was of course, the hammock.

Because who doesn't love to just lie around all day?

The deck from the hammock, near the fire pit.



The deck was on a steep hill, overlooking the woods.

 

As if that weren't enough, the cabin is literally right around the corner from Burr Oak State Park. Here, we enjoyed swimming, fishing, canoeing, and boating--the scenery was absolutely breathtaking. We were even able to witness a storm coming in from our canoes--the beauty of nature was just plain incredible. Below, you'll see the lake from our pontoon.

 

These pictures do not do it justice. Rolling hills surrounded us on every side. It was magnificent.

Carter caught his first fish at Burr Oak State Park.

Oh, but wait, there's more! The cabin is only about 45 minutes away from Nelsonville, Ohio, where you can enjoy a scenic train ride and stop at an old log-cabin city from the mid-1800s, complete with an old school house and general store.

This was an old two-story log cabin built in the mid-1800s.

Check out the low roof! This was inside of one of the log cabins.
It was a one bedroom house and the original owners had 9 kids.
Could you imagine?

 

Carter in the one-room school house, wearing a dunce cap.

There were also animals to check out in the little old town, like a boa and a hawk.

Our stay in Glouster, Ohio at Burr Oak Cabin is one of the best memories that I have. I have literally become homesick for this place. I miss the cabin, I miss the woods, but most of all, I just miss the area. There are no photographs that could capture the beauty of this area of Ohio. It's a rare gem, that's for sure. The wildlife, the trees, the peace, the serenity--so many untouched areas. It's amazing, to say the least.

From where we live--near Dayton--it was a two and a half hour drive, but the stay was worth every mile and every gallon of gas.

Foodies: Crockpot Meals Are My Friend

Just a quick post today.

I'm probably behind the times, but I had no idea that they had "kits" for crockpots, complete with vegetables, meat, and seasonings.

My husband came home the other day with a roast, seasonings, and veggies, all in one container. He paid about $8 for the kit at Walmart. How freakin' easy is that? I popped all of that goodness into the crockpot, and 6 hours later, with little work, I ended up with a delicious meal. I baked some homemade biscuits to go with it. They looked so awesome that my husband didn't even think they were homemade.

Now, I'm sorry to disappoint, but I was too busy eating the roast, so I forgot to take an after picture. But the before picture is above. Later, I realized that I had dropped the whole onion and whole potatoes into the pot...I wasn't sure if you're supposed to cut them? I ended up halving the potatoes and slicing the onion, just in case.

It was fantastic!

Making it Official!

When I first had the idea to start a blog called Mommy's Castle a little over month ago, I was super excited about it. I wanted a place where I could express myself and talk about my personal life and family life. My other blog, Freelance Lady, is serious and business-y, and while I still love it and post regularly, my readers over there want to find ways to earn money online--not to read about my daughter taking off her diaper and running away from me.

So, here we are--Mommy's Castle. Did you notice that it is now a .com? That's right! I purchased a top-level domain today to kind of make it "official," so to speak. After I redirected it, my excitement shot through the roof! I have so many plans for this blog!

I know it's just a domain name, but man, I feel like I finally have a place to call my own--where I can kick off my shoes, talk about my sanity, and wear yoga pants everyday without anyone having anything to say about it (except maybe the miniature people who live here, too).

It feels...comfortable.

So, c'mon everyone--share this journey with me!

Busy, busy, busy!

I. am. exhausted.

Life has been so busy lately.

The kids and I went to the Boonshoft Museum with my friend and her daughter. It was fantastic! I was surprised that Ireland enjoyed it (she just turned one) as much as she did. Clearly it's a place for kids of all ages. Score!

On Tuesday, I spent about 2 hours grocery shopping. Fortunately for me, the stores weren't busy at all. Double score!

I spent the middle of the week trying to plan with friends so that I could get out of the house while the weather was nice. That turned out to be a disaster. I should never plan because when I do, it always falls through! Seriously. Never fails.

On Saturday, we went to Carriage Hill for a Maple Sugaring event. The kids were totally not into it, so we just went back to the barn and let them play in the old schoolhouse. Again, no recent photographs. Although, here is one of Carter there a few years ago.

My mother and Carter.

I meant to spend today relaxing since I'm back on the e-schooling grind tomorrow, but of course, today ended up being a day that I just have to do something. I can't win.

I literally spent 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. prepping, cooking, and cleaning the kitchen afterward. I had no idea that learning to cook dinner rolls from scratch was so time consuming. Sheesh! They turned out beautifully, however. Shame on me for not taking a photo. -_-

I made chicken strips, mashed potatoes, green beans, macaroni and cheese, dinner rolls, and brownies. Of course on my one day to relax, I go all out.

Anyway, moving along, my lovely daughter turned one on the 13th.


Doesn't she look enthused?



Now she certainly does.

I can't believe it. Time is an illusion, for sure. Jeeeeez! I swear, I feel like just yesterday she was in her swing, sleeping all the time. Now, her swing can't even move her chunky butt and she runs around the house chasing her brother. Cherish these moments, people.

I also spent some time this week experimenting with food. Ever since I made that amazing lasagna using The Pioneer Woman's recipe, I've been a cooking machine.

I made a creamy chicken pasta (with bacon, might I add) and I also made enchiladas.



This was an interesting concoction that turned out to be amazing!
Recipe coming soon!

My enchiladas!
Recipe coming soon!

 I've also managed to try out some new nail art.

Those cuticles need cleaned up!

Unfortunately, being that I do dishes 56 times per day, the polish never lasts--even with a top coat. Any advice for this?

Finally, I was amazed when Carter showcased his art skills by drawing a picture of his daddy.

How awesome is that? His art courses are really paying off.

How has your week been?

E-School: Mud Brick House Project

Carter was studying ancient Mesopotamia a few months ago (in the first grade--I thought that was a bit advanced, but times are a-changin'), and was learning about mud brick houses, shadufs, and the importance of the rivers, so my husband wanted to create a mud brick model. When you think of a mud brick model, you probably imagine using brown clay, or something of the sort, but no. When my husband wants to do something, he's going to do it with passion.

So, he literally went outside, dug up some dirt, added water (and a little flour, for good measure) and he and Carter created true mud bricks. Of course, they weren't set out to dry in the sun (it was cold), but they were really hard bricks made of mud.

Oh...it doesn't end there.

He looked into the type of mortar that was used back in ancient Mesopotamia and found that one of the ingredients in today's mortar was found in the mortar used way back when. So, he and Carter used regular white mortar (it's not the prettiest when paired with the brown mud bricks, but it helped teach an important part in the construction of mud brick houses) to build the house.

They laid out sand all over the counter to represent the desert area outside of the fertile crescent...

They created a river model with a functioning shaduf...

They created an area for gardening...

They even added little figurines (well, they're soldiers, but my husband explained to Carter when using our imagination, they become ancient Mesopotamians)...

Did I mention there was a little mountain range at the end of the river?

Carter had an awesome time learning about ancient Mesopotamia, and as you can see, so did my husband. ;)

Pregnancy Photos: Don't Be Ashamed.

When I became pregnant with my son many moons ago, I only took two photos of myself when I was pregnant. I wasn't happy with my "baby bump." I thought I was fat. I thought my stretch marks were disgusting. There were times that I told myself, "You don't even look pregnant--you just look fat." I was very, very hard on myself.

I stand at 5 feet, 8 inches, and I weighed 160 pounds when I found out I was pregnant. I had just recently lost about 30 pounds, and I just couldn't believe that I was about to gain most of it back (I actually gained 40 pounds). I loved the idea of having my son, but I hated the idea of looking like, what I deemed, as a "swollen balloon."

And then, I gave birth to my son.

And that's when I regretted not having taken more pictures of my pregnant self.

So, when I found out I was pregnant again 6 years later, I started taking photos of myself. I may not have added my face to the photos, but I took a photo of myself with my bra on showing off my baby bump in all of it's glory.

They may not be professional photos, but I have them!

All real. All beauty.

They're not stretch marks. I'm a tiger, and I earned these stripes!

 

Take it from me, mamas. You will regret it if you don't take maternity photos. Even if you don't want to share your face, even if you don't intend on showing anyone, please, take photos. These moments--these precious moments--are not about how you feel about yourself. It's about how you feel about what's growing inside of you. Your photos are not to please the world. They're about remembering that you, my friend, carried a living, breathing human being inside of your body for nine months.

And after you've taken those beautiful maternity pictures, learn to love that body of yours. It's beautiful. It's real. It's powerful. You created LIFE!

Obsession Confession: Nail Polish, Nail Art

I'm a nail polish junkie. If it has anything to do with nails, you can bet that I love it! My husband is aware of my "addiction," and once went out and spent $60 on nail polish alone. He obviously knows the key to my heart.

I've been thinking about doing a nail art tutorial. I have yet to decide if it will be an image guided tutorial or a video tutorial, nor have I decided what kind of nail art I want to do in my tutorial. Once I get all the details figured out, my readers will be the first to know. ;)

In the meantime, I thought I'd share a bit of my nail art with you.

Enjoy!



Pink natural nails. Black and yellow flower.

 

Red natural nails. White and black tree.
 



Kiss Stick On Strips. Natural nails.

 
Artificial Bengals nails. I painted these.
Artificial nails. White shimmery polish with black/red tips, and a red stripe.
 

Pink artificial nails.

My favorite nail polish brand is Pure Ice. I've been dying to try China Glaze, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. What's your favorite brand of nail polish? Colors?

 

Sick. Of. Winter.

Winter, winter, go away.

Never come back again. Ever.

I'm so tired of it. Seriously.

It has looked like this outside since November.

It makes my stomach sick. Bleh.

Last night, we had another snowstorm which I was kind of excited about. I thought maybe we would get enough snow so that my husband would be able to stay home from work. And the next morning, when I woke up, it looked exactly the same outside. We may have gotten six inches, but it looked the same. I don't know if I expected a beautiful, sparkly snow scene or what, but I damn sure didn't get that.

Okay. Maybe I'm just upset that my husband did have to work. I prefer it when he's home and as usual, I got my hopes up.

I'll never get excited about another snowstorm again...unless it's Christmas.

 

I miss this...



I can't wait until spring.

Lasagna and a Snow Storm

Today has flown by. I woke up at about 7 a.m. and laid around until 9 a.m. By 9:30 a.m., I was heading out to the store to get groceries before the snowstorm (that still hasn't hit yet, by the way--was supposed to be here at 4 p.m.). I came home, and started cooking The Pioneer Woman's Best Lasagna. Ever. My friend sent me the recipe last night, and based on the reviews, I just had to have it.

Success. My husband loves it. And I love it. I almost cried when I tasted it, it was that good. I'm not even exaggerating. Of course, I think maybe next time I'll make more, and maybe even go all out and use buffalo mozzarella, freshly grated parmesan, and fresh herbs, as suggested in the comments. Authentic Italian. Mmmm...

Deliciosa lasaña!

So, now that I'm home and finished, I'm finishing up school with Carter. I love the flexibility, especially since my husband only has two full days off each week, so I have to run errands and grocery shop on weekdays...but if we have to do school at 4 a.m., then we can! Love, love, love it!

Well, it's starting to get darker outside. I think the weather is about to change up. Ready to be snowed in, Ohio?! I am...but only because my husband doesn't have to work tomorrow if it's too bad.

Winter-Induced Antisocial Disorder

Here I am complaining again.

Winter has been absolutely miserable. I feel like it's been snowing since October. The temps have been frigid to say the least. We have been stuck indoors.

Since Carter is schooled through a virtual public school, he has rarely gotten out of the house, and that makes for a very antsy child. My 11-month-old has been very whiny, and I've been on edge for the past week. We've been a moody bunch.

Today, I decided to lighten the mood a bit so I invited my friend and her daughter over. Her daughter is around the same age as Carter, so I figured they could play while my friend and I discussed how depressing the winter has been. Sounds fun, right?

The first fifteen minutes were great. The kids were running around the house, laughing and having a grand ol' time. My friend and I chit-chatted it up for about 20 minutes (it's so nice to have another female adult to talk to when you're around kids 24-7) and then it started. The kids started tattling on one another. After 30 minutes, they were throwing pillows at each other. After an hour, Carter came in the living room bawling because his friend had spilled his popcorn while they were watching a movie.

Kids.

Surprisingly, they lasted another hour before Carter came out and in front of my friend and I, shouted, "I just want her to leave!"

How rude?!

I apologized for my son's impolite mouth, and luckily, my friend (being a mother, too), completely understands what was going on in Carter's head. They left shortly after, but man, I feel like Carter has forgotten how to socialize. He's also forgotten his manners.

Come to think of it, I have forgotten how to socialize, too. Talking about the weather isn't exactly my idea of a social get-together. Huh.