Living far from home

The end of an era (almost)

2011-06-29T15:40:00.000-04:00

Actually it's more like the end of a two year stint, not really an era. But it felt like it to Josie, who had her braces removed after almost exactly two years.

Here's my muffin two years ago, the day she got her braces put on:

And here she is yesterday, after just having them removed:

I wish I could take credit for her gorgeousness, but luckily she takes after my hubby's side of the family!

We had such a wonderful orthodontist, he's the husband of her pediatric dentist at Dermody Dental. They are a such a great group of people, they love working with kids and have such patience with everyone, especially us adults!

So now I'm going to fix some corn of the cob for supper since she doesn't have food restrictions anymore!

To serge or not to serge, that is the question...

2011-06-24T08:08:00.001-04:00

I'm trying to decide if I want to get a serger to round out my sewing equipment. Lately I've seen so many tutorials that tell me how much easier it would be on a serger, so I really want one! I went to my local sewing center and had a demonstration on the Janome 1110dx. It's a great machine, looked relatively easy to thread and sewed flawlessly.

Yesterday I drove down to another sewing center in West Palm to see what they had to offer. I had gone in asking about an inexpensive serger and was told some great advice - if I buy a cheap machine because I'm not sure how much I'll use it, chances are it won't be a good machine and I'll never use it. So I had a wonderful demonstration on the Baby Lock Imagine, and fell in love!

Love the threading system, a whole lot easier for my poor vision. I love the simplicity of it with the tension controls, and how it's intuitive like my Viking Quilt Designer sewing machine. But the problem is the cost - it's even more than the Janome! So now I'm really torn -- I know to buy a better quality machine, but would the mid-range Janome work just as well as the higher costing Baby Lock?

I'm going to think about it more, but any advice is certainly welcome!!

My latest purse creation

2011-06-24T07:42:00.001-04:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm finally getting back into the groove of sewing again, and finished this lovely tote recently.

I LOVE the fabric, it's the perfect Florida summer design! The pattern is from Nancy Zieman, the Florida Bag template collection. This template is a great idea, it's a plastic template with color-coded directions. It's a little on the big side though, so I may try to do another one a little smaller. Her directions were easy to follow, even though I did make a few modifications of my own. But I love the look the piping gives it, such a clean finished look. Next time, in addition to making a smaller bag, I think I'll put interior pockets in it as well.

I would love to try other purse templates of hers, I like the idea of not having paper templates that crease and rip. But I do feel that they're meant for people with at least an intermediate level of sewing, not for the sewing itself, but because the directions assume knowledge of basic sewing methods. Plus, the directions are a super tiny font, so I ended up scanning the directions into my computer, then printing them out larger just so I could read them easier!

I'm working on a summer dress now, amazingly enough since I don't do apparel very well lately! The fabric is a tropical floral, and I bought enough fabric to use it for the lining of a new purse tutorial I saw in a sewing magazine. If the dress comes out okay, I'll make the purse to match. I'm probably too short for that style of dress, but I love the look and hope to make it work. We'll see soon enough, I finished cutting the fabric yesterday and plan to start sewing today!

Father's Day 2011

2011-06-21T07:39:00.002-04:00

We ended up having Father's Day about two weeks early so I could give Larry his gift - new golf clubs! Two weeks ago, he had not one but TWO golf games he was scheduled to play in for "work". His current clubs are old hand-me-downs from a friend, so I knew I wanted him to have new ones before these games.

So we headed out to the sports store, found a great set of clubs that were on sale (yeah!!), plus I had a coupon from that store's sale circular, so he got a new putter for free! He loves the new clubs and did really well at his "work" games.

With Sunday being Father's Day, I wanted to make a special meal for him, but he loves to grill on the weekends so he ended up grilling a big slab of pork ribs for us. But as he grilled, he kept his eye on the storm brewing behind him - we both kept asking it to hold off just a little longer until the ribs were done!

Our prayer must've been too powerful, the storm passed right over us without a drop of rain on our parched lawn!

Well, at least the ribs were fantastic!!

Where has the time gone?!?

2011-06-16T09:16:00.037-04:00

Wow, I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted anything! Life has been chaotic, at best, this year. After a bout of health issues in January and February, I got better just in time to help the Admissions Office at Josie's school prepare for re-enrollment and open enrollment. This is one of the chapel rooms where we prepared the packets for re-enrollment, it's from my Project Life book (that's why it's dated):

I helped out through March, with Josie's 12th birthday thrown in. Her birthday was right after Mardi Gras, so I made a King Cake birthday cake!

April began the REAL chaos - we decorated Easter eggs, had friends over, picked up Kyle from college, and started work on extending our back porch:

Before

Finally, after a month of working on the pavers, we finished the porch just in time for a Memorial Day cookout!

After

Finally, it was June - no more school, all we have planned is weekly trips to the beach!

Plus, I started working on a new purse using a pattern from Nancy Zieman called the Florida Tote. I love this bag, it's a little big for everyday use, but it's so cute that I use it whenever I have a bunch of stuff to bring with me!

And in the midst of all this, Kyle had all four wisdom teeth pulled earlier this month, Josie will get her braces off in 2 weeks, and Larry may have to travel to California for business! We hope to find time to take a mini-vacation, maybe just to Sea World or Busch Gardens, but after driving to Mississippi four times in five months, I'm about traveled out!

I'll leave you with one more beach shot, it's wonderful to live in Florida with all our great friends! (Notice that Josie on the far left has the same swim trunks as her schoolmate, Jack, in the middle!)

Catching Up!

2011-02-21T17:41:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I've finally got a semi-decent system for my Project Life book!! I photographed each week so far, this is the most recent one:

This is the left side of Week 7 - it shows a science project Josie did for class. Right now, her class is studying astronomy and they learned about the "successful failure" of Apollo 13. The astronauts had to use items available to them in the lunar module or command module to construct a life-saving device. Josie's class had to use only certain objects to create a solar oven that would melt a marshmallow. The sun was really bright that day, but we had a cool wind blowing so the box didn't heat up enough!

This week was also Josie's first track meet, so the right side is all about the meet:

The last photo on the left page includes the results from the local newspaper. She did the long jump, the 1600 meter, and the 400 meter. This meet was open to middle school and high school, and you can tell by the bottom right picture that she ran against high school girls! She did great, and is excited to keep working on her time!

I've got a photo album of all the pictures on Picasa, there's a link on the right side. I'm not always able to take a photo a day, but I'm not freaking out like I did in the past! I'm just enjoying documenting how our life is as a family!

Is it just me?

2011-02-17T15:02:00.000-05:00

Or are fashion designers a little biased? Have you walked through a large department store like Dillards or Macy's, marveling at all the wonderful new designs out there, then head up to the far corner where they dump the petite department and find NOTHING from this year up there? Or everything is suitable for an 80-year-old woman? I must be in the minority, a 5' tall 40-something mom looking for a decent skirt! After exhausting myself through the mall (which I hate on a good day), then smaller stores not in the mall, I decided now would be a good time to just sew myself a skirt or two.

So today I hit the fabric store with a list of appropriate shirts that I would love to match to a skirt. As I walk through Joann's I realize that most of the fabric is special occasion or quilting fabric. There were about 10 bolts of jersey knit, all solids and I want a print, and about 20 hideous crepe fabrics for this drapey skirt pattern I have.

I really wish designers would supply fabric stores with their fabrics, I'd love to be able to sew something from this year's spring looks and not something from the 80's, as much as I loved that decade!

Any other vertically challenged people out there with this problem? I'd love to hear how you resolved this!

Working on Project Life

2011-02-10T17:19:00.000-05:00

Yeah, my kit arrived last week!! I've been a little under the weather so I haven't finished assembling it all yet, but I did make a Picasa album of the pictures from this year - I put a link to the album on the sidebar, hopefully it works okay! I'm going to get all caught up with the album, then I'll photograph the pages to put here. Fun fun fun!!

Project Life - Week 4

2011-01-30T14:34:00.000-05:00

I'm so anxious to get my Project Life kit, but until then, I'm going to keep up with the digital pages. Once the kit gets here (hopefully by the end of this week), I'll redo these weeks with the kit contents. But this is going to help me remember the significance of each photo! You'll notice that Friday's entry is only text - Friday was the 25th anniversary of the Challenger explosion, so my journaling is about that event. I've got it sized to fit this page for now, but the original is a 6x12 block that I'll insert as a separate page in the Project Life binder.

Have a great week!

The verdict is in...

2011-01-27T19:36:00.000-05:00

I broke down and bought Becky Higgins' Project Life kit! After hemming and hawing over it for DAYS (the organized, logical part of me), I decided to try it. I really like the idea of hand writing the journaling and being able to insert extra mementos from the year. I know I could've written something for each photo, scanned it into the computer, then used that on my digital page, but I wanted it to be original.

I think the final decision came as I was cleaning out our closet yesterday - I came across two old scrapbooks that I did during my childhood. There were newspaper clippings, programs from school, even my detention forms from 4th grade, thanks to Miss Arcement! So really, I've been doing Project Life since I was in grade school, only without the pretty paper and archival photo sleeves!

These books reminded me why I scrap - to remember details. If I'm forced to abbreviate my journaling to fit in a pre-determined digital space, I lose the meaning of the moment. I know I could change the size of the journal block, but then my concern is that my photos will be smaller to accommodate the larger journaling. With Becky's system, I can just insert a page of journaling anywhere I want, since the binder is 3-ring.

Now this doesn't mean I'm switching to paper scrapping, I still love the ease of digi-scrapping. But the Project Life isn't as much about scrapping a photo as it is about remembering the moment. From simple things like sweeping my floor to big changes like sending my first born off to college, I want to record my feelings so my children can understand why something is important. For this reason, I didn't want to worry about matching elements and paper, the kits come with everything matching already.

So for all you Project Lifers out there, I'll be stalking your blogs for ideas and inspiration! And I'll keep posting my pages here for any constructive criticism from you!

Revisiting my new plan

2011-01-24T20:16:00.000-05:00

I always do this, I analyze everything and try to see the end result of something before even getting started. Case in point - my Project 365 scrapbook. I've always done digital scrapping using Photoshop (starting with version 3 about 10 years ago!) and kits I purchase from digi-stores. Now I'm reading Becky Higgins' blog and fell in love with the Turquoise Project Life kit. She offers a digital service, but the embellishments aren't as cute as the paper version! I also have a tough time with the interface, my vision's not the best for the small workspace. So now for the dilemma - can a dyed-in-the-wool digi-scrapper find happiness with a PAPER scrapbook?!? I like the idea of hand writing the journal cards, and having something concrete to look at to inspire me to continue. When I do digital pages, I'm constantly tweaking the pages, even to the point of having them re-printed because I changed one little thing!

I guess I'll sleep on it and make a decision tomorrow...or the next day...but before she sells out of her kits again!!

Rich Mullins said it best...

2011-01-24T09:29:00.000-05:00

our God is an AWESOME God!! I heard this song on the radio driving home from the grocery store this morning and had to think about a blogger friend's troubles. I've been following The Simple Wife for quite a few months now after having read one of Joanne Heim's books from her Amazon store here. I loved the simplicity of her message, her love for God, and her love for her family. If you notice on my sidebar, I've added a button to follow her blog. About 2 weeks ago, Joanne suffered a massive stroke, resulting in brain injury and a medically-induced coma. She is now beginning to wake up and seems to be responding well. Visit her blog for updates, her husband and friends are keeping us posted on her recovery, plus posting various entries from her archives as a way to keep us spiritually fed.

No matter what level of recovery she reaches, we can rest in the knowledge that God is in control, and He is awesome!

A New Plan

2011-01-23T12:57:00.000-05:00

Instead of posting each day's photos (as I haven't been doing so much anyway!), I think I'll try posting just the completed weekly layouts. This way I don't have to try to keep up with posting every day, and I won't have a zillion posts for the year! Well, not a zillion, closer to 365, but that's still way too many entries. So, this is the layout for the first week:

I know the font is too small to be legible here, but it looks fine when I print the pages. And actually, this Week 1 layout is the first few days of January, then restarts on the 12th. My life was too hectic after taking Kyle to college and getting Josie back to school - plus I wasn't sure if I wanted to try this again after failing a few years ago! But you'll notice on Jan 12, I bought a tiny camera that fits in my purse, so now I'm ready whenever the mood strikes!

On to the layout for Week 3 (since Week 1 included part of the second week):

I'm beginning to take pictures of my routine, not just pictures to improve my photography skills. Every Monday I go to the grocery store, so I included a photo of my neighborhood store. The dishes on Thursday's entry were my childhood dishes, purchased by my parents when I was born. It's Noritake's pattern, Marguerite, a name of a type of Daisy. Since my name is Daisy, my parents knew these plates would be necessary in our home! Now that my mom is trying to "downsize", she gave them to me recently. Some have broken over time, some were lost in Hurricane Katrina, but they are still very special to me.

So we'll see how my new plan works out! I love reading other blogs with similar albums, whether they're made into scrapbook pages or just put into a photo album. Hopefully I'll be able to keep up with this idea!

My love-hate relationship

2011-01-19T09:37:00.000-05:00

No, it's not with a member of my family - it's with my floor!

When we first moved in almost 10 years ago, this house was a mismash of all sorts of carpets and tiles. The main carpeting is an industrial type, but not totally unattractive, tan Berber carpet. One kid's room has the same type but a darker color. The main tiled area was a horrible gray tile with cracked grout, totally not matching the tan carpet! So a few years after we moved in we had laminate flooring installed over the tile. I would've rather had hardwood, but wasn't sure if I was ready to commit to wood flooring yet and this was the least expensive option. I love wood flooring, but as the years passed it began to lose its shiny luster. It ALWAYS seems dirty, even though I sweep it every day. Since it's not tile, I can't run a vacuum over it. So this is how I spend most every morning:

Thank Heaven Daddy is on a diet...

2011-01-18T17:28:00.000-05:00

It leaves more cookies for us!!

I know, it's a terrible shot, I didn't think to check the white balance or even if I were shooting in RAW and could fix the weird yellow color! Our kitchen remodel last year didn't include new lights - ran out of money before we realized we should update them!

POTD January 16 and 17

2011-01-17T10:23:00.000-05:00

So I realize that my blog is not the "must read" blog for anyone other than me, but I have to find some way of recording my thoughts along with my photos so I'll remember why I took a certain picture! I'll be lucky to remember by week's end why I've got a picture of shoes! I'm also putting pictures on my Flickr album since that's a little simpler. So until I get tired of daily posting, this is what I'll be doing!

Yesterday we FINALLY moved the Christmas decorations back to storage! I have never taken so long to get everything packed up! But with driving Kyle back to God's country for college, Larry traveling literally across the country, and me being ill, it's taken me this long just to get the decorations boxed up. So this is my breakfast area before transport:

And these are just our Christmas houses and accessories!! There's still a box or two of regular decorations, plus the box with our 7-foot lighted tree in another room!

Now for today's photo, this is not the best picture, but it's the place I visit every Monday - my local grocery store, Publix. I LOVE shopping here, it's 2 miles from my house and is mostly deserted on Monday mornings. The staff is wonderful and friendly. And the palm tree in the shot really blends in well, don't you think?!?

POTD January 15

2011-01-15T16:36:00.000-05:00

Josie is so excited to be following in her big brother's steps by trying out for the track team at school! Kyle ran the sprints, 100m and 4x100m. Josie loves the long distances though, so she hopes to get a spot on the 1 mile team. Considering that she goes to a small school where basketball is the main sport, there won't be a battle for any spot on the team! Today we headed out to our favorite shoe store, Fleet Feet of Stuart to get her shoes. Not only are these very similar to mine except for the color, they are almost the same size! So I have to get used to my 11-year-old daughter wearing the same size shoe as me!!

POTD January 14

2011-01-15T09:13:00.000-05:00

Josie had to get new glasses yesterday - she loves shopping for the frames! These have a retro look, the frames turn up like cat eyes and have a bright, abstract print on the sides. She's gorgeous, as she often tells anyone who will listen!

POTD January 13

2011-01-13T12:53:00.000-05:00

Love it when I can combine two of my favorite things into one event - drinking my favorite coffee blend (or anything by Community Coffee) and anything with my alma mater's mascot!

Project 365 (sort of)

2011-01-12T12:42:00.001-05:00

I love the idea of taking a photo a day for a year, what a way to preserve memories and sharpen the photography skills! On the other hand, it means I have to actually TAKE a photo every day! I tried this a few years ago when I was working full time. I'd come home at 4:30pm, hurry to get laundry done, supper started, and help with homework, only to discover it had gotten dark and I still hadn't taken my photo for the day. It ended up being more drudgery than fun, so I stopped trying after a month. This year I thought I'd try it again, only I'd take one photo a week to document and journal about. Then I got to realizing that the main reason I didn't take a photo each day was because I didn't want to carry my big DSLR with me everywhere. So today, I rectified the situation! I went to Target (my home away from home) and bought an inexpensive and TINY Nikon point and shoot that I can slip into even my smallest purse. Presenting the newest member of my photography family!:

It's the perfect size for everyday use, leaving my D300s for the "seriouser" photos:

Obviously the flash was on when I used it to photograph my 300s, I'm still trying to figure out how it works! But for now, I'm excited to try again with Project 365 (or Project 354 since I'm a few days late starting).

It's all in the details

2011-01-10T10:07:00.000-05:00

I love my camera, even though I'm still learning the basics with it! I started out with a Nikon D50, which was a fantastic camera for understanding DSLR cameras. After a while, Larry decided he'd like to use it, so he bought me the 300s. Every birthday and Christmas he gives me a new lens for it, so I've got quite a collection now. I've always wanted a macro lens but could never justify even telling him about it, knowing he'd spend the big bucks and buy me one well out of our price range! Well, this Christmas was different - he saw a friend's photos taken with a 105mm lens and fell in love! So naturally, that's what I got for Christmas! I'm still figuring it out, but look at what awesomeness it takes!

Josie and I took our cameras (she decided Larry didn't need my old one after all, so she uses it!) to the local botanical gardens, where she took this fabulous shot:

Then we got a little goofy and decided to photograph each other with our cameras:

She's such a beauty, I had to take one of her without the camera in her face:

This is the sweet child who sings "Amazing Grace" to me as we drive to school, by the way. Love her!!

Then she made me stop photographing her so she could take a picture of me:

So for any photographers out there, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the Nikon 105mm lens - any tips or tricks you might have would be much appreciated!! And also, I'd love to hear how you store your lenses while at home - I've got great camera bags (I'm using my Shootsac by Jessica Claire above) for travel, but can't figure out the best at-home storage system for my equipment. Thanks for any help you can offer!

Christmas: The Aftermath

2011-01-06T16:26:00.000-05:00

Normally I don't wait until January 6 to begin dismantling our Christmas decorations, but let me explain. No, let me sum up:

New Year's Day we gorged ourselves on gumbo and cornbread, my preferred New Year's meal. This was probably the best I've ever made the gumbo, maybe because I was so happy to have my baby home from college! While we ate, we watched our college slaughter Michigan in the Gator Bowl - GO DAWGS!!

The next day began the long journey to bring Kyle back to God's country. Larry couldn't go with us because of work issues, so it was just the three of us. We drove to my mom's house on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, spent the night, then headed up to Starkville on Monday morning.

We got Kyle all settled back in his dorm, I cried profusely as expected, and he told me I was acting like a baby because I had already brought him here last semester. I told him in no uncertain terms that it was my duty as a mom to cry at leaving him for another 4 months.

Josie and I headed home, spent the night in a hotel with a wonderful indoor pool for her, then finally made it back home Tuesday night.

Which brings us to the disaster you see above. Those poor Carole Towne people, never knew what hit them. With Larry out of town on business and Kyle back in college, I'm taking my time to put up the decorations. So our once beautiful town center looks like a storm just came through!

The view from our balcony

2010-12-19T10:39:00.000-05:00

Well, to be honest this WAS the view from our apartment in Flein, Germany. Every December I think of this picture and all the wonderful, amazing memories associated with it. We lived in Germany from October 1989 through March 1992 and absolutely LOVED it. For a year we lived off base, on the 4th floor of an apartment in Flein. Our area was in a valley, of sorts, with a restaurant at the top of the valley. It's not quite visible in this photo, but it's up there! On Christmas morning, a band of musicians would play Christmas carols from this restaurant, and in the snowy haze the restaurant wasn't visible so all we'd hear were the "angels" playing trumpets. It was so beautiful, to all the senses - we'd sit out on the balcony and feel the crisp air, see how the snow landed on the trees and houses, smell the fireplaces burning, and hear the music. This year was our second Christmas together and our second one in Germany. If you ever have the opportunity to spend Christmas in Germany, please do so!! It is the most magical time of year there, with the markets and Christmas lights, church bells and carolers, and all the warm pretzels you can eat! We hope to go back sometime and relive these memories.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2010-12-06T20:28:00.000-05:00

Yes, the craziness has begun! No, not the shopping, the cooking, or the wrapping - it's time to get out the Christmas houses!! We started collecting these houses about 5 years ago and add more every year. Our collection has grown from the kitchen bar area to four narrow card tables, entry tables, sofa table in the living room, dining room hutch, end table in the family room, and a 2-level table in the family room! And we actually didn't set all the houses up this year, ran out of room!! Three of the card tables are pushed together to make the center of the village, and this is Larry's main job. Josie gets the family room, and I take care of the rest. It's an ordeal to get all the lights turned on and off since some are battery operated, some are on power strips. But it's worth it to see this (except the crooked fleece, ignore that!):

I haven't photographed the other tables, this was enough work for one day!

The latest creations

2010-11-30T16:59:00.000-05:00

Everybody needs a break now and then, right? I've taken a break from purses for Jean's store (just temporary!), and made some things for us. I wanted a large wallet-style purse that I could use when I'm just heading out to bring Josie to school, but something big enough to hold everything in case an emergency arises. Which, of course, one did a few weeks ago when the van broke down and I didn't have my AAA card or credit card with me! This wallet is perfect, plus it has a strap to be carried as a purse and can fit into my regular purse if I need to carry more things with me. The pattern is from The Crochet Diva on Etsy, the fabric is from Hypernoodle2, also on Etsy.

After I finished it, Josie decided she wanted a purse of her own, so I sent her to Hypernoodle's site where she picked out some really funky, but perfectly Josie, fabric. I mostly used a pattern from Home Spun Threads, with minor adjustments. It's exactly what she wanted!

I also made a little coin purse out of this fabric, but don't have a picture of it yet.

It's been fun making things for me and my family, it's been a long time since I've sewed something for us. Now what to work on?

Must be the water...

2010-11-30T07:12:00.000-05:00

I just noticed that a good many of the blogs I follow are written by pregnant women! Love following their updates, but have to admit...I'm glad it's you and not me! I love my two more than anything in the world, but I don't have the stamina at my mid 40s that I did in my 20s! Then I remind myself that when my mom was one year younger than I am now, she had just had her 2nd baby and I was 3 years old! Way to go, Mama!

Black Friday sale!

2010-11-25T19:04:00.001-05:00

Don't bother with the crowds at Black Friday sales! We're having a 10% off sale now through Tuesday when you use coupon code BlackFri10 at the store. Visit it at Friends Fine Jewelry, new items still being added!

Busy, busy, busy!

2010-11-23T17:43:00.000-05:00

Well, actually it's my friend Jean who's been busy! She made a bunch of new jewelry pieces and I've been busy photographing them and adding them to the store. Check out my sidebar for the newest designs! I've also been working at Josie's former elementary school and planning for Thanksgiving. With Kyle away in college, I don't know why I'm cooking so much since Josie won't eat much of it. But it's tradition that I overwork myself!

I am going to miss Kyle - with him living 14 hours away, the Thanksgiving holiday isn't long enough for him to come home. Luckily, my sister-in-law and her husband live a few hours away from the university and are driving up there as I type to pick him up. He loves being at their house, it's relaxing, full of dogs, and he'll have a room to himself for the first time since moving into the dorm!

On the bright side, it's only 2 weeks from Friday that I'll be seeing Kyle again when we go up there to pick him up for Christmas!

A funny thing happened on the way to the Crock Pot...

2010-11-02T11:06:00.000-04:00

Being from New Orleans where making roux is a part of every meal, I've fixed my fair share of it. But never in my life have I had this happen --

Yes, that's a heat-resistant spoon melted at the tip. How did this happen you might ask? Is roux just that toxic?? It is if you leave the spoon resting in the bottom of the hot saucepan you just used to fix the roux.

This recipe called for roux to be fixed, cooled, and added to a slow cooker for Chicken and Sausage Gumbo (still on my Cooking Pink meals!). So I sat painstakingly over the saucepan, cooking and stirring the roux until it reached the gorgeous shade of a copper penny. I moved the pan (with the spoon in it by accident) to what I thought was an unused eye, then went to play with Josie. Little did I remember that I had recently used that eye and it was warm enough to keep my roux cooking. Five minutes later, this is the result!

So yes, I did continue to cook the gumbo in the slow cooker, only without roux! I didn't think my Cajun family would be too happy if I ruined 2 batches in one day!

What's better than a Gator in misery?

2010-10-19T14:52:00.002-04:00

NOTHING!!

For further proof:

Several things to realize after this wonderful news sinks in:

1. The last time my Bulldogs won in the Swamp (where UF plays their games), neither Larry nor I had been born...As in 1965!

2. The last time the Gators lost three in a row, we had just gotten married...As in 1989!

3. The last time MSU beat the Gators at home (2004), they fired their head coach in shame!

4. This game knocked the Gators out of any ranking and landed us in the #24 spot on the AP and Coach's Poll!

5. Since this was an SEC game, it helps us more in the conference scores.

Now I realize this is "just a game" and we've got the toughest part of our schedule still ahead, but since we live on the outskirts of "Gator Nation" and have to live and work with these crazy blue and orange fans, this may be my only chance to say

GO DAWGS!!

Benji Houdini

2010-10-09T15:50:00.000-04:00

We have our very own furry Harry Houdini, world class expert at escaping right under your nose:

Doesn't look like the face of an escape artist, does it? How about this one:

Nope, still looks like a cute, lovable old dog! But then you see this:

Hmm, looks like he's casing the joint, trying to find a weakness. And I think he found it -- behind the palm tree in the corner of the backyard, behind the old swingset:

He decided one afternoon, since he couldn't fit between the landscape timbers at the bottom of the fence, to dig UNDER the fence BEHIND the tree where no one would see his excavation.

So about 9pm the other night, as we're getting ready for bed, we realize he is no longer in the backyard. Thus begins the routine we follow when he escapes out the gate that's been left open - Larry drives around with a dog treat hanging out the window, calling the dog's name (and a few other words that can't be repeated here). But since this escape was under cover of darkness, he had no luck finding Gumbo. We could only hope and pray that he was safe somewhere.

Now flashback to the 1970's, if you were alive then - there was a movie that I loved named "Benji". For those of you too young to know about Benji, he was a stray moplike dog that went from home to home, business to business, living the perfect life. No commitments, but plenty of food and water, and a safe place to stay in a rainstorm. Everyone had a different name for this dog, but the main characters named him "Benji".

Believe me, that Benji had nothing on our dog!

The next morning, I called Animal Control (who has a special crate with Gumbo's name on it for all the times he's escaped and stayed with them until they could read his microchip and call me to come get him). I told them my phone number and where I lived in case anyone found him.

Well, about 2 hours later I received a phone call from a man who asked if I had lost my dog. Turns out, Gumbo went across the main road in our neighborhood and helped himself to the generosity of this stranger and his young grandson! Not only did they provide him with a wonderful nighttime meal, they let him sleep on the bed with the grandson! I'm sure by now that boy had his own name picked out for our dog, and was imagining the next 10 years with such a lovable mutt. But luckily granddad realized he couldn't be a stray, and called Animal Control who gave him my phone number. We met at the local park, I latched the leash on Gumbo/Benji, and home we went!

And do you know, this is the second time someone has found Gumbo after an escape! The first family kept him for almost three days before we found out he was okay! The funny thing is they took him to their vet to check for his microchip - their vet happens to be OUR vet, who recognized Gumbo and gave us a call!

Oh, the life he must lead, no restrictions, no commitments, nothing to do but bask in the love of a dozen or so neighbors and businesses!!

In honor of Purse Week...

2010-10-07T08:41:00.000-04:00

I went to the book store the other day and purchased Amy Butler's newest book, "Style Stitches"

I LOVE the bag on the cover, her Cosmo bag. It's a perfect design for me, big on the inside with pockets on the side panels. However, it's a little big for me. After my disaster with modifying the beach tote a few months back, I decided to contact Amy's design team for guidance on reducing the size of the pattern. After a super fast response from Dianne, I think I'll try a sample on old fabric before messing up my good fabric! That's one of my many downfalls, and the reason I got out of engineering in college, that I can't visualize how something will look when completed. My hubby, an actual engineer, can look at a picture of something then recreate it exactly the way it should be! So as soon as I'm done with the purses for Jean's jewelry party in November, I'll start to work on this bag. Wish me luck!!

It's Purse Week!

2010-10-04T20:03:00.000-04:00

Not sure if I'll enter this, but A Lemony Squeezed Home is having a fabulous contest! The list of prizes is very long, but I'm not sure I can compete with the others who have submitted their work. Still, it's motivating me to make more purses, so it's a good thing! Check out their site for more details!

Still in the pink

2010-10-03T19:51:00.001-04:00

Well I'm almost done with my September meals from my Better Homes and Gardens Pink Edition! I know, it's October, but some of the meals made more than I expected so we had leftovers. Plus a couple of times I forgot to thaw the meat so we had pizza! All in all, the meals were great. Most needed extra spices for my New Orleans tastebuds, but we enjoyed them all anyway. In fact, I'm doing it again for October! There are so many recipes in there that looked great, so those are on my menu for October.

In keeping with the breast cancer awareness during October, I want to remind all you ladies to have your mammogram if you are over 40 - I'm calling for my appointment tomorrow! Try to support organizations that contribute to cancer research. Susan G. Komen's website has plenty of information on sponsors, as does the American Cancer Society. Too many people have suffered through cancer, either as a survivor, victim, or family member. Let's all do our part to find a cure!

I'm a winner!!

2010-09-21T14:46:00.000-04:00

I love reading other people's blogs (evident by the number of blogs listed that I follow!), and I love when a blogger holds a contest. I especially love when the blogger is a crafter and is giving away something they've worked hard to make. The other day I entered a comment on Deborah's "Wonderwoman" blog about the wonderful pincushions she had created. She was giving away a sweet little pumpkin pincushion, and amazingly enough, I won it! She's got a fabulous shop on etsy, Purple Pinwheel. I've admired her work for a while and feel honored to receive something from her. She's got a great eye for detail and uses the most beautiful "found" items for her pincushion bases. So go check out her blog and etsy store, you'll love it!!

The cooking continues...

2010-09-21T10:36:00.000-04:00

Last night was Day 2 of my cooking - I know it's silly to write about and photograph my supper, I'm just so happy to actually have time to cook now that I'm documenting it for my sanity!

This was Spaghetti Squash from the healthy eating section of my cookbook. It tasted very good, a little bland for my Cajun tastes, but still good. Next time I'll put more seasoning in it. I had never tried spaghetti squash before and had problems getting all the seeds out after it was cooked, but it ended up working beautifully!

Saying "No" to Paula

2010-09-18T15:16:00.000-04:00

Today began my "cooking with the Pink" meals - where I only use recipes from BH&G's special edition cookbook. I love this kind of organization, where every recipe is in one place, not scattered in three or four different cookbooks! Which is where Paula comes in...

I bought one of Paula Deen's magazines recently and have tried a few recipes from it already. All have been good, but one in particular has been calling to me, her Shrimp and Grits recipe. I LOVE shrimp, add it to the Southern staple of grits, and it's a perfect meal.

But alas, Paula, your recipe came at the wrong time. I'm on a mission, see, and I can't stray from that mission. I will ONLY fix meals from this one cookbook for the rest of the month! It's impossible for me to deviate from a plan once it is set into motion.

So for lunch today I fixed "Tostada Pizza", which turned out fabulous!

Sorry Paula, better luck next month!!

Are you ready???

2010-09-12T09:11:00.000-04:00

Today's the day...after months of withdrawal and resorting to basketball to fill the void...football season returns!! All I can say is thank heavens we have NFL Sunday Ticket from our satellite company so we can watch any game we want! Of course, the Saints already played their first game Thursday, but I still get to watch the Packers! We love this package, we were able to watch every game the Saints played last season, and we all know how that season turned out for us!

So before 1pm arrives, I have to run errands, wash one more load of clothes, then pop the popcorn and vegetate in front of the TV for the rest of the day. What a life!

Proud to be Pink

2010-09-08T17:30:00.000-04:00

I've always liked the idea of using one cookbook for a week or two, trying a new recipe every night. I've done this with Food Network magazines, Rachael Ray's magazines, Southern Living annual cookbooks, and others. Now I'm trying the Better Homes and Garden Special Edition cookbook for Breast Cancer Awareness. They also have a website, Pink Plaid Cookbook, with links to sponsors that promote Breast Cancer Awareness. I realize that next month is Cancer Awareness Month, but it's been 10 years since my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, and 5 years since her last treatment. We've been blessed to have her cancer-free since then, but I know many more women aren't as fortunate. I also realize that my little percentage of the purchase price of this cookbook won't fund the research for a cure, but it's a start!

And Chaos Ensues...

2010-09-06T18:12:00.000-04:00

Oh my goodness, what a month it's been!! Beginning of August starts with me trying to fit our last summer activities into one week - Josie and I go to the zoo, two botanical gardens, and last minute shopping to get Kyle ready for college.

First off -- the Zoo! It's been 2 years since we were last at the zoo, that time was an end-of-year field trip when Josie was in 3rd grade. I took a picture of her in the same spot as the last visit, by a bear poster that measures your height compared to bears. Look at the difference two years makes!

Next stop(s), the botanical gardens, one in our city, one just north of us. The Heathcote gardens are older and more mature:

Our local gardens is relatively new, but has plenty of potential:

Then, before I knew it, August 10 arrived - time to make the 2-day trip to bring Kyle to college! Our poor van was LOADED with stuff - and as a true mathematician, I had everything organized by size and location!

Everything went smoothly getting him settled into his dorm, we met his roommate before having lunch and heading out. I knew I didn't want to go too far the first night away, just in case there was anything we needed to take care of that afternoon or next morning. So the three of us stayed at a wonderful hotel about 20 miles away, relaxed in the pool and texted Kyle to make sure he was okay! It was an emotional day for me, hating leaving him so far away, plus having him there a week before school started. We all knew he needed time to get used to being on his own, figuring out where to eat, where his classes were located, and planning his own schedule. Luckily he found a dorm neighbor who had just purchased the new Madden NFL game, so he played a lot of football before school started! Priorities, I tell ya!

After we returned from bringing him to God's country, it was time to get Josie ready for 6th grade. I was asked to work for the first two weeks of school to help get things caught up and ready for the new year. I love working at the school, and often wish there hadn't been budget cuts to remove my position. But I know God has a reason for me not working, so I'm making the best of being a stay-at-home mom again.

Right after my two weeks of working, I found out that some of the newer purses Jean and I made had sold at the boutique and her etsy store, so now I'm back to sewing again! She's making new jewelry pieces and has new ideas for purses. We're discovering what our "target audience" is looking for in accessories, so we're trying to design purses for their needs.

Let the chaos continue!!

More scrapping!

2010-08-06T10:10:00.000-04:00

Well I finally actually finished a page that I started at Kim's house last month! I'm notorious for getting a page almost done, then holding off on having it printed until I think about it and reanalyze it later! This one actually came together immediately, the only thing I waited to do was add the curved text and the journaling. The page is from the Class of 2010 Senior Mom's Tea, hosted by the Senior Class sponsor. It was such a fun afternoon, I've known most of the seniors for 9 years now, so it's bittersweet knowing I may not see their moms again much! Luckily we've made friendships outside of our children, so we can still get together.

Scrapping and Spiritual Wisdom

2010-07-17T09:51:00.001-04:00

I spent yesterday with two wonderful friends, Kim and Melissa, to catch up on some scrapbooking. Melissa is a Creative Memories consultant, and both have always done paper scrapping. A year or so ago, CM came out with a digital scrapbook program that is fabulous for scrappers who want to begin digi-scrapping. I tested out the software and really enjoyed it, but I've been using Photoshop for so long that it's hard for me to change my digi-habits! So yesterday was a lot of fun, the two of them using the CM software, me using Photoshop, our three laptops and external hard drives taking up most of Kim's dining room table!

Melissa provided some much-needed spiritual wisdom as well, so it was like a mini-sermon! She brought up something interesting - a friend of hers is very attractive, has plenty of money, wears nice clothes, and drives a nice car. She's a sweet person as well, and always prepared to give God the glory for everything. Melissa was asking us if we were in this friend's shoes, having everything we needed in life, but suddenly had everything taken away (say a layoff from work, bad car wreck, etc.), would we still praise God for what little we had? Or do we only praise Him when things go our way? I pointed out that our life has been the opposite - when we were married 21 years ago, we had NOTHING...had to scrounge to find money to put food on the table by the end of the month. I can remember having tuna fish sandwiches for days on end because that was all we could afford. Now that we're more financially stable, even with a child going to an out-of-state college, we find that we praise God even more than when we had nothing. We know we are far from deserving of these wonderful blessings we've been given, yet God keeps piling on the blessings! As an example, last week we had to send a check for an unexpected bill that was over $3000. We had to use money from Kyle's college savings account to do so, knowing that we had enough in there for at least this first year of college. Then, to our amazement, some old savings bonds that we had sent off through the bank to be redeemed were deposited yesterday, almost the exact amount of the check we had to write last week! Try to tell me that God isn't awesome!! Before we even had to pay that bill we had begun the process of redeeming the bonds, so God knew even then that things would work out. All I can say is, PRAISE GOD!

Back from God's Country

2010-07-02T18:30:00.001-04:00

Last week we left Florida for a trip back home to Mississippi for Kyle's orientation at Mississippi State. We stopped off at my mom's house on the Gulf Coast so Josie could stay with her while the three of us went to the university. As usual, Josie had a blast - my mom took her to Kangaroos (indoor bounce houses), Wal-Mart, the library, Wendy's, then to see the chickens at John's house.

Meanwhile, we were spending two glorious days at our alma mater for Kyle's orientation. It was a wonderful time, the orientation was very well organized and lots of fun. Kyle wasn't feeling well the first day, but had improved by the second day when he met with his academic adviser to make his fall class schedule.

I can't get over how quickly he had his schedule completed - twenty-something years ago when Larry and I were students there we had to wait in endless lines in the Hump (Humphrey Coliseum) to get our schedules, and it took the better part of the day. Kyle's was done in about 20 minutes, then we reserved the textbooks for each class in about 10 minutes. Amazing how much better life can be with computers!

We ate lunch the first day in the Sky Deck at the football field, Davis Wade Stadium. Love this view!!

This is where most of Kyle's classes will be as he progresses in Chemical Engineering, Swalm Engineering Building:

I really think this building (and it's twin at the other end of the drill field) is the reason Kyle picked MSU! Doesn't this look like an old Southern courthouse! Love this building! It's actually new, it's built to look exactly like Lee Hall, built many years ago.

We'll be heading back up there in August to drop Kyle off at his dorm and get him settled. Then when we're home, I'll be getting Josie ready to go to middle school! Changes all around! But both of these are positive changes and we're keeping both children in our prayers!

Simply a Mess!

2010-06-12T17:01:00.000-04:00

I'm discovering more and more about my limited sewing ability with these purses and totes that I'm working on for the store! Being a mathematician, I'm all about measurements, directions, and patterns. So you'd think that following a sewing pattern would be easy for me. After all, I started sewing about 35 years ago (thanks Mom!) and have loved it. I started making quilts a few years ago to break away from the computer and try to be more creative with my time. Quilts seemed natural to me, after all everything is geometric! Gets my heart beating just thinking about it!! But then a few years ago, my retina detached from one eye and I had to have surgery to repair it. I'm so glad to have most of the vision back in that eye, but doing anything detailed is difficult. I put aside any sewing for a while, then started working on these purses just a few months ago. It's much easier than apparel sewing, mainly straight lines with no darts, set-in sleeves, or pattern adjustments to make! So I'm making purses, really enjoying it, but always following a pattern. Until last week when I decided it was time to try enlarging a pattern - BIG MISTAKE!!

Here's a picture of a beach tote that I made for the store:

Notice how the yellow bottom is even on the sides and front? I would have to say that's a crucial part of the design. Now follow me on my disaster of enlarging the pattern --

I decided this tote was too small and wanted to make it about 2" bigger all around. I love the directions for this tote, so I figured it would be easy to do this. After all, I can definitely add 2" to all the measurements - I thought!! Well I didn't take into account that the front and back are one big piece with the contrast added to the middle. So when I got ready to sew the sides onto the front/back piece, they were about 2" too tall. No problem, I thought, I'll add a strip of fabric to the top of the front and back, matching the stripes, to make the raw edges even.

So the strips are sewn in place, I'm not exactly happy with having a visible seam on the front and back, but I figured I could put a strip of the contrast fabric over that to add more flair and cover my seam. So I sew the sides to the front and back to create the box shape of the tote. The size is perfect and I'm ready to measure for the contrast strip to hide the ugly seam. Then I notice another disaster...

The contrast panels on the side pieces is a good 2" ABOVE the contrast piece on the front and back!! When I added the piece to the top to make the front/back and sides even, I didn't take into account that the contrast pieces were sewn based on my incorrect enlarged dimensions! ARRRGHH!

Bottom line, I put it aside for now and am working on something else until my frustrations die down! I'm actually working on a pre-made purse kit from, of all places, Wal-Mart! Our local store has removed the fabric section, but they now sell kits for making a number of things such as drawstring bags, dining chair pads, table runners, and pillowcases. You get the fabric and any trims, for a relatively inexpensive cost. So I bought a kit for a cool purse that I'm trying now. I figure if I like the design, I can use their directions (followed EXACTLY this time) and my own fabric to make other purses. So, we'll see!!

Sew many bags!!

2010-06-09T10:10:00.000-04:00

Jean and I have been working feverishly on new purses for her business, Friends Fine Jewelry. I love sewing the purses, and really love using them, but attaching the beads is difficult for my old eyes! Luckily there's not much to hand sew, but it's worth it to see how a simple but elegant strand of shells can really dress up a bag! Take this Tommy Bahama tote that we just added:

Love the spacious bag, but when you see the shells and stones attached, it really stands out more.

Makes me want to head out to the beach!!

Ahhhh, summer's here!!

2010-06-05T17:23:00.000-04:00

It's official - we are now in the Summer season folks! Not only are we having temperatures over 90 degrees, daily afternoon thunderstorms, and mosquitoes everywhere, we have begun our weekly trek to the beach! It's about a 40 minute drive to our favorite beach, but it's worth it to be on such a beautiful beach!

The sand is soft, not too many shells (enough for collecting, though), and not much seaweed. The rocks are a perfect spot for the kids to climb and fish off the other side. It's also great for making sand castles, until the tide comes in!

Being on such a glorious beach makes me feel even more upset about the oil spill in the Gulf. I can't even imagine how horrible it must be to see the filth washing up on shore, endangering animals, and threatening businesses operating out of the Gulf. Not to mention the lives lost when the tragedy began in April. Being from New Orleans, I understand how important the water is for economy, and to see how it suffers makes me suffer with those affected. So we'll make sure to love and take care of our beach and pray for the best for the Gulf area.

Getting LOST for the last time!

2010-05-23T19:36:00.000-04:00

Tonight's the night - the end of one of the best shows EVER in the history of television. As a math major I've always been a fan of puzzles and riddles, anything that needs brain work to figure out, and anything that has a logical outcome. I spent the last few weeks watching the DVDs of past seasons, then caught up on this season's shows through the ABC website. Now I'm ready! I've got my list of questions that I hope get answered, even though I'm not sure they'll be able to answer everything in one show! I find myself agreeing with Jack sometimes, others with Locke (pre-smoke monster) - as a math person I'm a definite believer in science and how things have to work in the real world. But as a Christian, I have a stronger belief in faith, even without evidence. I don't have to justify anything I hear about in the secular world - if the Bible says it's true then I believe it, no questions asked. But show me a good time travel movie and I'll dissect it scene by scene to make sure they haven't broken some law of physics! I guess that's why I've loved LOST all these years, it has enough to keep both sides of my brain happy. Plus I love the idea that even though some things in life are planned for the survivors (Jacob naming them candidates and bringing them to the island), they still have the choice to be the island's protector, the free will to say "no". Kind of mirrors what I feel about God - He has our lives all planned out, but we still have the free will to make our own decisions, even if we stray from our path. He'll keep putting people and things in front of us to re-direct us to His path, but we can walk around if we want. Granted, we'll miss all the blessings He has for us on His path, and we'll probably live an unfulfilled and unhappy life, but He gives us the chance to see that life and make a course-correction at any time. Isn't God awesome!! But now I must go see how the story ends, whether the path the survivors have chosen is the right path. In case I don't get to watch it all tonight, what with getting kids to bed, I plan to watch it on the DVR first thing tomorrow, before any media can tell me how it ends!

The Beginning of the End

2010-05-20T19:02:00.000-04:00

Well, one week from tomorrow I will no longer have a high school student. No more driving him to school because he'd rather not be bothered learning to drive. No more waking him up at 6:45. No more checking the online grade book to marvel in his brilliance. Nope, as of next week, he'll be a high school graduate! We are so blessed to have such a wonderful son, through tough times and great times, he's been our baby (just don't tell him I said that). Today began the heartbreak - a special Senior Recognition Chapel in front of the entire school. The principal introduced each senior (there's only 16!) and said a few words about each. Then, get the tissues ready, each senior had a chance to thank the special people in their lives. Since he started going to this school in the 4th grade, I've had the wonderful opportunity of watching most of these seniors grow and mature for 9 years. We've seen students lose a parent, have parents move overseas, experience serious illness, as well as the normal "growing pains". But to hear each child stand at the microphone and thank God, family, teachers, and staff at school for helping them become who they are today - it takes your breath away. Your heart breaks for those whose hearts broke over the years, you smile with the memories of happy times and inside jokes, you cry with all who cry that they don't want it to end. All experienced a spiritual growth in their lives, most within this past year. Previous year's seniors had a difficult time learning how to work together through their differences, this class is the exact opposite. As one student said last year, they may not agree with someone but they will always treat each other with respect and dignity. Isn't that an amazing sentiment to come from not only a teenager, but a male teenager at that! We have all been blessed by each student and I'm so excited to see where God will take them in life.

So while this seems like the end for me, it's really only a beginning. Time for Kyle to learn how to manage his time, get to class knowing he'll be walking from the dorm to the classroom, buy his own school supplies, and make his own decisions. He'll be in a different state completely for college, forced to fend for himself among those slow-speaking Southerners (of which I am one!) and pretty Southern girls. But best of all, he'll be at an SEC school, the religion of the South! Go Bulldogs!!

Morning with the Dekkers

2010-04-17T12:49:00.000-04:00

Today we went to a U-Pick farm a few miles away, Dekker Family Farms . Larry had been there once already, having discovered his poker buddy owned the place! We bought about 7 pounds of strawberries (so yummy that we ate a bunch on the drive home!), romaine lettuce, broccoli, and a new type of red lettuce. I had made strawberry bread with the first batch of strawberries Larry had brought home - they were so delicious that we ate two loaves in two days! Now I've got two more loaves in the oven, just steamed the biggest head of broccoli I've ever seen, and washed the lettuce to put in the fridge. My parents always had a big garden, even in New Orleans. Of course, we had to build a raised garden there since the city sits so far below sea level! But the gardening gene did not transfer to me, I have a tough time with anything but weeds! Larry is good with a garden, but our area gets so hot in the summer that we just can't get a garden to grow. So I'm very thankful to have found Dekker's, run by a Christian family who believes in the importance of family togetherness. Off to eat lunch while waiting for the bread to cool, then we'll dive in!!

Have you tried TOMS???

2010-04-16T09:17:00.000-04:00

Earlier this month I was reading a blog by 2 Sweet Things, and she mentioned that it was a day for us to go without shoes as a way to experience the kind of life children in needy areas go through every day. It was sponsored by TOMS Shoes , so I visited their site next. I had heard about this organization before, but never really checked into it. After reading their mission statement and goals, I decided to give it a try and order me some shoes, and at the same time provide a pair of shoes to a needy child. I received my shoes yesterday, and let me tell you - they are the best shoes I think I've ever worn!! After wearing them around the afternoon I went back online and ordered two more pairs, one Maroon and one White (have to have Mississippi State colors!!). What a wonderful feeling to know that for a little more money than I would've spent at a local shoe store I'm able to provide shoes for someone who's never had shoes, plus have a great pair myself. Since I ordered my first pair, I've seen more about their "day without shoes" and am very excited about just how many shoes we can all give to children. Check out their site for yourself!!

Long time no see!

2010-04-13T19:38:00.000-04:00

Not that anyone even reads this, but I'm hoping to get this blog rolling again! Life is finally settling down (for a month or so, anyway) - then the new chapter will begin when Kyle heads to our alma mater, Mississippi State University, for his first semester in college! Wow, has time flown!! When I took him to campus to visit in February, so much had changed, but it brought back wonderful memories of my time there. It's where I met the most wonderful man in the world, so it will always be special to me. So stay tuned for more adventures as we begin a college chapter for Kyle, a middle school chapter for Josie, and a new business opportunity chapter for me!!

TV woes!

2009-09-14T20:15:00.000-04:00

After about 7 months of debating, we decided to "invest" in the NFL Sunday Ticket on our DirectTV. So yesterday was kickoff day, very exciting -- popcorn ready, yellow and red flags in our hands to throw at the TV, laptops opened to the fantasy league. We spent the first few minutes flipping between the Vikings game (not for the Vikings, they're the enemy, but for Brett) and the Saints game (being from New Orleans I automatically hate the Vikings for keeping us out of the wild card playoffs many many moons ago). Finally settled on the Saints game - Drew back to pass...and...the TV breaks!!! So tomorrow the repairman comes by to see if we'll need to get a new set before Sunday!

Happy Birthday to me!

2009-08-31T11:35:00.002-04:00

Yep, it's the big day for me! I've never cared about age - after all, my parents were in their 40's when I was born and taught me that age is just a number. Actually, when my mom was the age I am now, she had just had her 2nd child, my little brother! I can't even imagine having a child now, especially with 7 years between the two I have!

But I love birthdays, Larry always makes a big production of my birthday gift. When I turned 40 eons ago (3 years, actually) he got me my Nikon D50. This year we're getting our kitchen remodeled, which to me is a birthday gift but won't be completed till around our 20th anniversary next month. So we consider that our anniversary gift and I'm still eligible for a birthday gift! I've got my sights set on the new Nikon 300s, but we'll see!

As far as our kitchen goes, we're going with this for the cabinets (from CNC cabinet components' website, local company is Cabinet Dimensions):

It's a beautiful, rich, warm shade with just enough detail to keep it from being too simple. I'm not really a fan of granite (I know, HGTV tells me it's the best, but I just don't like it!), so we found a laminate that has a texture and beveled edge so it won't look like old-fashioned cheap laminate. It's from Wilsonart HD, also purchased thru our local Cabinet Dimensions:

So now I get to look for accessories! I love the colors of these plates at Pier I, but not sure I like the depth of the plates. I'm worried that all the food will sink to the middle and cutting the meat will be impossible!

But searching on etsy, I found this that I absolutely love by misspottery:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=29956336

Different colors, but still the colors I love.

Luckily I've got a few weeks to figure it out, but I can't stop planning it!

The mystery fruit

2009-08-28T19:35:00.000-04:00

Soon after we moved here 8 years ago, we planted a citrus tree in the backyard. For the next few years we carefully watched it for signs of citrus canker, a disease that caused many a fruit tree to be cut down in our region. We faithfully watered it and fertilized it as needed. When we bought the tree we were told it was an orange tree. However, when my scientific sister-in-law came to visit, she said it was a "mock" orange tree and would not bear fruit. Fast-forward 8 years - now suddenly we have fruit! But it's anyone's guess as to what fruit it is!! I've never seen orange trees up close to know whether spikes are normal on their branches - this one is covered with sharp spikes! So, we'll wait till the fruit falls off the tree and see what it is!

Only the Shadow knows!

2009-08-27T20:12:00.000-04:00

Looking out the kitchen window the other day, I was met with this strange image:

Upon closer inspection, I saw this shadowy image:

By this time, curiosity got the best of me, so I wandered out to the back yard to check for other aliens approaching. Just as I got outside and turned around to check, I hear a sound above me:

No need to fear, it's only Larry, painting the roof of our screen porch! The past few weeks had brought deluges of rain that got into the mostly flat roof, causing a portion of the porch ceiling to collapse onto the ground. So, a little patching, a little commercial grade paint, and we're good!

The adventure begins!

2009-08-27T17:48:00.000-04:00

Well, “adventure” may be too strong a word for our life – a little slow, potentially boring compared to the lives of others, but each of us has our own personality and navigating through them is an adventure all to itself! We’re all facing transitions in our lives that affect our family life: Larry is Vice President of an engineering firm and is bringing in new business in new directions; Kyle is a senior in high school contemplating his college future; Josie is finishing elementary school looking forward to being a middle schooler next year; and me – trying to get used to being a full-time mom again! My job at the kids’ school was cut recently due to poor enrollment at the school, and while I look forward to getting my house cleaned, I miss the companionship of the people I worked with at the school. I miss the chaos and the drama, amazingly enough! But God is good and He has a reason for this transition. So, stay tuned for the new adventures!!