A walk through the Ash Creek Ranch and the Bountiful Orchard

  Our first morning as Mr. and Mrs. Connors, we awoke on a beautiful ranch surrounded by mountains and nature! We are firm believers that life offers up little signs; certain rare moments in life that make you pause and wonder if such a thing as coincidence exists? These are the moments to take notice and this particular morning we stumbled upon a rare encounter. It was one of those chance meetings where you can feel in your heart  that I am supposed to be here right now, at this moment.


Like all of our mornings, we started off this special day with a cup of coffee, our two puppies, and a stroll through nature. Most everyone was still asleep so we sneaked out of the house while all was quiet.

   We wanted to soak up every last minute of this beautiful ranch before we had to pack it all up and head out. Along the driveway leading down to the creek, Hitch the hound  discovered his first peacocks as they darted across the road into the sage brush. Hitch pulled us all the way down the road to investigate these new colorful critters. While he sniffed around, the horses grazing in the pasture spotted us and meandered over our way.  They leaned over the fence looking for a snack while they investigated the puppies. We picked some fresh apples and pears off the fruit trees that line the driveway to feed these hungry horses some early morning snacks! There is just something about these magnificent animals that draw you in, their soothing stature perhaps,  that makes you want to pet them, and your hands always finds that flat spot between those big beautiful eyes.



  Hitch was eager to leave the horses and say good morning to his new friend the burro that lives down by the creek. We made our way back to the beautiful spot by the creek where we became forever husband and wife. Mr. Burro greeted us by his little house under the tree house and we had just enough apples leftover to give him a good treat before the hound was ready to investigate the creek again. The poor babies had  been on a leash for two days and the hound was itching to run. A beautiful pasture filled with flowers and green grass stretched out before us and as soon as the leash left their collar the pups took off. They ran in circles through the grass, rolling in the flowers, and splish-splashing through the creek. We were enjoying a moment of pure bliss when a man  hollered over to us asking if we had a camera. He wanted to show us something in the nearby pasture. We thought it was the owner of the ranch we rented, so a little  curious, we made our way over to him. As we cut through the back side of a pasture we found ourselves on the edge of an orchard. We were also surprised to discover the man wasn't the owner of the ranch we rented but the neighbor Roger, who happens to be a horticulturist. He was just a sweet, happy man and after he introduced himself we set off into his orchard as he shared with us his rare beauties.

While we walked underneath trees of vibrant peaches, apples, and pears he told us all about the varieties and the process he goes through to keep the orchard going. I think he was more surprised than us to find we had a lot in common and here he was thinking we were just some silly city slickers... Before you know it he invited us up to his house so I could get a pail of his very special apples...

  Now for those of you that don't know, there is such a thing as a baking apple and an eating apple. If you have ever bitten into a turnover and had a mouthful of pastry and very little apple, that my friends is because they didn't use a baking apple. As the baking process unfolds and if you chose the correct apple, you will find that they don't shrivel away. 

  Years ago Matt called one night to check in on me and see how I was doing... He asked as he always does, "What's Poobird doing?" Without thinking I replied, "researching apples for my pie." Matthew just started laughing at me. Who researches apples? A poobird does apparently and to this day he gets a kick out of that.

 

Canned goods

  The particular apple that Roger filled my pail this beautiful morning is called a Gravenstein apple.  They used this apple to keep the troops fed during WWII. Now this species of apple is nearly extinct. However, on Ash Creek Ranch it looks like the Gravenstein apple is in good hands and surviving. Now I have a pail full of the perfect cooking apples to test out the Dutch apple pie recipe he gave me to try. When we get home I will have to give this recipe a try and see if it's good enough for my recipe book.

It only takes one bite to realize the Gravenstein apple is not only for cooking but snacking too.   It's the perfect size to pluck and munch on right from the tree! One bite of this crisp apple and your mouth is filled with the perfect blend of sweet-tart flavors.  After years of searching for the perfect all-around apple...this Gravenstein is definitely the one.

Gravenstein Apples

Not only did Roger have a beautiful thriving orchard but a lovely garden bursting with every vegetable you can think of.  A patch about 30ft by 30ft was overflowing with vegetables closely guarded by one of his many cats. We walked to the back of his patch where he unearthed a perfect little carrot. We stood their discussing his fertilizer techniques while I munched away on the sweetest carrot I have ever eaten. Absolutely no need to alter this thing of beauty in any way, just pull it straight up from the garden and enjoy. Before I left his little garden patch I had a couple carrots, green beans and fresh ears of corn. We chatted a while longer before we said our goodbyes and promised to come back for the Apple Harvest Festival in October. We left Roger with an armload full of goodies. Freshly picked produce, apples, canned tomatoes, peach preserves, pickles, and a book entitled Patriots: A Novel of Survival In The Coming Collapse. If Matt and I had the money, we would buy the vacant land next door tomorrow and start working on our own ranch.  We could make do for ourselves, and we'd welcome friends and family to a place to gather and live off the land.

The 13th of October is the Apple Harvest Festival in New Harmony, UT and we plan to make our way back over there to support Roger and his ranch this fall. Plus it's for a good cause, we'll be supporting a small farmer and the New Harmony volunteer firefighters as well.  It's rare to find people in this world dedicating their life to something they love and sharing it with others by a chance encounter!

Hand in hand, Matt and I walked away from this beautiful place heading down our new path as Mr. and Mrs. Connors. What a beautiful life we have ahead of us!

Hitch yearning to be a ranch puppy

The tale of a DIY wedding dress!

  I can pin point the exact moment in my life when I decided to make my own wedding dress. It was one of those special days that stand out in your memory so vivid you can recall all the little details. Those are the moments in life that you tuck away in your heart.

Right on main street, in a little "old Florida" town, stood my  very own castle. A  Victorian home, built in the late 1800's and one of the original structures to the town. That old house holds some of the happiest memories of my life.

 My grandparents bought it early on in their marriage and raised their children (my father) in it and then their grandchildren.

Wearing my favorite nightgown of Grandma's

We spent many an afternoon rocking back and forth on the handmade rocking chairs that lined the wrap around porch. The house was built long before a/c existed and during the summers the house would be sweltering. My sister and I loved to sit out there with an ice cream sandwich , enjoying every last morsel of the cold, sticky treat before it melted away.  The heat was enough to force my sister and I  outside, into our secret fort under the walnut trees. We would spend hours in the tree talking.  If we ventured into the house we would plop down in front of the oscillating fan just waiting for a blast of air to cool your hot, damp skin.

The heat and humidity caused the layers of wall paper to peel away revealing the different decades. Some  corners of the house never saw the sun's rays, and floor length bookcases lined the walls. One room in particular was a mysterious place to lose yourself in. It was a huge room chalked full of treasures in precarious piles and all of it covered under a layer of dust. Floor length windows were revealed as you pushed away the heavy curtains. A pool of sunshine would illuminate beautiful old paintings tucked away into the corners, piles of antique furniture and boxes of trinkets.Exploring the dark corners of this house, perusing the endless rows of old books, and being surrounded by antique everything is how I acquired my love of vintage treasures. 

The tale of this special dress started one afternoon during an overnight visit at the grandparent's house. I loved to play dress up as a little girl and my Grandmother would always indulge my desires. Walking into her closet was like stepping into a little girls fantasy.  She had an array of clothing dating back decades. My favorite were always the dresses she wore as a young lady. Unfortunately, many of those early dresses didn't fit since she was the size of a toothpick but what a stunning woman she was. 

Whenever, I came to spend the night she always let me pick out one of her gowns to wear. I would pull open the bottom drawer of her dresser and see it spilling over with lace, silk, and chiffon. I had one gown in particular that was my favorite. I wore it almost every time I came over. It was a baby doll gown made of delicate French lace for the bodice and then pooled out into a generous layer of soft pink chiffon. I used to love to flounce down the grand staircase or dance over the old creaky floor boards with chiffon twirling around my legs.

Of course it was much too big to fit properly on my little girl body so after I had it picked out she would open the top drawer of her dresser and an amazing array of jewelry would spill out before your eyes. She always pinned the excess lace for me with a beautiful cloisonne broach.

  Time seemed to stop inside my Grandmother's room that afternoon. As the sunlight poured in through the windows we stood in front of her wardrobe admiring her beautiful collection of dresses as she told me the stories behind each one. It was then that she started to tell me the story of how she and Grandpa married.

Late night

Back in those days it wasn't unusual at all for women to be married off by the ripe old age of 18 but her mother was against such a young marriage. Not only was she too young in her mother's eyes but too good to be marrying a penniless Gypsy boy.If she truly wanted to get married she would have to do it on her own and make her own wedding dress.
And so without another thought my Grandmother set out to make her dream come true. She married my grandfather and they had a happy life together for over 50 years.
 After all those years, tucked safely away in a ceder hope chest is the wedding gown she made for herself. The hope chest sat at the end of her bed, holding a precious treasure. While she told me the story of their courtship she knelt down and opened the ceder chest. Inside was a pool of cream, silk. I didn't dare to touch it and ruin this beautiful dress. She pulled it out for me to look at and in her full length mirror I held it up and twirled around like Cinderella.
Even though I couldn't sew and I was only a child, I knew at that moment I would follow in her footsteps and make my own gown...

  The day finally arrived for me to carry on the tradition.

Now you might think after such a moment I would take up sewing and have been practicing all these years but the truth is I didn't even touch a sewing machine until just this past December.  It wasn't until my 25th birthday this past year that I gave sewing a try for the first time. I strictly thought I would use it for utility type needs but after my first project I knew I would love this hobby.  I started off with my little owls and then made my first skirt. From there I made my first dress and then decided I would sew my wedding dress.

It was an ambitious goal considering this was to be my second dress and only third piece of clothing I had ever sewn. To top it all off, I had six weeks to get it done in between making all the other decorations, working on our business, and taking care of Matt. For those of you that don't know, taking care of Matt is a full time job in itself... I love you honey ;)

Layer 1 the lining

layer 2 the silk

layer 3 the lace

Those six weeks flew by! One day I was picking out my fabric at Joanne's and cutting out the pattern. The next thing I know I am fiddling with the darn bustle a couple days before the ceremony and freaking out over the invisible zipper installation. Seriously, the invisible zipper almost did me in. I even had to recruit Matt to help me since his brain is hardwired for more technical instructions. Between the instructions, my sewing book, and a YouTube video, we managed to figure it out. Once I had that done sewing it in took only minutes. This is a prime example of what a good team Matt and I make:)


The entire process of creating this dress was worth those long nights and moments of frustration. Anyone who sews knows what I am talking about. It was thrilling to watch the pattern come to life after I completed each new layer. Once I attached the bodice I could see the dress in it's final stages. That beautiful lace and cream Dupioni silk I fell in love with on the bolt were just what I envisioned after I  fashioned it into a one of a kind gown. I felt like a total princess twirling around in my gown!

The finished product

 The crowning piece to this dress is a large flower in the middle of the belt. The material I used to make the flower is a piece from my grandmother's wedding dress. She was married to the love of her life until he passed away. In fact, both of my grandparents were happily married all of their lives. They always said, "If you can make it to your 25th wedding anniversary it's smooth sailing from there."  There is nothing more romantic than seeing your grandparents holding hands or sneaking a kiss... One day, Matt and I will be that old couple sneaking in a kiss or two...


 

My New Home Janome Sewing Machine: A garage Sale Score

One day I will look back and say, "My little Brother sewing machine on my 25th birthday was the start of all this..."

Adjusting the tension

I couldn't have known then that I would develop a love of sewing and begin to re-examine all my clothing and how I could make them better. Not only clothing but blankets, curtains, quilts, children's toys, totes and maybe even dog toys... At least Matt thinks I should start making dog toys. I just know that after I spend a few hours cutting, pressing, and sewing the little critter our dogs will have it in pieces in a matter of minutes. All that hard work scattered among my floor like a crime scene. Such a disheartening thought. Of course, paying 20 bucks for a toy and it only lasting 10 minutes is equally disturbing. Maybe one day I will develop a line of critter toys for the dogs.

In the meantime I have slowly been acquiring the necessary tools to have my own little seamstress shop... It's amazing what you can find at the garage sales when you have your eye on sewing notions... The last couple I have been to I have walked away with sewing machines, yards and yards of fabrics, and enough thread to have every color under the sun...

New Home 921 Sewing Machine

One of my favorite finds has been a vintage New Home sewing machine manufactured by Janome... The older sewing machines are built like tanks... All metal, none of this flimsy, plastic business and it will last a few lifetimes. This particular model is a New Home 921.... I love the flat sewing surface and now that I have it joined with my other desk I have plenty of room for my larger sewing projects. I use the metal tank for all my straight stitches and it works like a dream. Nice, steady even stitches. You  do have to play with the tension a little more and it took 30 min or so to get the bobbin wound, needle threaded, tension adjusted, and settings figured out for the first time. I can sew through thick layers of material without a hiccup unlike my Brother sewing machine... I thought the poor thing was going to have a seizure when I tried sewing through multiple layers.  I also love the bright lamp that is hidden in this machine. A good light source is very helpful when your sewing. It cracks me up every time I see Matt sit down at my first sewing machine with his head lamp on... Not anymore:)

I spent hours looking for a free manual for this machine before I finally broke down and purchased a digital copy over the internet. Absolutely ridiculous to have to pay for a digital copy that you have to print out on your own. So to anyone that needs the owner's manual to the New Home 921 sewing Machine please click here-> Sewing Machine Manual
 Information should be free on the internet!

My latest addition  was a dress form from Joanne's. I did break down and purchase this new but it was a $100 bucks off plus an additional 30%. I am in love with this thing. It took some serious time and the help of a dear girlfriend to get my measurements and apply them to the dress form.

We thought it would take an hour or so to get it all figured out but we were up half the night working on this challenge. As I began sewing my dress and adjusting the measurements to my body I discovered that I couldn't even zip it up on the dress form. The feeling of dread filled my heart as I looked at my wedding dress a few sizes too small hanging on the dress form. But I was so careful with the measurements, how on Earth did I get so off track? So I snatched it off and tried the sucker on before I went any further. I let out a huge sigh of relief when it zipped up without a hitch and fit like a glove. Even though I spent all that time gathering my measurements and adjusting the dress form to my body size, it still wasn't perfect. So the dress form is nice to have around for styling and seeing your clothing take shape. I couldn't imagine sewing a dress without it and will definitely use it from here on out. However, I would still suggest trying on your garments at various stages through the sewing process and fitting them to your body not the dress form. 

DIY Wedding bands: A Tale of Two Rings

  Since we began prospecting together, I've always had the idea to mine all the gold we needed to make our own wedding bands!  Instead of running about to various jewelry stores and hoping to find something that you both may like, why not just start from scratch and create something together that you would love and cherish?  Something that is forged from a labor of love, memories, experiences, and creativity you brought forth together.  Something that you cannot put a price tag on and is irreplaceable...Hence, the long journey and story behind our wedding bands.

Thermal City Mine, NC

  The wedding band is a very important part and symbol of marriage.  The circle signifies our eternal love and devotion and the joining of two halves to form a whole. The center hole represents our journey into the future together and it's made of a precious metal, millions of years old. Mined by our very own hands, we had this gold  forged into bands that symbolize our love and devotion in this life and the next.

 It all started back in North Carolina on our third anniversary when we visited our first gold mine together and actually found some gold at the Thermal City Mine.  I thought to myself, "How neat and special would that be to fabricate our own wedding bands from the gold we actually dug up by ourselves?"  I then shared that idea with Jenn and joked with her that we couldn't get married until we acquired enough gold for our rings.

Tell them Jenn-n-Matt sent ya'!!!

  Well, fast forward several years and low and behold we ended up buying our own gold claim shortly after relocating to the west and establishing a new life for ourselves.  So, the work began of exploring our claim over many different trips and getting all the needed logistics into place to start prospecting for gold in a very unforgiving environment!  We were pleasantly surprised when all of this hard work began to pay off and we started to find the yellow stuff to add to our little wedding band nest egg!  On a side note, I even wanted to dig her up her own diamond for the engagement ring from the Arkansas Crater of Diamonds State Park when moving out this way but unfortunately the weather and time didn't cooperate with  us!  I believe she is much more happier though with the diamonds she ended up with on her engagement ring! Wink, wink!   A huge and heartfelt  "Thank You!" for Mom for passing down a beautiful family heirloom that will be forever cherished!

  Throughout our travels, we were fortunate enough to meet some wonderful people who owned the Techatticup mine in Nelson, NV. and we shared our idea with them about the rings.  Well, they were nice enough to refer us to someone here in Vegas that could forge our gold and ideas into the wedding bands we had been so excited about all of these years! 

Gold Casters Jewelry, Henderson, NV (702) 565-7411

  

Welcome to Gold Casters Jewelry in Henderson, NV.  This store has been in business since the early 1980's and we can see why; from the moment we met the owner Michael and explained  our ideas to him, he and his staff were very supportive and welcoming in every way possible.  They reassured us that they were highly skilled, capable, and knowledgeable in handling this unusual request!  Sadie even agreed to help document and capture the entire process on camera, from start to finish.  We asked, "Well, where do we begin?"  They essentially guided us through the whole process, since neither of us had any experience in this area before.  Sadie made recommendations on karat weight and shape, plus provided personal touches that made you feel like family there.  From sizing, to design, to all the little details you normally wouldn't think about, they had it covered! They began work right away and were also on a dead line of about 3 weeks to complete this special undertaking before our big day.  Once again, no problem!  They had them done several days early!  Michael and his staff kept us abreast of their progress and we were able to visit them on several occasions to see this transformation for ourselves! 
    

Wax mold of Matt's band, unique and meaningful!  Semper Fidelis with a skull and crossbones: Always Faithful and Til' Death do us part.

Wax mold of Jenn's band: A desert scene complete with a roadrunner, paw prints, mountains, rising sun, and a Saguaro cactus!

 

 

Our raw gold ready to be smelted down into our bands... We had raw gold mixed with a little key charm we found metal detecting years ago in Florida. So...we gave them our gold and came up a little short, no problem, they had the extra raw material needed to complete our bands! 

Matt's ring after being poured

Jenn's ring after being poured... It looks like a little ugly duckling right now. Looking at that you wouldn't know that was a gold band. 

And wallah...our finished, polished gold wedding bands that literally started from scratch and an idea years earlier!  They turned out perfect to our liking and design.  Some may think it's odd or unusual to go about this in this fashion but we feel it's an accurate representation of how we enjoy being a little different than the modern day norms.  What cannot be captured in these photos and words, are the excited feelings and anticipation of something that we created together, out of love, which will last with us forever!  

A huge Thanks to Michael and his team at Gold Casters Jewelry!   We cannot speak highly enough about them!

Address is : 34 S Water St, Henderson, Nevada 89015  Or you can reach them at: (702) 565-7411

Address is : 34 S Water St, Henderson, Nevada 89015  Or you can reach them at: (702) 565-7411