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Welcome to The Morning Star Update!
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Greetings!
There is so much news this month, I'm afraid that I don't have room to share it all. Here are the highlights, though. First of all, at the beginning of August, we brought home Morning Star's Penny Lane, the latest addition to our family. (More about Penny, column right.)
Next, the new website is up and running and we have a new e-mail address and web address. The original full name for the B & B was The Morning Star Bed and Breakfast on the Park, since we were at that time located on a park. When we moved the B & B to Houston street, we dropped "on the Park" from our name, but never changed our e-mail address or web address so that people would still be able to find us on the internet. That was ten years ago now, though, and I don't think that we need to worry about that any more. So, while we were updating the website we decided to take care of the e-mail and website addresses. Now we can be contacted at info@morningstarbandb.com and found on the web at morningstarbandb.com. That should be easier to remember, right? The old addresses will keep working for a while, however. |
 New Website
The new morningstarbandb.com is up and running! How does it differ from the old site? It has a new look, many more photos, and lots of new features such as a reservation request form, gift shop, things to do and event pages, newsletter archive link, and a send-a-postcard page.
The color scheme was taken from colors in the house and the icons
and graphic images were all taken from or inspired by items in the
house. For example, the egg-and-dart border comes from the fire place,
the birds come from one of our table clothes, the teapots were inspired by the rooms' tea names, and the stylized
star/flower button comes from one of our mirrors. Working on the new website was an interesting creative experience and also a learning experience for me. I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted going into the project, but didn't think that I could accomplish it on my own. So I hired Art Craft Printers and Design (just around the corner from us) to put together what the website would look like - and I went in and pestered them just about everyday. Then Imagemakers (in Wamego) made it into a well-working website. I contributed most of the photography, and our friend Jay Banks let us use some of his great photos as well. (There are just a few stock images.) Working with Art Craft and Imagemakers made me realize just how much more than simply having a couple of good ideas goes into making a website look good and function properly. Thanks for your work, Art Craft and Imagemakers! |
 Homemade Vanilla Extract
Last year for Christmas our good friends Phil and Linda gave me a bottle of homemade vanilla extract for Christmas. I loved the vanilla extract and thought that it was a great present. So I asked Phil and Linda for the recipe. It takes 3 months to make, so if you are thinking about making some for holiday gifts, now is the time to get started.
Phil and Linda's Vanilla Extract*
1 quart of vodka
10 high quality Madagascar vanilla beans
Split vanilla beans and place them in a 1-quart mason jar. Fill with vodka. (Or, pour off enough vodka to add the beans and just use the vodka bottle for making your extract.) Close the jar and let sit for three months, giving it a shake once in a while. In the meantime, collect decorative little liquor bottles or attractive glass bottles for gift giving. After three months, divide the vanilla extract into clean bottles. (A funnel is useful for this.) Label the bottles and store, tightly sealed, in a cool, dark place. (If you are making the extract for your own use, you can keep topping off the original with more vodka as you use the extract. Give it a good shake each time.)
It turns out there there are a lot of different ways to make homemade vanilla extract: you can try using dark rum, brandy, or tequila instead of vodka as a base - these will add more of their own flavor than vodka; you can add a little simple syrup or corn syrup to sweeten the extract and heighten the vanilla flavor; and you can do a custom blend of vanilla beans from around the world. Phil and Linda recommended Beanilla.com as a good source for vanilla beans. Each variation should produce a different flavor. I'm currently experimenting with a few different recipes, just for fun. If you give it a try, let me know how yours turns out.* Phil and Linda actually made a gallon of vanilla extract last year; but Linda told me that she feels as though they have enough vanilla for a life-time, so I scaled the recipe down. |
 Chrysanthemums (Hardy Mums)
I regard Chrysanthemums as an essential part of my perennial garden because they are great for extending garden color into the fall months. Mine usually bloom from September into early November, with occasional blooms during the summer months. Mums come in a wide range of colors: white, cream, yellow, rust, red, burgundy, plum and pink that I know of. The blooms come in a variety of forms and the plants typically range from 1 to 3 feet tall. It is generally recommended that one plant Chrysanthemums in the Spring after danger of freezing in order to give them time to develop a root system before much heat sets in. I've had success, however, planting them in early Autumn. I usually purchase specimens that have budded out and plant them in early to mid-September after the scorching days of late summer have passed. If you are hoping to grow your mums as perennials, choose large specimens (about 1-gallon size) and plant them in the ground. Choose a location in full sun where the mums will not be sitting in wet soil, even during the winter months, and where they will have plenty of air circulation. Do not overcrowd. Using an initial application of root stimulator will help them develop a good root system. Cut chrysanthemums back to the ground after the first hard freeze. Cover with light mulch. Well established plants can be divided in the Spring. To establish bushy plants lush with blooms during the fall months, pinch your chrysanthemums back about 3/4" at a time starting in the Spring (once they are about 6" tall) and continuing until about early July. Mums are prone to infections and it is often recommended that you do not keep them in the same location for more than about 3 years. If you are happy using mums as annuals, or if you live some place where you can't grown them as perennials, buy large or small specimens and plant them in containers. |
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As always, thank you for reading The Morning Star Update. I hope that you like the new website. Looking forward to hearing from you and seeing you soon ...
Have a great September!
Sincerely,
Laurie Pieper
The Morning Star Bed & Breakfast |
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Morning Star's Penny Lane
| Miss "Penny Lane" joined our family this August. She is a distant cousin of Lucy's, shares Lucy's birthday, and comes from a very good breeder out in Colorado: so I just felt that she was the puppy for us. Penny and Abbey have become best buddies and even 15 year old Ginger gets in on the play once in a while. Penny is very social and looks forward to meeting you.
Can you say "Pretty Penny Pieper picked a pair of proud parents" three times fast? Abbey & Penny at Play  |
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Colbert Hills
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Despite the fact that it is located in Manhattan, Kansas, more than a thousand miles from either coast, Colbert Hills has elements of a traditional Scottish-links golf course, laid out with naturally rolling fairways and open grasslands. The challenging course is 7,525 yards long offering unique vistas from every tee. Colbert Hills Golf Course is located on the Northwest side of town, just 10 minutes from The Morning Star.
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Dates to Remember
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through September 11th: From Sea to Shining Sea - Romantic paintings of America by Mark Flickinger, Strecker Nelson Gallery
September 2nd and 3rd: Purple Power Play on Poyntz
September 3rd: Nora Jane Struthers (Birdhouse Acoustic Music Series), Manhattan Arts Center
September 11th - October 23rd: Manhattan Area Photographer's Exhibit, Manhattan Arts Center
September 11th: KSU Band Day
September 11th: Alpaca Market, Hurlburt Show Arena, Cico Park
September 11th: Ride for the Red, Heartland Park, Topeka
September 14th: KSU Orchestra Concert, with Jacques Wood guest cellist in the Schumann Cello Concerto, McCain Auditorium
September 25th: Konza Prairie Biennial Visitor's Day
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Chrystanthemums After Rain  | |
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