I hope everyone had a nice 4th of July. Daniel and I worked the Ole Miss Rotary booth at the streetdance the night before. It was wonderful weather and the band was very entertaining! Wednesday we went to N.A. for the annual Rogers celebration at the lake. Needless to say, we ate entirely too much! It was great getting to visit with everyone though! Apparently I have more blog readers than I realized...oh, the pressure!
Daniel and I leave tomorrow morning heading to Seattle. We will spend tomorrow night in downtown Seattle...at the Crowne Plaza no less! We found a great rate through seattlesupersaver.com (otherwise we would be at the holiday inn). I hope to hit up the Seattle Center and Space Needle Saturday afternoon. Saturday night we plan to eat at Salty's on Alki Beach - supposed to be the best view of Seattle skyline as it is across a bay or lake or something from it. They also send a complimentary limo to pick you up for dinner, so that's not too shabby! We'll be pretending to lead the life of the rich and famous (for a night at least!). Sunday we plan to hit up Pike Place Market, the original Starbucks, do an underground tour of Seattle (used to be a story lower)and Pioneer Square. I'm sure some great food and drinks will be enjoyed several times this day! Alas, Sunday night we have to head to Bellevue, WA for the rest of our stay. It's just about 10 miles or so from Seattle downtown, but not sure if we will get to make it back to Seattle proper or not. My conference is all day Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Daniel will be working from the hotel during this time. Then Thursday at noon we head back home. I'm getting really excited about getting away for a while! Jonathan will be house/dog/cat/garden sitting for us while we are gone. I'll post pics as soon as I can!
Friday, July 06, 2007
Monday, July 02, 2007
Fried Fish Fins
Brady Bunch Reunion went well this weekend. It was great hanging out with my Mom, Anna, the step brothers and others. Ate entirely too much, but that's pretty standard for any of our family get togethers. Anyways, Daniel gets bored by blogs that do alot of talking, so let's get to some photos, shall we?
This is Bailey in the car on the way to Cleveland. This is one of about 20 pics Daniel took of her in the car (think he likes his dog?). She is incredibly cute though, so I can't blame him.
This is a photo of Anna and I about to enjoy our very first fried fish fin. Although we grew up in the area of the catfish capital of the world, we had not had the pleasure of trying any fried fish fins. Mom was shocked that we even considered it, and Anna and I found it quite humorous that we are trying it in our dining room with the china cabinet behind us. Something about that just doesn't fit... Regardless, the fins just had crunch and tasted like fried. I don't really have any desire to eat them again, but mainly just because the idea of it grosses me out.
This is just a cute pic of Anna and MC. No funny story attached to this photo, but I can make one up if you require it.
Here we have MoMo (Molly) and Bailey enjoying the coolness of the kitchen floor. Bailey was so excited to see another dog (particularly one that looked like her), but Molly was not quite as excited. She spent most of the weekend growling and running away from Bailey. I think she was scared of her, but by Sunday they were slightly more relaxed in each others presence.
Just a note...I used italics in this post for no other reason than I wanted to. If you have a problem with it...tough. Happy Monday!
This is Bailey in the car on the way to Cleveland. This is one of about 20 pics Daniel took of her in the car (think he likes his dog?). She is incredibly cute though, so I can't blame him.
This is a photo of Anna and I about to enjoy our very first fried fish fin. Although we grew up in the area of the catfish capital of the world, we had not had the pleasure of trying any fried fish fins. Mom was shocked that we even considered it, and Anna and I found it quite humorous that we are trying it in our dining room with the china cabinet behind us. Something about that just doesn't fit... Regardless, the fins just had crunch and tasted like fried. I don't really have any desire to eat them again, but mainly just because the idea of it grosses me out.
This is just a cute pic of Anna and MC. No funny story attached to this photo, but I can make one up if you require it.
Here we have MoMo (Molly) and Bailey enjoying the coolness of the kitchen floor. Bailey was so excited to see another dog (particularly one that looked like her), but Molly was not quite as excited. She spent most of the weekend growling and running away from Bailey. I think she was scared of her, but by Sunday they were slightly more relaxed in each others presence.
Just a note...I used italics in this post for no other reason than I wanted to. If you have a problem with it...tough. Happy Monday!
Friday, June 29, 2007
Simple Pleasures (for a dog)
Today's photo montage is designed to celebrate one of the simple pleasures in the life of a dog...namely, fun with a garden hose. While Daniel enjoyed 'business drinks and dinner' last night, Bailey, Sophie and I watered all of our trees, plants, gardens, etc. The crew moved from tree to tree with me, but Bailey definitely had the best time when I was soaking the crepe myrtle. Happy Friday and Enjoy!
It starts with a simple garden hose.
Throw in a thirsty dog.
Scope out the enemy.(check out the evil eye she's giving that water)
Wait for the opportune moment to strike.
And then go in for the kill! (doesn't she look vicious?)
It starts with a simple garden hose.
Throw in a thirsty dog.
Scope out the enemy.(check out the evil eye she's giving that water)
Wait for the opportune moment to strike.
And then go in for the kill! (doesn't she look vicious?)
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Quick Post
Daniel and I have both been extremely busy the last few weeks. Between softball games, social events, the dog, the house, the yard, our jobs, and weekend trips, we are running on empty. Having Bailey has been a huge adjustment. I can't wait for her to be able to make it the whole night without having to go outside. If we are lucky she only wakes us up at around 5:30 am. If we are not so lucky (which is most nights it seems like) she wakes us up about every two hours. We are trying to go for really long walks at night to wear her out, but even that doesn't always do the trick. She is very cute and is learning sit, down, heel, and, of course, NO! We haven't had much luck with stay yet, but hopefully she'll get it eventually. For anyone considering getting a puppy, as all my friends have told me AFTER I got Bailey, you might as well have a baby cause it's just as much work. Oh well. We love her and hope to raise her to be a wonderful addition to our family.
We are heading to Cleveland this weekend for a 'Brady Bunch Reunion'. In other words, my 3 step brothers and then us girls. Sherri and family won't be there since they just moved to Mobile, but Anna and I will be representin'. We are going to have a house full of people and Bailey, but I'm looking forward to it! Especially the fish fry Saturday night!
Below are some pics from the QA bowling/going away party for Joe and some pics of Bailey. Enjoy!
Don't I look like a Pro-Bowler?
Daniel is really good. People kept asking if he was in a league. Look how far back he starts. My ball wouldn't make it past the half way point if i started that far back.
Bailey with her duck.
We are heading to Cleveland this weekend for a 'Brady Bunch Reunion'. In other words, my 3 step brothers and then us girls. Sherri and family won't be there since they just moved to Mobile, but Anna and I will be representin'. We are going to have a house full of people and Bailey, but I'm looking forward to it! Especially the fish fry Saturday night!
Below are some pics from the QA bowling/going away party for Joe and some pics of Bailey. Enjoy!
Don't I look like a Pro-Bowler?
Daniel is really good. People kept asking if he was in a league. Look how far back he starts. My ball wouldn't make it past the half way point if i started that far back.
Bailey with her duck.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Garden Update #....something and Sad Cat
Above is my first full grown vegetable! This zucchini grew like 5 inches in the last week. Last night I finally plucked it! Now, I just have to figure out what glorious dish to use it in!
No, I didn't take my zucchini to the Sears portrait center! But I did want to display it in all it's glory with nothing else to distract your eye. It is actually sitting on our grill (cover). I'm going to ignore any obvious jokes about what this zucchini resembles.
These are just one bunch of daisies my Aunt Beth gave me. They are so incredibly sunny and happy. The butterflies love them, and I love being able to see them through the blinds in our bedroom. My Aunt says they grow like wildfire, so I hope next year I have a whole row of them on that side of our house!
Lovely Zinnias! I remember having these planted at our 'yellow house' in C'land. I love the surprise of color when these open. They remind me of those cheesy dancing flowers from the 80's. They are so tall they bob and sway in the breeze.
Look at all my 'maters! These will be served with salt and pepper on the side of every meal shortly!
Herbs are doing pretty good. My cilantro got a little dry and yellow from thirst this weekend, but is doing better now. I have used all of my herbs for cooking except Thyme. I think the only recipe I typically use thyme for is my oven fried chicken. I'm open to other thyme recipes.
This is black and white cat, aka sad cat, aka skanky cat. This poor thing showed up at our house at the end of last week. It was so skinny, had only one eye, it's back legs didn't work well, and it could barely meow. We truly thought this cat had been tortured and starved by someone. I even talked to a friend about getting her picked up by the animal rescue 'cat lady'. Much to my surprise, as I attempted to walk Bailey, a couple walking their dog asked if I had seen a lost cat. She said, 'A black and white cat?'. I said, 'yes'. She said, 'with one eye sewn shut?'. I said, 'yeah, sort of' (doesn't look sewn shut anymore, but i didn't tell her that). She said, 'really skinny?'. I said, 'yeah, she's hanging out on my back patio.' At first I was a little wary- Daniel and I had been discussing what kind of people could abuse their cat so. But then the woman started tearing up and was so happy, I knew she loved her kitty. It seems they have been out of state for 2 weeks and their 21 year old daughter was supposed to come out to the house to look after the cat. I'm not sure how the cat got out or whatever, but the daughter had been unable to find her. Turns out this poor cat was 17 years old, half blind, and senile. It's house was just two houses down, but it couldn't find it's way back. The lady had been out walking expecting to find the cat dead and just wanted to bury her. She was so thankful that we had fed and 'cared' for her cat. She couldn't wait to get home and call all her kids to tell them their childhood cat was ok. Good thing I didn't let Daniel or Corinne put it out of it's misery...
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Family, New Additions, New Hair
For having such a boring life, I certainly have alot to report lately. And for any of you non-gardening types, there will be no pics of flowers or veggies today.
Last weekend Sherri, Madeline, and Avery came to stay! The weekend consisted mainly of eating and visiting. Friday night I made shrimp scampi with linguini, salad, french bread. It was yummy! Madeline even cleaned her plate! Saturday morning we had waffles for breakfast, watched some cartoons, played in the yard a bit.
*Those are magic wands (aka Oby's straws) in their hands. Apparently, my house is full of monsters so we had to say 'Bibbidy Bobbidy Boo' everytime Madeline saw one. Gotta love that imagination!
GiGi and Daddy Tim came to town and took all of us to lunch at Obys. They also brought wonderful strawberry shortcake makings for us to enjoy after lunch. We had a wonderful visit with them until late in the afternoon.
Saturday night I made some pesto and some bacon and white bean bruschetta. I made the pesto out of basil in my yard! It was amazing. The bacon and white bean topping was pretty good, but not quite like L & M's. Sherri made some great Cosmos to go with our appetizers. We turned on some jazz and had our own mini cocktail hour. We followed this with filets (with steak sauce that shall remain nameless), salad, and asparagus. Unfortunately, not long after dinner Sherri realized Avery had a fever. They both spent a long night on the couch.
Sunday morning I took Madeline for a walk down the hill to see the geese that live on one of our lakes. Not being a mother, I didn't consider that Madeline's flip flops might not have been the best choice for a walk. Needless to say, I got my exercise carrying Madeline on my back all the way back up the massive hill to our house when she got a big blister on her foot. I'm sure it was very amusing to watch me (also in flip flops and a dress) carrying a 3 year old on my back as I struggle up this hill. All in all, it was a very nice weekend. Went by entirely too quickly though. They will be moving to Mobile in 2 weeks though, so I'm very thankful to have had this visit.
Daniel celebrated his 29th birthday this week. His (obviously not very intelligent) wife surprised him with a chocolate lab puppy. She has no name as of yet, but is VERY cute and sweet. My friend Rachel warned me not to get a puppy if i was really just wanting a baby. I don't think I got the puppy for that reason, but good lord, that puppy is just like having a baby. We have been taking turns getting up every 2 hours or so to take her out to potty. Daniel has the magic touch and can get her to go back to sleep in her crate. I, on the other hand, give up and put her in the bed with us. it's so hard not to when she sleeps like a rock in bed with us. We are getting her invisible fence this weekend, so she shouldn't be inside too much longer.
My hair. I have been growing my hair out to donate to locks of love for 2 years now. My mom blames it on 'new mommy' syndrome, but yesterday I decided it had to go NOW. I am so tired of it taking forever to fix and still looking like crap. I called to make an appointment thinking it would take a least a few days to get in, but alas, they got me in at noon yesterday.
Eleven inches later...I'm a new woman. I'm still getting used to my new cut and haven't a clue how to make it look cute, but it definitely feels better in this heat!
So far I've been told I now look younger, skinnier, and more like Sherri! I will graciously except all of those compliments!!
Last weekend Sherri, Madeline, and Avery came to stay! The weekend consisted mainly of eating and visiting. Friday night I made shrimp scampi with linguini, salad, french bread. It was yummy! Madeline even cleaned her plate! Saturday morning we had waffles for breakfast, watched some cartoons, played in the yard a bit.
*Those are magic wands (aka Oby's straws) in their hands. Apparently, my house is full of monsters so we had to say 'Bibbidy Bobbidy Boo' everytime Madeline saw one. Gotta love that imagination!
GiGi and Daddy Tim came to town and took all of us to lunch at Obys. They also brought wonderful strawberry shortcake makings for us to enjoy after lunch. We had a wonderful visit with them until late in the afternoon.
Saturday night I made some pesto and some bacon and white bean bruschetta. I made the pesto out of basil in my yard! It was amazing. The bacon and white bean topping was pretty good, but not quite like L & M's. Sherri made some great Cosmos to go with our appetizers. We turned on some jazz and had our own mini cocktail hour. We followed this with filets (with steak sauce that shall remain nameless), salad, and asparagus. Unfortunately, not long after dinner Sherri realized Avery had a fever. They both spent a long night on the couch.
Sunday morning I took Madeline for a walk down the hill to see the geese that live on one of our lakes. Not being a mother, I didn't consider that Madeline's flip flops might not have been the best choice for a walk. Needless to say, I got my exercise carrying Madeline on my back all the way back up the massive hill to our house when she got a big blister on her foot. I'm sure it was very amusing to watch me (also in flip flops and a dress) carrying a 3 year old on my back as I struggle up this hill. All in all, it was a very nice weekend. Went by entirely too quickly though. They will be moving to Mobile in 2 weeks though, so I'm very thankful to have had this visit.
Daniel celebrated his 29th birthday this week. His (obviously not very intelligent) wife surprised him with a chocolate lab puppy. She has no name as of yet, but is VERY cute and sweet. My friend Rachel warned me not to get a puppy if i was really just wanting a baby. I don't think I got the puppy for that reason, but good lord, that puppy is just like having a baby. We have been taking turns getting up every 2 hours or so to take her out to potty. Daniel has the magic touch and can get her to go back to sleep in her crate. I, on the other hand, give up and put her in the bed with us. it's so hard not to when she sleeps like a rock in bed with us. We are getting her invisible fence this weekend, so she shouldn't be inside too much longer.
My hair. I have been growing my hair out to donate to locks of love for 2 years now. My mom blames it on 'new mommy' syndrome, but yesterday I decided it had to go NOW. I am so tired of it taking forever to fix and still looking like crap. I called to make an appointment thinking it would take a least a few days to get in, but alas, they got me in at noon yesterday.
Eleven inches later...I'm a new woman. I'm still getting used to my new cut and haven't a clue how to make it look cute, but it definitely feels better in this heat!
So far I've been told I now look younger, skinnier, and more like Sherri! I will graciously except all of those compliments!!
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Success!
I can't count the number of times I have said, "I'll be happy if I just get one veggie from this garden." Well, I am beyond happy, because I have more than one veggie! I apologize in advance for some of the pics below. Some are blurry, some are gross, and some are just boring.
This is my first squash! It is only about an inch long, but is my pride an joy. I can't wait to eat it!
This is my first tomato! I don't know how I missed it, but my tomato plants have lots of tiny green tomatoes on them! I will have to be careful the birds and bugs don't beat me to them, but I have a cheap defense system which will be discussed in greater detail below (much greater detail).
This is my first David Austin rose to bloom! This is the 'Generous Gardener' and it is so soft and lovely looking. All three bushes are full of buds, so I can't wait to make my first arrangement!
This is just an update photo on my Wal-Mart roses. They have bloomed wonderfully, but are about at the end of this round of blooms. I didn't cut any of the blooms for arrangements since we had company this weekend, but it's time to do some trimming to encourage new growth.
This is one of two Hibiscus plants Daniel and I bought this weekend at Home Depot. They are so happy and tropical looking. I need a pina colada!
My only surviving lettuce plant. I guess I will get to eat a salad or two with this guy.
This is Sweet Alyssum. It would be nice in a pot with some taller flowers. It is supposed to be 'ground cover', but it would take a lot of this stuff to cover any ground. Oh well, it's sweet to look at anyways.
Ok. Back to that cheap defense system I was telling you about. At this point, I was actually going to post a pic of a half eaten bunny rabbit, but have decided against it. It would be quite a shock to your system to go from beautiful flowers to rabbit guts. Anyways...my cat Sophie is a killer! Last night I came home from work to find the second rabbit she has killed in the last two weeks. About 30 minutes after I caught her eating the latest, she had cornered a mouse as well! We had planned to put up chicken wire and stuff to keep the 'critters' out of the beds, but apparently that isn't necessary! I feel kinda sad for the bunnies, but they've been doing fine for years without my garden and can continue to eat elsewhere! Good work 'Soapie'!
This is my first squash! It is only about an inch long, but is my pride an joy. I can't wait to eat it!
This is my first tomato! I don't know how I missed it, but my tomato plants have lots of tiny green tomatoes on them! I will have to be careful the birds and bugs don't beat me to them, but I have a cheap defense system which will be discussed in greater detail below (much greater detail).
This is my first David Austin rose to bloom! This is the 'Generous Gardener' and it is so soft and lovely looking. All three bushes are full of buds, so I can't wait to make my first arrangement!
This is just an update photo on my Wal-Mart roses. They have bloomed wonderfully, but are about at the end of this round of blooms. I didn't cut any of the blooms for arrangements since we had company this weekend, but it's time to do some trimming to encourage new growth.
This is one of two Hibiscus plants Daniel and I bought this weekend at Home Depot. They are so happy and tropical looking. I need a pina colada!
My only surviving lettuce plant. I guess I will get to eat a salad or two with this guy.
This is Sweet Alyssum. It would be nice in a pot with some taller flowers. It is supposed to be 'ground cover', but it would take a lot of this stuff to cover any ground. Oh well, it's sweet to look at anyways.
Ok. Back to that cheap defense system I was telling you about. At this point, I was actually going to post a pic of a half eaten bunny rabbit, but have decided against it. It would be quite a shock to your system to go from beautiful flowers to rabbit guts. Anyways...my cat Sophie is a killer! Last night I came home from work to find the second rabbit she has killed in the last two weeks. About 30 minutes after I caught her eating the latest, she had cornered a mouse as well! We had planned to put up chicken wire and stuff to keep the 'critters' out of the beds, but apparently that isn't necessary! I feel kinda sad for the bunnies, but they've been doing fine for years without my garden and can continue to eat elsewhere! Good work 'Soapie'!
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Gonna be a long one
I have been majorly falling down on my blogging duties, so today's blog will be a big one. Where to begin...
Avery's Christening
My youngest niece, Avery, was christened in Cleveland. Isn't she beautiful? Sherri and both nieces will (hopefully) be coming to stay with me the first weekend in June. Since they will be moving to Mobile next month, we need to get a visit in! Daniel has very graciously offered to babysit one night, so we can go out to dinner/have a girls night out while she is here! I can't wait to spend time with all of them! Yay!!
Double Decker
Below are just a few photos from Double Decker. The less attractive pics from later in the evening have not been included for good reason. Some junior high kids were hanging out by our car and spent the whole day buying helium balloons...not because they like balloons. Since Anna and Daniel had never sucked helium before, they bought a balloon off of them to try it out. I wish I had a recording of Daniel singing "We represent the lollipop guild" in his helium voice. It was hilarious! Being the old fuddy-duddy I am, I did warn the kids that sucking all that helium was killing brain cells...they weren't too concerned. I think a store on the square was selling the balloons a dollar a pop, so those kids easily spent $30 on helium that day.
These two are so cool...
Lisa's Birthday
The Jacksons, the Burrs, and the Martins went to Yocona for Lisa's birthday. We enjoyed a fabulous meal and too much wine. Unfortunately, the too much wine led us to the Burr's house for a 'late night' and more alcohol. As the pictures prove, we had way too good of a time. I cringe a little inside when I remember the drunken conversations and the hangover that followed the next day. Oh well, had a good time that night! Why in the world didn't we take pics when we were cute and sober though?
The Jacksons
The Burrs
The Martins (shudder)
My Garden
I finally have roses blooming and my veggie garden is coming along. Enjoy!
Herbs (Basil, Thyme, Cilantro, Italian Parsley)
Tomatoes
Zucchini and Bell Peppers
Corn
Blogger is taking forever to upload photos (and I'm sure you are bored by now), so the rest of the garden will have to wait.
Avery's Christening
My youngest niece, Avery, was christened in Cleveland. Isn't she beautiful? Sherri and both nieces will (hopefully) be coming to stay with me the first weekend in June. Since they will be moving to Mobile next month, we need to get a visit in! Daniel has very graciously offered to babysit one night, so we can go out to dinner/have a girls night out while she is here! I can't wait to spend time with all of them! Yay!!
Double Decker
Below are just a few photos from Double Decker. The less attractive pics from later in the evening have not been included for good reason. Some junior high kids were hanging out by our car and spent the whole day buying helium balloons...not because they like balloons. Since Anna and Daniel had never sucked helium before, they bought a balloon off of them to try it out. I wish I had a recording of Daniel singing "We represent the lollipop guild" in his helium voice. It was hilarious! Being the old fuddy-duddy I am, I did warn the kids that sucking all that helium was killing brain cells...they weren't too concerned. I think a store on the square was selling the balloons a dollar a pop, so those kids easily spent $30 on helium that day.
These two are so cool...
Lisa's Birthday
The Jacksons, the Burrs, and the Martins went to Yocona for Lisa's birthday. We enjoyed a fabulous meal and too much wine. Unfortunately, the too much wine led us to the Burr's house for a 'late night' and more alcohol. As the pictures prove, we had way too good of a time. I cringe a little inside when I remember the drunken conversations and the hangover that followed the next day. Oh well, had a good time that night! Why in the world didn't we take pics when we were cute and sober though?
The Jacksons
The Burrs
The Martins (shudder)
My Garden
I finally have roses blooming and my veggie garden is coming along. Enjoy!
Herbs (Basil, Thyme, Cilantro, Italian Parsley)
Tomatoes
Zucchini and Bell Peppers
Corn
Blogger is taking forever to upload photos (and I'm sure you are bored by now), so the rest of the garden will have to wait.
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