The December Project Revisited in July

It must be a cold day in July... The guys came to work on the remaining portion of the Winter /December Project.

The work is being done on the bay window area between floors on the north side of the house.
It was previously covered with cedar shakes.
Insulating foam board was applied over the Tyvek over the plywood to gain additional insulation value in this area.Aluminum flashing was installed over the foam board.

The new shakes are made of the same material as the new siding (Hardie "cement board"), however, 5/16" thick vs the 5/8" thick siding. This difference in thickness allowed us to use the additional 3/4" insulating foam board in this area.

We had hoped they would finish this area in one day, but the 96 degree heat definitely affected the outcome.

So, the Winter Project continues... Stay tuned for future updates.

Thanks for visiting the Americus Garden Inn blog. We'd love to see you in person. Maybe in the fall? Remember, the Plains Peanut Festival is in September and the Andersonville Historic Fair is in October.

Deneen Stoneware Mugs Coming Soon to Americus

Years ago, when we first started looking for a B&B (we've been at the Americus Garden Inn almost 9 years...), we first fell in love with these beautiful mugs made by a company called "Cloth and Clay".

Many people collect these mugs in different styles and colors.

The company is now known as "Deneen Pottery" but the mugs are still the beautiful, HANDCRAFTED, stoneware - MADE IN THE USA!

We are working with Niles Deneen to decide on a style (or two) and a color (or two or three or four). He sent us these samples to experience Deneen mugs first hand. (Yes, the pun was intended...)

This is where we would like your help.

If you collect these mugs, do you have a particular style or color that you collect? If you have never seen these mugs before, please let us know, would you be interested in purchasing one with a beautiful emblem on the front featuring our gorgeous home along with "Americus Garden Inn", of course? Lastly, what color or colors would you like to see?

We truly appreciate your input on this project as the mugs will be for YOU, our wonderful guests and friends. I'm not going to tell you which one is my favorite, but, once I started using it, I haven't switched back to my old mug. You can view all the styles and colors at www.deneenpottery.com.

Thank you so much for visiting our blog today. We look forward to your comments and suggestions. FYI: Americus Garden Inn Signature Blend coffee tastes even better in a Deneen mug!

We're Going Bananas with Banana Muffins

You know the old saying, “When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade”? Well, when life gives me over-ripe bananas, I make banana muffins. Don’t throw those bananas in the trash! Put them in the refrigerator (or the freezer) and when you have 30 minutes, make these muffins.

I'll bet you have most of the ingredients on hand. Banana muffins taste best a day or two after baking, so, I'm making them right now for tomorrow. First thing, line the muffin tins. This recipe makes 12 muffins.

Measure the flour into a sifter or wire strainer. I used 1 cup of all purpose and 1/2 cup of whole wheat.

Both flours ready to go

Baking soda almost always has a few lumps, so, the strainer takes care of that.

I skimp a little on the sugar. Look, there are lumps in my sugar, too.

Whisk all dry ingredients through the strainer into the bowl.

Looks perfect.

Add the chips to the dry ingredients and whisk. I just happened to have peanut butter chips and chocolate chips. You can use white chocolate, dark chocolate, walnuts, pecans, raisins, sunflower seeds - whatever you like with bananas.

Perfect.

In a separate small bowl, crack an egg.

Add oil.

At this point, I decided to peel the bananas onto a plastic cutting board. I also set the oven to 400 degrees.

I like to mash the bananas with a fork, but, you can do it in the food processor, if you prefer.

Back to the egg with the oil mixed in.

Add the vanilla to the bowl.

Add the bananas to the bowl.

Mix thoroughly.

Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.

Stir with a rubber spatula just until combined.

Use a scoop to measure the batter evenly

into your 12 prepared muffin cups.

Bake 15 - 20 minutes at 400 degrees or until nicely browned and a toothpick comes out clean.

They look fabulous, don't they? Perfectly domed tops, you can see the chips poking out of the muffins. I'll bet you want one. :)

BANANA CHOCOLATE AND PEANUT BUTTER CHIP MUFFINS

1 cup all purpose flour

½ cup whole wheat flour

½ baking soda

1 cup sugar

½ cup chocolate chips

½ cup peanut butter chips

1 egg

½ cup oil

½ tsp vanilla

3 bananas, mashed

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Line 12 muffin tins with paper liners

3. In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients with chips.

4. In a small bowl, whisk egg with oil and vanilla. Add mashed banana.

5. Mix banana mixture into dry ingredients.

6. Scoop into prepared pan and bake for 15 – 20 minutes.

Try to resist the urge to eat them all right away. They are delicious the day they are baked, but, they are even more delicious the next day.

Thanks for visiting with me in my kitchen at the Americus Garden Inn Bed & Breakfast. Please let me know if you try my recipes.

Glorious June Day in Americus

Finally a beautiful day with temperatures below 90 degrees.A perfect opportunity to enjoy the natural beauty outside.

And share our beautiful home with you.

New stargazer lilies seem to be opening every minute.

The waterlilies are in bloom.

A single pomegranate shows itself on the tree by the gazebo.

The Brown Turkey fig tree

is loaded with figs.

The persimmon tree

is so loaded with fruit that the branches are drooping.

This will be our first crop of persimmons. They are fuyu, non-astringent, persimmons which according to what I have read can be eaten like apples, when ripe. I'll keep you posted!

Unfortunately, our blueberry bushes are not doing well. We asked the agricultural extension agent, Bill Starr, to take a look. He took some photos as he had not seen blueberry bushes with this particular affliction. Hopefully, he can get some help from UGA for us.

Thanks for visiting the Americus Garden Inn blog. Hope you are enjoying your Father's Day weekend. Happy Fathers' Day!