Attraction

Tuesday's Travel To Do- Lake Malawi

I have that burning sensation.....to TRAVEL!

Thought I was going to confess something different didn't you? LOL 

Anyways.... I have fallen off my own wagon AGAIN of doing my TTTD but

....well there's no buts, I have no excuses. 

Since I have this burning sensation to travel and it's summer time I'm of course dying to go somewhere beachy. 

If you can't beat em join em...isn't that what they say? 

Well I can't beat the heat but I can at least join in the heat and enjoy it at this lost treasure....

This week's Tuesday's Travel To Do is in AFRICA at Lake Malawi.

Fast Facts: facts found at Wikipedia

• Lake Malawi was officially declared a reserve by the Government of Mozambique on June 10, 2011 in an effort to protect one of the largest and most bio-diverse freshwater lakes in the world.
• This lake, the third largest in Africa and the eighth largest lake in the world, is located between Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania.
• It is the second deepest lake in Africa, although its placid northern shore gives no hint of its depth. This great lake's tropical waters are reportedly the habitat of more species of fish than those of any other body of freshwater on Earth, including more than 1000 species of cichlids.

Info on Choosing a Place to Stay: from Malawi Tourism

Good lodges are now to be found the length of the lakeshore, with a few collections in areas of particular beauty. Between Mangochi and Monkey Bay is a long line of wonderful beaches backed by a variety of accommodation. This Mangochi Lake shore has the Lake’s greatest concentration of lodges and hotels. Monkey Bay is a functional port town, but round the headland is Cape Maclear and the Lake Malawi National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a veritable aquarium of tropical fish. In recent years, a number of high quality lodges have been built in this area. Senga Bay is another place where there are a number of lodges & hotels, and it benefits from being the closest point on the lake to Lilongwe. The stretch between the historic Nkhotakota and the sugar estate town of Dwangwa has a smattering of lodges. Another concentration is found on the Chintheche lake shore, which has some stunning beaches. Nkhata Bay is primarily a port town, but has grown as a centre for independent travellers. The Northern Lake shore beyond Chitimba has fewer lodges, and Karonga, an important archaeological centre, is the only town of note before reaching Tanzania. Across the lake, into Mozambiquan waters, is Likoma Island. Not only does it have some beautiful beaches, and accommodation, but also a missionary-built cathedral the size of Winchester’s. A nearby stretch of the Mozambique shoreline, Manda Wilderness, is a 120,000 hectare community reserve of unspoilt wilderness and white sand beaches.

Things to Do: from World Travel Guide

Scuba Dive

For experienced and beginners see all the wonders of Lake Malawi that lie under the surface by scuba diving

Anglican Cathedral

See the Anglican Cathedral, built by missionaries over 100 years ago, on Likoma Island. Located on the east side of the lake, near the Mozambique shore, the island also offers excellent swimming.

Blantyre

See Blantyre, Malawi's commercial capital and largest town, established at the end of the 19th century. It is really two towns: Blantyre and Limbe, joined by a development corridor. Sights include the National Museum, St Michael and All Angels Church (associated with Dr David Livingstone) and Mandala House (the oldest European building in Malawi).

Cycle Nyika

Cycle through Nyika, Luwawa Forest and along the lakeshore.

Freshwater national park

Visit the world's first freshwater national park and its renowned settings and attractions. Lake Malawi National Park, close to Monkey Bay, lies towards the southern extremity of the lake. Snorkelling or scuba-diving reveals tropical fish and further inland klipspringer, bushbuck and vervet monkeys can be seen.

Go fishing

Go fishing on the southern lakeshore north of Mangochi and at Senga Bay. There are opportunities to fish for yellow fish, lake salmon and lake tiger. Angling for trout is easily arranged at Chelinda on Nyika Plateau and on Zomba Plateau.

Kasungu National Park

Look for elephants during the early mornings and evenings in Kasungu National Park, where they appear to drink from dambos (river channels). The grasslands support large herds of buffalo and some varieties of antelope, such as kudu and reedbuck.

Lilongwe

Explore Lilongwe, Malawi's capital. Alongside the traditional Old Town, with its interesting markets, is the modern city and seat of government with its imaginative architecture in a garden setting.

Lower Shire Valley

Spot the difference in the Lower Shire Valley. Because it is low lying, hotter and dominated by the great river which drains Lake Malawi, this part of the country looks and feels different. There are also vast sugar plantations to see at Sucoma.

Mulanje Massif

Behold the magnificent Mulanje Massif. The highest point of this huge block of mountains, which cover more than 640 sq km (250 sq miles) and rise to over 3,000m (10,000ft), can be see at Sapitwa.

Mzuzu

Discover Mzuzu, the capital of the northern region. There are two game areas in the region: the beautiful and unique plateau of Nyika National Park and the Vwasa Marsh Wildlife Reserve. The famous Livingstonia Mission, with its interesting museum, is nearby.

Nkhotakota

View the many markets, including Nkhotakota, on the central lake shore, which is one of Africa's oldest market towns and was once a centre of the slave trade. Further north is Nkhata Bay, a busy port and market and a favourite stopping place for visitors.

Nyika Plateau

Hike the Nyika Plateau, a popular attraction for trekking and walking. There is excellent walking on the Zomba and Viphya Plateaux and climbing on Mount Mulanje, which, at 3,000m (9,850ft), is the highest mountain in central Africa. Dedza, Michiru, Ndirande and Chiradzulu also offer challenging slopes.

Stunning views

North of Blantyre, be mesmerised by the stunning views at the top of the 2,100m (6,890ft) Zomba Plateau. Its vast forests and waterfalls tower above Zomba, a university town and the former capital.

Watersports

Try out the range of watersports available along the length of Lake Malawi. Snorkelling and scuba-diving are increasingly popular here because of the attraction of seeing the brilliantly coloured fish, the mbuna. Swimming, waterskiing, sailing and kayaking are all available along the lakeshore.

Wildlife and game viewing

Go wildlife and game viewing in the national parks, without the tarred roads filled with convoys of 4-wheel drive vehicles. Top parks and reserves include Nyika, Vwasa Marsh, Liwonde and Lengwe. Due to its unspoilt environment and prolific game, Liwonde National Park is generally regarded as the best game reserve in Malawi. It covers 550 sq kilometres (212 sq miles) of mopane and savanna woodland on the floodplains of the River Shire and Lake Malombe in the south of the country. Wildlife includes large herds of elephant, hippos, crocodiles, antelope, zebra, warthogs, bushback and sable. Visitors can also see lions and leopards, and the river plains are home to many species of bird.

Lake Malawi sounds and looks like the perfect place to do exactly what I want which is soak up the sun, enjoy the great outdoors, and visit somewhere awesome!

HAPPY TRAVELING & HAPPY TUESDAY

Bad Ass Movies

Last night I was watching a movie, Stealth, that I have seen a million times but I love it every time.  It got me thinking about things and then about other movies that are just bad ass movies.  Now let me define my use of bad ass....it's not that they are just action packed or anything it's more that they are the type of movie that makes you want to go out and be like the movie or go do something to emulate the movie that would make you just as awesome as the characters. LOL  Maybe my explanation along with a few examples will help you understand!

Stealth

Now first Jessica Biel is smoking hot in that uniform and her body is just in tip top shape for this role....that alone makes me want to go join the gym and is bad ass #1.  Bad ass #2 is she is part of this elite flight squadron and they know their crap.  Bad ass #3 hellooo.....did you see the co-star guy that's in love with her.  Ok so all this adventure, danger, hot bods, and flying planes has all these bad ass factors and makes me want to go join the Navy or Air Force and be bad ass and do something adventurous!

Urban Cowboy

Urban Cowboy...is a classic and again is one of those movies that I can watch over and over.  I LOVE IT!  I can't even list all the bad ass factors of this movie but mainly it's the dancing.  I love going to the bar and dancing.  There's nothing that will put a smile on my face quicker than my man twirling me around the dance floor, a good ole half-step, or a slow waltz to George Strait.  Urban Cowboy is the movie that at the end of it I have my boots on and I'm ready to head out and cut a western rug! IT'S BAD ASS!

Motocrossed

I was probably 7th or 8th grade when this Disney movie played all the time and me and Colby watched every time it was on.  At the end of the movie, like Urban Cowboy, I was ready to go.  All I needed was a dirt bike and I could have been the best girl dirt bike rider around. LOL  It's just a bad ass movie that gets you pumped up and ready to go.

Now you see what I'm talking about?  It's those movies that get you motivated and they spark something inside of you that makes you want to go out and do something...most of the time that something is relevant to the most recent bad ass movie!

What movies do you feel get you going and make you want to run out and do something fun, crazy, adventurous?

Blanching Squash

Since my garden is doing so well I needed to learn a way to save my bounty.  I don't mind giving some to friends and family but I have A LOT of veggies and I'm not going to pretty much give away money by giving away all of them so I had Lincoln get on the computer to see if we could freeze it.  Of course you can and it's super easy.  Tonight I took about an hour out of my night to prepare probably 10 lbs or more of squash for freezing.  In the end I put 2 gallon bags and 4 quart size bags in the freezer. 

For your own squash saving follow the easy steps below:

Patterns

picture via Bing

Summer Time

Adult summer

swimming pools

tans

bathing suits

cocktails

cookouts

camping

lake

Kiddo summer

no school

no work

free time

sleep overs

late nights

rolling houses (or as some people call it "papering" ??)

boyfriends

Can I have the adult and kiddo summer list rolled into one?  So all the things as an adult pretty much but I would need to quit my job and drop out of summer school! LOL  At this point I will even conceded to one and just quit my job, take all the other things, and still go to summer school.

picture via Bing

Martha for a Weekend

This weekend I did EXACTLY what I intended on doing....NOTHING and if I did do anything it was only the things that I wanted to do.  Mainly I was a little homemaker.....

Saturday:

• Made the best cupcakes ever and got all Martha on them by decorating them fancy and even using my little cupcake tower.  I adapted the recipe from www.allrecipes.com

Best Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 cups water
2 tablespoons vinegar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, 2 cups sugar, cocoa, 1 teaspoon salt and baking soda. Stir in oil, water, vinegar and vanilla until blended. Pour mixture into prepared muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full.

Creamy Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients
2 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
6 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, sift together the confectioners' sugar and cocoa, and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter until smooth, then gradually beat in sugar mixture alternately with evaporated milk. Blend in vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. If necessary, adjust consistency with more milk or sugar.
***********************************************************************************

• Fixed Lincoln's coveralls for work.  Both the pockets had torn away from the butt so I had to sew them back and that was really hard.  I only had a little whole to work with since I didn't want to but the seam on the pant leg!  I was cussing them and him by the end of it. LOL  While I had the sewing machine out I went ahead and made my kitchen curtain that matches the dining room curtains I did back last year.
• I did a little gardening and gathered ANOTHER bag of goodies and also let the chickens have a little holiday by letting them out of the coop ALL day long.
• I also accomplished a bit of laying out and reading my new Sookie Stackhouse novel, Deadlocked.

• Saturday night was low key. Lincoln made breakfast for supper and it really hit the spot.
• In my post on Thursday I mentioned needing a HP fix and unknown to me my TV had been showing HP all day on ABC Family.  I only discovered this when it was almost too late but I set to record all of them and watch them today.

Sunday:

• watched a ton of Harry Potter
• finished Deadlocked
• started James Patterson's 11th Hour

• didn't get up off the couch

I had a great weekend doing NOTHING and it was much needed.  Now I just need to prepare mentally for me week ahead.  I hope everyone has a great Monday.

Sunday

means that tomorrow's Monday. :(

Fresh Picks

Monday I picked my very first vegetables. 

2 banana peppers

Wednesday I picked a few more things.  I wasn't sure when to pick what so I picked what I thought looked good just so I could test things out.

I fried the squash and zucchini that night.  It turned out great.

Thursday at work I did a little research on when is the best time to pick certain crops....the ones I am growing of course and THIS website was the most helpful.  I learned that my Wednesday reaping was a little overdue so Thursday I put my knowledge to work and got bags full of vegetables. 

My bounty (left going clockwise): zucchini, squash, cucumber, okra, some variation of banana pepper, and regular banana peppers

The only things that are missing out of what I planted are watermelon, which they still have a while, tomatoes, jalapenos, and bell peppers.  I am so happy with the way my garden is coming along and I feel like I'm going to be canning and trying out a lot of new recipes to help me use all these crops so they don' waste.  Out of the above picture I took about half of that to my Mom Thursday night.  I also plan on taking a few things to my neighbor today or tomorrow to thank them for lending me tools and things when I need them.

While I was out weeding and inspecting the other night I took some pictures of my garden plus of the animals.  My little hobby farm is coming right along and doing wonderful.  If only I could add my frizzle chicken and I'm dying to get a little pot bellied pig but that is going to have to take a lot of talking into....Lincoln says NO! :(

growing squash

Jalapenos

Okra

tomatoes

baby bell pepper

zucchini

banana pepper

My mature garden

Tyson and Hercules

Saturday with Averie

Last Friday night Averie conned her way into spending the night with MAGAN (which is the way she says my name).  Of course I can't say no to her, so we gathered her things and headed home.  We watched movies and ended up falling asleep but Saturday morning after she slept in until almost 9 we got ready to start our day.  She was really concerned about collecting eggs from the chickens so after I braided her hair and we tried doing a puzzle we headed out to the coop and to feed the dogs.  She loved seeing the chickens and thought it was the coolest thing that they had eggs. 

After the feeding was done we loaded up and headed to the donut shop.  She wanted a chocolate donut but they were pretty much out of everything so instead she go a HUGE chocolate twist and some chocolate milk.

After breakfast I had big plans to go to Sayadream and have Averie pick out something to paint for Shanna for Mother's Day.  When I went to turn down the street that the shop is on it was barricaded off!  Apparently the Winnsboro Spring Festival was in full swing last weekend and I didn' even know so not only were we going to get to paint but look around and do another fun activity.

I finally found a parking spot and the first booth we came up on was a little petting zoo.  Of course Ave went crazy wanting to go in so I paid the 5 bucks and off she went.  They had mostly farm animals but either way she loved it and I had to beg her to finally come out after a while in with the animals.  She especially liked chickens.  I don't know why she likes them so much but I guess she's like her aunt in that fact.

The goats were the funniest.  All they wanted was the food and they even knocked her little cup out of her hands because they were so aggressive.

They were also the friendliest

These little llama/alpaca things (not sure which) were pretty cute as well.

BUT for the grand finale of the petting zoo.................. the CHICKENS!!!!

This would be a frizzled chicken and I want one.  I have already told Lincoln and all my family that for either b-day or Christmas I want one of these.  They are so pretty and even though you can't tell in the picture their feathers are so silky and shiny.  I think she would make a perfect with all my other hens! :)

Once I coaxed Averie out of the petting zoo we hopped across the street to the art studio.  I figured that what we created that day wouldn't be ready until later on and I was right but that's ok because Averie had a great time creating her surprise for her Mom.  I picked up the finished product Thursday after work but didn't get any pictures of it.  It looked pretty much the same except the colors were more defined and it was shiny.  I recommend this little activity to anyone.  First off it was a whopping 8 dollars for this little project, it will last a lifetime, it's something you create yourself, and it's not just for kids.  The Sayadream studio even has ladies night which I would really like to do with a few of my gals.

Averie picked a heart to design.  She stenciled on couple flowers and a butterfly.

Hard at work.  It took a lot to get her to use other colors.  She wanted to do the whole heart in pink....designs and all.

Averie's art work

I helped do the other side.

We had a great day and I think Averie really enjoyed herself!