Ashley's Ocean View

07/02/2023

Anyone that knows me knows I am bad with technology, but I keep trying. I tease that my Smartphone hasn't made me any smarter. That being said, I wanted to comment on a wonderful review from one of our recent guests that I just read. This is the only way I could figure out how to do it. I hope she sees it. I am so thankful you chose AOV for your vacation & am so happy you loved it. We try our best to keep it updated & maintained, which can be unbelievably difficult as times. Every visit, we do extra cleaning & try our best to replace anything that is missing, broken, or just worn. We have gotten to enjoy AOV more this past year than ever, because Scott is now retired. I always call our time there our working vacations - we clean, we fix, we paint, we whatever it needs - but actually enjoy it (well, most of the time) as a family. It can be tiresome, but so worth it & reading a review like this is very much appreciated. You made my day. Thanks again, Sherry from Nashville!

06/04/2023

I keep seeing everyone's beach pictures, so I decided to post a few. The first is my view from our porch, but the second is a more accurate view. We are having a quick work trip. Oh the neverending joys of home ownership. I actually have fun working with him, but don't tell him.

05/25/2023

I keep seeing posts of pictures from the Forgotten Coast & I miss it so much. I can hardly wait until our next visit. Until then, I will enjoy all these pictures along with my memories. Thank you for posting them.

03/13/2023

Hazel & I just got back from our beach house. We had some work to finish that Scott & I had to leave on our last visit. We had planned on coming back in a week, but life happens. Over a month later, I had to do it, because we had guests scheduled to come in. Unfortunately, Scott couldn't come with me, so my mom did. She can't do much, but is great company. I would like to thank my precious uncles for coming to my rescue. I couldn't have finished in time without them. They have the biggest hearts. I had so much fun with them, but always do. My favorite part of this trip was sitting out on the porch after dark with them talking & laughing for hours while feeling the ocean breeze, smelling the fresh air, & hearing the waves roll in. I can hardly wait to do it again.

03/10/2023

FULL recipe here --->>> https://myincrediblerecipes.com/pineapple-lemonade/
Pineapple Lemonade

03/10/2023

⚡ BUTTERBEER COOKIES ⚡
Print the recipe: https://funmoneymom.com/easy-butterbeer-cookies/

Filled with rich butterscotch flavor and white chocolate chips, these butterbeer cookies make the perfect treat for Harry Potter fans (or just people that love butterscotch)!

03/10/2023

Cranberry Sauce:

Before the holidays I always buy several bags of fresh cranberries to make our own homemade cranberry sauce. I also like to can it because we eat it throughout the year with chicken, turkey, and whatever takes our fancy :)

I made a couple of batches before the Holidays and put the rest in the freezer. At least I thought I put all the bags in the freezer. Imagine my happy surprise when I discovered I still had 4 bags of cranberries in my fridge and they were still in great condition.

So, I took those 4 bags and made cranberry sauce and canned it today. The 4 bags of cranberries gave me 12 half-pint jars of yummy cranberry sauce!

Whole berry cranberry sauce is really easy to make and is so much better than the store bought kind!

The recipe on the back of the bag has changed slightly so my post will reflect the new recipe.

Ingredients: -
1 bag of Cranberries - 12 ounces
1 1/2 cups of water
1 1/2 cups of sugar

Directions:
Bring water and sugar to a boil - stirring from time to time
Boil for 5 minutes - stirring occasionally
Add cranberries and return to a boil
Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes

While it's simmering I take a potato masher and mash the cranberries a bit to break them down some (you could use a wooden spoon to do this or even a tablespoon - stirring and mashing). We've found we like the consistency when we break down the cranberries a bit. This is a totally optional part though and you can leave the cranberries more whole if you prefer them that way.

If you're canning your cranberry sauce...

Put water in your water bath canner and add a splash of white vinegar to help keep the jars from becoming cloudy.

Turn the heat on to heat up the water

I fill my jars with tap water and put them in the canner to have my jars heated when I'm ready to fill them.

When I'm ready to fill the jars -
I pour the water out of the jars

Fill the heated jars with cranberry sauce to 1/4 inch headspace

Wipe the rims with a clean paper towel that has a bit of vinegar on it or just dampened with water.

Put on the flat lid and ring/band and tighten it finger tight

Put the filled jars in your water bath canner (which you've had on the stove heating the water).

Make sure the water covers the jars by at least an inch.

When the water comes to a boil start timing... boil for 10 minutes.

Remove jars using your canning tongs and place them on a clean towel on your counter.

Listen for the 'ping' letting you know your jars are sealing!

When the jars are sealed and cool,

Remove the rings/bands,

Wipe the jars clean,

Label your jars with the content and date.

The jars you see in the picture represent a quadruple batch.
For each single batch I get 3 half-pint jars.

Enjoy!!

03/10/2023

Grape Jelly

Last night my husband informed me that we were almost out of grape jelly so, today I made more!

01/24/2023

Our new boardwalk!

01/13/2023

We are getting a new boardwalk, but I am going to miss this one. It's as crooked as can be, but my husband fixed this after the hurricane. As you can see, he is no carpenter, but did the job when we couldn't get anyone else to do it. I can still see him & his dad working on it every time I look at it. We do need a new one, but it will never make me as happy as this one does just by looking at it. Memories!

10/07/2022