This Christmas came and went again like all other Christmases... FAST. Ha! I feel like I just put up the tree now it is already time to take it back down. Sad!
This year we were unable to go to Alabama so my parents drove over. We spent Christmas Eve with Doug's parents and then Christmas day everyone came over for dinner. Thanks to my Mom for helping me cook and thanks to Doug's Mom for making the yummy ham!
Our Christmas was pretty uneventful so I do not have much to blog about. We missed all of our family and we hope to make it home next year. Doug was permanently restricted from handing out presents this year. He accidentally (aka didn't look at the tag on the present to see who it actually went to) opened one of his Dad's presents. Would not have been that big of deal if it was not his Dad's big, surprise present. Yeah, he ruined that! But in his defense the tag probably did say "To Doug". They just did not specify which Doug. I got Doug the XBox Kinect and we have had a great time playing it. The best part is the game takes pictures of you as you play. The are so much fun to look at after the game is over.
The snow the day after Christmas was so nice. I wish more snow would have stuck to the ground but it was nice having the snow without the mess. We thought it was going to stop snowing around lunch so we waited until then to get out and about. Since it did not stop snowing we got to shop in the snow. It was really cool. A little wet and cold but how many southerners can say they were out shopping while it was snowing?
I am off today and tomorrow and I am using the time to get stuff done around the house. From putting up our new bedding set for our bedroom to cleaning windows, I am going to be very busy the next few days. It's amazing how much stuff you can come up with that you have been putting off doing!
So as most of you know from my Facebook status, I have my first set of stitches. Well, a couple of weeks ago I noticed a mole on my arm had turned really dark and it felt like a scab. So I called my family doctor and they told me to come in so they could look at it. They thought it would be best for me to go and have it biopsied so I went on Tuesday to a dermatologist and had that done. The doctor said it should come back ok. I will let you know if it doesn't.
So that was my Christmas. Short, sweet, and calm. Now on to tackling that to do list. Wish me luck!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
M&M Cookies
I will blog about Christmas soon, I promise, but this topic deserves a blog of it's own. Yes... M&M cookies are getting a whole blog dedicated to them.
It all started when I was little. For Christmas my Mom and Dad go bake-crazy. They make a little bit of everything for us to snack on and to take to parties. One of my greatest memories from Christmas growing up is all the yummy sweets I never got to have the rest of the year. Now of course I have developed my favorites and my parents had to make them every year no matter what. My most favorite of the treats were the M&M cookies my Dad would make. I only eat the ones my Dad makes. No cookie store or package from the grocery store will do. They have to be from my Dad.
Now as I have gotten older I have got the recipes from my Mom and made some of the yummy Christmas treats. I, however, do not always wait until Christmas to make these. I will do them for no good reason at all or for parties. Of all the ones I have tried, the only one I fail at every time is the M&M cookie. Every time I make them they come out harder than rocks. I am serious. You can't even cut them with a knife! The first time I used the solid Crisco instead of the oil. Yeah, I ended up with hockey pucks. I call Dad every time I make them to make sure the recipe I am using is right and he says it is. After a few tries I gave up. I had no clue on what I was doing wrong. I mean, I am not a baker. I am a cooker. I can't even make brownies from a box. They come out hard as a rock or doughy. So maybe I should just stick to cooking.
Well this past weekend my parents came up for Christmas. We had Christmas dinner at my house and my Mom helped me cook. I bought tons of cooking items and I realized that all I needed for M&M cookies were the M&M's. Perfect! I would have my parents make the cookies with me so I could see what I was doing wrong.
Or so I thought...
Mom and Dad spent half the time in the kitchen arguing over the recipe. Mom says use a full cup of oil where Dad says use a 1/4 cup. Now I am not baking expert but that is a big difference. Well, Mom ended up having to add a ton of flour to thicken up the batter. However, when I make the cookies I used 1/4 cup like the recipe says. So now what! Mom said try a half of a cup. Thanks Mom!
So another year down, another Christmas gone by, and I still have no clue on how my Dad makes his M&M cookies. I think it is a conspiracy. My Dad doesn't want me to know how. They are purposefully telling me the wrong recipe so I will never be able to make them myself. I guess they will have to start putting batches of M&M cookies in the mail and over-nighting them. I have to have my M&M cookies!!
It all started when I was little. For Christmas my Mom and Dad go bake-crazy. They make a little bit of everything for us to snack on and to take to parties. One of my greatest memories from Christmas growing up is all the yummy sweets I never got to have the rest of the year. Now of course I have developed my favorites and my parents had to make them every year no matter what. My most favorite of the treats were the M&M cookies my Dad would make. I only eat the ones my Dad makes. No cookie store or package from the grocery store will do. They have to be from my Dad.
Now as I have gotten older I have got the recipes from my Mom and made some of the yummy Christmas treats. I, however, do not always wait until Christmas to make these. I will do them for no good reason at all or for parties. Of all the ones I have tried, the only one I fail at every time is the M&M cookie. Every time I make them they come out harder than rocks. I am serious. You can't even cut them with a knife! The first time I used the solid Crisco instead of the oil. Yeah, I ended up with hockey pucks. I call Dad every time I make them to make sure the recipe I am using is right and he says it is. After a few tries I gave up. I had no clue on what I was doing wrong. I mean, I am not a baker. I am a cooker. I can't even make brownies from a box. They come out hard as a rock or doughy. So maybe I should just stick to cooking.
Well this past weekend my parents came up for Christmas. We had Christmas dinner at my house and my Mom helped me cook. I bought tons of cooking items and I realized that all I needed for M&M cookies were the M&M's. Perfect! I would have my parents make the cookies with me so I could see what I was doing wrong.
Or so I thought...
Mom and Dad spent half the time in the kitchen arguing over the recipe. Mom says use a full cup of oil where Dad says use a 1/4 cup. Now I am not baking expert but that is a big difference. Well, Mom ended up having to add a ton of flour to thicken up the batter. However, when I make the cookies I used 1/4 cup like the recipe says. So now what! Mom said try a half of a cup. Thanks Mom!
So another year down, another Christmas gone by, and I still have no clue on how my Dad makes his M&M cookies. I think it is a conspiracy. My Dad doesn't want me to know how. They are purposefully telling me the wrong recipe so I will never be able to make them myself. I guess they will have to start putting batches of M&M cookies in the mail and over-nighting them. I have to have my M&M cookies!!
Friday, December 17, 2010
I've got nothin!
Well... it's been almost a month and I have had nothing to blog about. Yes my wonderful Auburn Tigers came back and beat Bama, yes the spanked South Carolina in the SEC Championship, yes Cam won the Heisman, and yes we are national champ bowl bound. But we knew all that was going to happen so not much to talk about. :)
Thanksgiving was nothing to blog about. We had a quiet dinner with Doug's parents and that was it. We had Ray's Birthday but I did not take many pictures. I was nice and spared everyone. We had Girls Night Out Christmas Party but the light was bad and I could not get any pictures. Trust me, I tried really hard!
Other than that we have been up to nothing. Getting ready for Christmas is taking up most of our time. Getting gifts, decorating, and trying to figure out where we are going to spend it. Drive home to Valley on Friday and come back Sunday (thumbs down) or have Mom and Dad come up (thumbs up). My Dad's family is getting together Christmas Eve and we would not make it there in time. My Mom's side is doing Christmas a week early. So I would be driving to just see my parents. They are off the following Monday and Tuesday so they have more time to come see us. But with my Grandmother being sick my Mom is scared to leave town. She just knows as soon as she gets here the hospital will call and tell her "it's time". So currently we are at a stalemate.
My Grandmother gave me money for Christmas this year and since they did not know if she would make it to Christmas I wanted to buy something special. I ended up buying a ring from Pandora. I was in the store for about an hour, poor Doug, but I did find a ring I loved. I will think of my Grandmother every time I wear it!
Funny story about Christmas decorations... I forgot I bought a ton of stuff the day after Christmas last year. Oops! So after I bought more wrapping paper and ornaments I now have enough to last a few couple of decades. Oops!
They have been doing some re-arranging at work and they took my best friend away from me. Yes. I am sad to report Sara is now working at a different location. Our branch is still in mourning. We are slowly getting back to normal but I have a feeling we will never be the same. We still have e-mail, text, and blogs but it is not the same. We may start doing Girls Night Out a couple of times a month.
Doug finally made me upgrade my phone. The dinosaur has been retired. I do miss her but I like my new Samsung Fascinate. It is taking some getting use to. This phone is way more high-tec than I am use to. I can text and get on Facebook. Making a call is not as easy as my old phone but I am getting use to it. Doug constantly yells at me for how dirty the screen is and how I never "play" on it. He spends hours on his phone so if I do not he thinks I am not spending enough time with my phone. I feel like I have to schedule a play date with it or something. It's a freaking phone, Doug!
Well I think that is all the nothing I have going on for now. Maybe I will have nothing happen again soon so I can tell you about it. Until then, I hope yall have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Thanksgiving was nothing to blog about. We had a quiet dinner with Doug's parents and that was it. We had Ray's Birthday but I did not take many pictures. I was nice and spared everyone. We had Girls Night Out Christmas Party but the light was bad and I could not get any pictures. Trust me, I tried really hard!
Other than that we have been up to nothing. Getting ready for Christmas is taking up most of our time. Getting gifts, decorating, and trying to figure out where we are going to spend it. Drive home to Valley on Friday and come back Sunday (thumbs down) or have Mom and Dad come up (thumbs up). My Dad's family is getting together Christmas Eve and we would not make it there in time. My Mom's side is doing Christmas a week early. So I would be driving to just see my parents. They are off the following Monday and Tuesday so they have more time to come see us. But with my Grandmother being sick my Mom is scared to leave town. She just knows as soon as she gets here the hospital will call and tell her "it's time". So currently we are at a stalemate.
My Grandmother gave me money for Christmas this year and since they did not know if she would make it to Christmas I wanted to buy something special. I ended up buying a ring from Pandora. I was in the store for about an hour, poor Doug, but I did find a ring I loved. I will think of my Grandmother every time I wear it!
Funny story about Christmas decorations... I forgot I bought a ton of stuff the day after Christmas last year. Oops! So after I bought more wrapping paper and ornaments I now have enough to last a few couple of decades. Oops!
They have been doing some re-arranging at work and they took my best friend away from me. Yes. I am sad to report Sara is now working at a different location. Our branch is still in mourning. We are slowly getting back to normal but I have a feeling we will never be the same. We still have e-mail, text, and blogs but it is not the same. We may start doing Girls Night Out a couple of times a month.
Doug finally made me upgrade my phone. The dinosaur has been retired. I do miss her but I like my new Samsung Fascinate. It is taking some getting use to. This phone is way more high-tec than I am use to. I can text and get on Facebook. Making a call is not as easy as my old phone but I am getting use to it. Doug constantly yells at me for how dirty the screen is and how I never "play" on it. He spends hours on his phone so if I do not he thinks I am not spending enough time with my phone. I feel like I have to schedule a play date with it or something. It's a freaking phone, Doug!
Well I think that is all the nothing I have going on for now. Maybe I will have nothing happen again soon so I can tell you about it. Until then, I hope yall have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Pickles
Tonight we got the rare chance to go and eat at a new restaurant that opened up by our house, Pickles. Most new places have been chains so we knew what to expect. However, the place we ate at this evening was a restaurant that I consider a local restaurant. I can not find any information on-line and I do not see another restaurant with the same name, therefore I came to the conclusion it is local. As most of you who know me know that I have strong opinions. I love to review places and I often get on-line and tell places when I have a good or not so good experience at their establishment.
So for all my Evans and Augusta neighbors, this review is for you.
For those of you who do not live here, the location of the restaurant was previously Raising Cane's, a chicken fast food restaurant similar to Zaxby's.
When you first walk into the building you can see very few similarities to the old restaurant. Besides the floor, brick walls, and layout, everything else has changed. They took out the fast food style tables and put in tables you would pull a chair up to. They do still have booths but they have been given a face-lift. The restaurant's aim is to be up-scale. They have soft lighting, black linen table cloths with white paper overlays (real up-scale, I know!), and fancy square plates (cause all the restaurants in New York are doing it). They put in a very nice bar by the kitchen. Half the bar faced the kitchen and the other half faced a large built in glass holder. I never saw any alcohol displayed at the BAR, just glasses you would put drinks containing alcohol in. Odd...
We did not have to wait long for our booth in the oddest place. It was a corner booth but it was more in a nook than a corner. I do not recommend this booth. The table is small and it is stuffy. The waiter came directly over to take our drink orders, he came back to give us our drinks, and he stayed to take our order. We were there maybe 10 minutes. So good service but not enough time for my indecisive butt to decide what I wanted.
Now to the food...
Yes. This is where the experience turns south I am afraid. We ordered two appetizers, fried pickles and teriyaki chicken-kabobs. Now I LOVE fried pickles. It all started when Mom first ordered them at Barns (in my hometown). I had high expectations for the ones at a restaurant called Pickles and of course I was hugely disappointed. They were the long, down the pickle, thick slices not the small, across the pickle, thin slices. The pickle and the breading tasted ok but it was not fully cooked. The batter on the inside was still uncooked. The other appetizer had an ok taste but the chicken was fatty. I expected nice cuts of chicken but it was like they took the scraps from the fried chicken, stuck it on a stick, and grilled it. And you only got 4 small kabobs.
Of course they are a "fancy" restaurant with square plates so they had small portions and fancy arrangements on the plates. However, the pickles came out in plastic basket with a piece of wax paper. Think of what you would get a kids chicken finger basket in.
For my main entree I got beef kabobs with a loaded baked potato and broccoli. The server did not ask how I liked my meat cooked so I got pink beef which I do not like. It was good but a little fatty. I got two kabobs with 4 small pieces on each. There was nothing else on the kabobs so they should call it "meat on a stick". My bake potato was the size of a new potato. The loaded part was a teaspoon of butter, a teaspoon of sour cream, and 3 crumbles of bacon. Whoop Whoop! And the broccoli, you guessed it, was undercooked. It tasted more like they put butter on it and put it in the microwave for a minute to warm it to room temperature. There was no way that broccoli was steamed.
Doug got the fried chicken with gravy and his was actually good. Unfortunately, he got the broccoli too. Doug's mom never got her loaded baked potato soup and Doug's dad's sandwich was nothing special. He didn't even get a fancy square plate. He got a basket. And fair warning, the ketchup is not ketchup. We got refills after we got the check. Yeah. Cause that is when we need a full cup of water. Halfway through our meal, to make the restaurant more upscale, they dimmed the lights completely off. I guess because the food was too depressing to look at.
The menu is small but it is affordable. I think the steaks were expensive compared to the rest of the menu. There is nothing new or interesting on it. Just the same ole same ole.
I wore jeans and a t'shirt and I felt under dressed. This is a place you can dress up to go out to but do not go overboard. There was no candlelight or anything. However, you may want to bring some candles for when they set the "mood lighting".
Would I go back... NO. The food was ok but not good. The menu was nothing special and the service was not the best. Please tell me if you went and had a better experience or if you recommend something on the menu. If you are convincing enough I may go again... some day.
So for all my Evans and Augusta neighbors, this review is for you.
For those of you who do not live here, the location of the restaurant was previously Raising Cane's, a chicken fast food restaurant similar to Zaxby's.
When you first walk into the building you can see very few similarities to the old restaurant. Besides the floor, brick walls, and layout, everything else has changed. They took out the fast food style tables and put in tables you would pull a chair up to. They do still have booths but they have been given a face-lift. The restaurant's aim is to be up-scale. They have soft lighting, black linen table cloths with white paper overlays (real up-scale, I know!), and fancy square plates (cause all the restaurants in New York are doing it). They put in a very nice bar by the kitchen. Half the bar faced the kitchen and the other half faced a large built in glass holder. I never saw any alcohol displayed at the BAR, just glasses you would put drinks containing alcohol in. Odd...
We did not have to wait long for our booth in the oddest place. It was a corner booth but it was more in a nook than a corner. I do not recommend this booth. The table is small and it is stuffy. The waiter came directly over to take our drink orders, he came back to give us our drinks, and he stayed to take our order. We were there maybe 10 minutes. So good service but not enough time for my indecisive butt to decide what I wanted.
Now to the food...
Yes. This is where the experience turns south I am afraid. We ordered two appetizers, fried pickles and teriyaki chicken-kabobs. Now I LOVE fried pickles. It all started when Mom first ordered them at Barns (in my hometown). I had high expectations for the ones at a restaurant called Pickles and of course I was hugely disappointed. They were the long, down the pickle, thick slices not the small, across the pickle, thin slices. The pickle and the breading tasted ok but it was not fully cooked. The batter on the inside was still uncooked. The other appetizer had an ok taste but the chicken was fatty. I expected nice cuts of chicken but it was like they took the scraps from the fried chicken, stuck it on a stick, and grilled it. And you only got 4 small kabobs.
Of course they are a "fancy" restaurant with square plates so they had small portions and fancy arrangements on the plates. However, the pickles came out in plastic basket with a piece of wax paper. Think of what you would get a kids chicken finger basket in.
For my main entree I got beef kabobs with a loaded baked potato and broccoli. The server did not ask how I liked my meat cooked so I got pink beef which I do not like. It was good but a little fatty. I got two kabobs with 4 small pieces on each. There was nothing else on the kabobs so they should call it "meat on a stick". My bake potato was the size of a new potato. The loaded part was a teaspoon of butter, a teaspoon of sour cream, and 3 crumbles of bacon. Whoop Whoop! And the broccoli, you guessed it, was undercooked. It tasted more like they put butter on it and put it in the microwave for a minute to warm it to room temperature. There was no way that broccoli was steamed.
Doug got the fried chicken with gravy and his was actually good. Unfortunately, he got the broccoli too. Doug's mom never got her loaded baked potato soup and Doug's dad's sandwich was nothing special. He didn't even get a fancy square plate. He got a basket. And fair warning, the ketchup is not ketchup. We got refills after we got the check. Yeah. Cause that is when we need a full cup of water. Halfway through our meal, to make the restaurant more upscale, they dimmed the lights completely off. I guess because the food was too depressing to look at.
The menu is small but it is affordable. I think the steaks were expensive compared to the rest of the menu. There is nothing new or interesting on it. Just the same ole same ole.
I wore jeans and a t'shirt and I felt under dressed. This is a place you can dress up to go out to but do not go overboard. There was no candlelight or anything. However, you may want to bring some candles for when they set the "mood lighting".
Would I go back... NO. The food was ok but not good. The menu was nothing special and the service was not the best. Please tell me if you went and had a better experience or if you recommend something on the menu. If you are convincing enough I may go again... some day.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Lady A!
Last night Doug and I took his parents to see Lady Antebellum. We got the tickets for Mrs. Nancy's Christmas present. We had a great time. The concert was amazing and well worth the staying up past bed time. Ha! Our seats were in the corner in the very last section from the stage. The arena is small so they were still good seats; however,we were at the bottom of the upper section, right next to the exit to the section. Our view was blocked half the time from people coming and going to their seats. It was really nice when they stopped to take pictures on the little landing. I know it may be hard to believe but I did not say anything... to anyone. I didn't have to. The ladies in front of us kept people moving. Ha! They were quick to tell people to move if they could not see their beloved Lady A. I will post some pictures on Facebook but my camera did not like the lighting in the arena. However, the video camera on my camera loved the light. So here are a few videos from the concert. Enjoy.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Happy Birthday Trenton!
This blog is about a week late but it has been a long week! Sara's son, Trenton, had his 1st birthday party last Saturday. Sara did a great job of scheduling the party before the AL vs LSU game. Thank you, Sara! As you may know from reading my other blogs, Trenton has had a rough first year. From surgery immediately after he was born to surgery about a month before his birthday, this boy has been through it. If anyone deserved a huge celebration it was Trenton and his Mom and Dad. They have made it through this year with just as much hope, faith, and positivity as when they first started. No matter what, they never gave up and they are one of the strongest families I know.
Even though Mommy did not want a big party, she had to concede. This little boy had too many people who wanted to him celebrate his first year of life. Sara scheduled the party outside thinking it would be a nice fall day and all the kids could run around and play. Well, it ended up being a cold fall day but the kids still got to play. Trenton had a great time seeing all his family and friends, destroying his first birthday cake, and opening his mound of presents. Sara put me on camera duty since I love taking pictures. She knew I would not miss any detail from that day.
I should have taken a picture of the card I gave to Trenton so I could share it with you all. Sara said she had not planned on keeping his birthday cards. She is not very sentimental so I fought for Trenton's memories. I kept telling her that she did not know what kind of person Trenton was going to become and she may regret not keeping them. So I made sure my card was kept. I wrote "You will never read this card because your Mommy plans on throwing it away, but..." Ha! Needless to say it got a huge laugh from Sara and Wes and the card made the keep pile! Yay!
Happy 1st Birthday Trenton!
Singing Happy Birthday!
Destroying the cake!
Trenton was very interested in every card and gift. Daddy read each card to him and Trenton watched intently has he opened each present.
Even though Mommy did not want a big party, she had to concede. This little boy had too many people who wanted to him celebrate his first year of life. Sara scheduled the party outside thinking it would be a nice fall day and all the kids could run around and play. Well, it ended up being a cold fall day but the kids still got to play. Trenton had a great time seeing all his family and friends, destroying his first birthday cake, and opening his mound of presents. Sara put me on camera duty since I love taking pictures. She knew I would not miss any detail from that day.
I should have taken a picture of the card I gave to Trenton so I could share it with you all. Sara said she had not planned on keeping his birthday cards. She is not very sentimental so I fought for Trenton's memories. I kept telling her that she did not know what kind of person Trenton was going to become and she may regret not keeping them. So I made sure my card was kept. I wrote "You will never read this card because your Mommy plans on throwing it away, but..." Ha! Needless to say it got a huge laugh from Sara and Wes and the card made the keep pile! Yay!
Happy 1st Birthday Trenton!
Singing Happy Birthday!
Destroying the cake!
Trenton was very interested in every card and gift. Daddy read each card to him and Trenton watched intently has he opened each present.
SC vs TN
A couple of weekends ago Doug and I went with Sara and Wes to the South Carolina versus Tennessee game in Columbia, SC. I am a fan of "The ole' ball coach" and I have wanted to see him coach for awhile now. Sara and Wes are Tennessee fans so I asked them if they wanted to go. I even bought tickets in the TN section. I am such a great friend. It ended up that our seats were right next to the TN band. I mean, reach out and touch a tuba close. The 1st quarter had not started yet and we had heard Rocky Top 5 times. I almost cried.
It was a great game. Both TN and SC played well and they kept us there watching until the 4th quarter. I told Wes either Garcia will suck it up and TN would win or SC and TN would both play well and it would come down to the fourth quarter. Well we got our money worth. Doug and Sara got hot dogs and pretzels, Wes and I got a great game.
I did feel like a fish out of water at the SC stadium. There was no "All I do is Win" or "Welcome to the Jungle", no "Boda Getta" or "War Eagle". I missed my home. I enjoyed the game and the SC fans are very nice. The stadium was nice and the energy was amazing (would have been cooler if we sat near the student section and the band) but it was not Jordan-Hare. I guess I really do bleed orange and blue. War Eagle!
It was a great game. Both TN and SC played well and they kept us there watching until the 4th quarter. I told Wes either Garcia will suck it up and TN would win or SC and TN would both play well and it would come down to the fourth quarter. Well we got our money worth. Doug and Sara got hot dogs and pretzels, Wes and I got a great game.
I did feel like a fish out of water at the SC stadium. There was no "All I do is Win" or "Welcome to the Jungle", no "Boda Getta" or "War Eagle". I missed my home. I enjoyed the game and the SC fans are very nice. The stadium was nice and the energy was amazing (would have been cooler if we sat near the student section and the band) but it was not Jordan-Hare. I guess I really do bleed orange and blue. War Eagle!
Friday, October 29, 2010
From Heather's Kitchen
I am have been trying a ton of new recipes here lately and this is one of my favorites. I still have about 10 more new ones to try so I may have some more to share in the next few weeks. Enjoy!
Chili Sausage Pasta
Ingredients:
2 ½ cps Bow-tie pasta
¾ lb Mild Italian Sausage links
1 can Diced tomatoes
1 can Mild Green chilies
1 can Tomato sauce
1 can Pinto beans (rinsed & drained)
Directions:
1. Cook & drain pasta
2. Cut sausage into 1-inch pieces and cook over medium heat until no longer pink
3. Stir in tomatoes, chilies, & tomato sauce. Reduce heat, cover, and cook for 5
minutes
4. Stir in beans & pasta. Cook uncovered for 3-5 minutes until warm
Chili Sausage Pasta
Ingredients:
2 ½ cps Bow-tie pasta
¾ lb Mild Italian Sausage links
1 can Diced tomatoes
1 can Mild Green chilies
1 can Tomato sauce
1 can Pinto beans (rinsed & drained)
Directions:
1. Cook & drain pasta
2. Cut sausage into 1-inch pieces and cook over medium heat until no longer pink
3. Stir in tomatoes, chilies, & tomato sauce. Reduce heat, cover, and cook for 5
minutes
4. Stir in beans & pasta. Cook uncovered for 3-5 minutes until warm
Thirty One Party
Wow! I can not believe it has been almost a month since my last blog. I just have had nothing going on. I have been laying low, relaxing, and enjoying some Auburn football. Almost two weeks ago I had a Thirty-One Gifts party at my house. This gave me the perfect excuse to get some things done around the house. Doug was thrilled! My #1 thing was to paint. I worked on the kitchen Thursday and Friday then on Sunday and Monday Doug and I finished. I really like the color. It is darker than I wanted to go but it matches everything perfectly. We did a great job and I only spilled a little bit of paint on the carpet. :) Here are a few pictures from the party.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
I had big plans for my previous weekend but in true form those plans were changed. Doug went to Huntsville Thursday with his Mom and Dad and I was staying home. I was so excited. I had the fridge stocked with junk food, chick-flick movies rented, and a great day of Saturday football planned. I was set for a lazy weekend without the hubby.
About a half hour after Doug left my Mom called to tell me that Travis had passed away. I spoke about him in a previous blog. He was very sick so I am glad he did not suffer long. So I packed my things and headed home to be with my family.
The service was nice and it was great that I was able to be there. I got to see so many family and friends that I have not seen in a very long time. My Dad almost did not make it to the service but he ended up getting off at the last minute.
I could go on and tell you all the great things that were said about Travis, all the wonderful pictures they had of him, and all the shoes that were brought to donate on his behalf but this would turn into a very long blog. So I will just say that Travis was an amazing person who was loved and befriended by everyone he met. He will be greatly missed but we are glad to know he is waiting for us by the golden gates of Heaven.
About a half hour after Doug left my Mom called to tell me that Travis had passed away. I spoke about him in a previous blog. He was very sick so I am glad he did not suffer long. So I packed my things and headed home to be with my family.
The service was nice and it was great that I was able to be there. I got to see so many family and friends that I have not seen in a very long time. My Dad almost did not make it to the service but he ended up getting off at the last minute.
I could go on and tell you all the great things that were said about Travis, all the wonderful pictures they had of him, and all the shoes that were brought to donate on his behalf but this would turn into a very long blog. So I will just say that Travis was an amazing person who was loved and befriended by everyone he met. He will be greatly missed but we are glad to know he is waiting for us by the golden gates of Heaven.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Wedding, Football, and Moving
This past weekend was a very busy weekend. We got to Valley around 9:30 Friday evening and pretty much went straight to bed. Saturday we got up early and got to work. Doug went with my Dad to my Grandmother's apartment to start moving the big furniture pieces and Mom and I went to the nursing home to see Grandmother.
I have not been in a nursing home since my Great Grandfather was alive. I think I was still in Jr High. I was not looking forward to the visit because the place is so depressing but I was happy to see my Grandmother. I am glad she is not staying by herself anymore because she really does need 24/7 care and supervision. However, I did not realize how bad her health had deteriorated since I had not seen her in a long time.
While at the nursing home we unloaded Mom's car with things Grandmother had asked for and we labeled everything. Do you know how hard it is to write your name on socks and slips? Then we wrote a new list for all the new stuff she wanted us to bring. I have no clue where she is going to put it all because she is sharing a room but she insists on having all this stuff.
Mom is super stressed out and I am so happy we were able to be there this weekend to help. It is so crazy what all you have to do to go into a nursing home. Mom has learned so much and I hope this will prepare us for what we need to do when it is her time to go. We also learned nursing homes are expensive has crap! Grandmother is driving Mom crazy with all her demands and Mom is so scared she will throw something away and then Grandmother will ask for it. We gave tons of stuff to the Christian Service Center (like a Goodwill but it is done by the church) and to the church for an auction to raise money for Lottie Moon. The rest was a "take it if you want it" between the four kids. I found a complete set of crystal serving pieces. I wanted some pictures but I figured if Mom got them first I would get them eventually. I did get an engagement picture of my Mom and Dad! They haven't aged a day! I was surprised how much stuff my Grandmother fit into her 2 bedroom apartment. I didn't think we would ever finish going through it all.
Saturday afternoon we watched the Bama game then we headed to Lafayette, AL for Abbie Wilbanks' wedding. It was at Oak Bowery Plantation. I was not happy about the wedding time. We missed the second half of Bama and the first half of Auburn. However, we did keep up with it on Doug's phone. I kept updating everyone at the wedding. Ha! I had planned to leave after we ate but they had free beer. Specifically Coors Light in a can which is Doug's favorite. I had to beg him to go. Finally my Dad piped in and said they were leaving. We took separate cars because I figured we would leave before them and here we were leaving because they were leaving. The wedding was gorgeous, the food was yummy, and the bride was beautiful. We had a great time and it was nice getting to see family and friends.
I did make it through the game without injury or injuring anyone around me. I was worried there for awhile but Auburn's D-fence stepped up and made some great plays to help us win. Cam looked great in the half that I saw. He has a lot of energy, strength, and passion. He is definitely a team leader and I know he can carry us straight to the SEC Championship game.
Sunday we went back to Grandmother's and to help finish up moving. However, the rain came in and stalled the process. We met Pops for lunch and then we headed back to Augusta. It took us forever to get home due to the rain storm that came in. We averaged about 50 mph because the rain never let up. It finally stopped about 20 minutes from our exit so we had enough time to unpack the car before it started again.
This weekend I have the house to myself. Doug is going to Huntsville Thursday so I am going to party. Well... party meaning watch football and never leave the house. Ha! Mini vacation for Heather!
I have not been in a nursing home since my Great Grandfather was alive. I think I was still in Jr High. I was not looking forward to the visit because the place is so depressing but I was happy to see my Grandmother. I am glad she is not staying by herself anymore because she really does need 24/7 care and supervision. However, I did not realize how bad her health had deteriorated since I had not seen her in a long time.
While at the nursing home we unloaded Mom's car with things Grandmother had asked for and we labeled everything. Do you know how hard it is to write your name on socks and slips? Then we wrote a new list for all the new stuff she wanted us to bring. I have no clue where she is going to put it all because she is sharing a room but she insists on having all this stuff.
Mom is super stressed out and I am so happy we were able to be there this weekend to help. It is so crazy what all you have to do to go into a nursing home. Mom has learned so much and I hope this will prepare us for what we need to do when it is her time to go. We also learned nursing homes are expensive has crap! Grandmother is driving Mom crazy with all her demands and Mom is so scared she will throw something away and then Grandmother will ask for it. We gave tons of stuff to the Christian Service Center (like a Goodwill but it is done by the church) and to the church for an auction to raise money for Lottie Moon. The rest was a "take it if you want it" between the four kids. I found a complete set of crystal serving pieces. I wanted some pictures but I figured if Mom got them first I would get them eventually. I did get an engagement picture of my Mom and Dad! They haven't aged a day! I was surprised how much stuff my Grandmother fit into her 2 bedroom apartment. I didn't think we would ever finish going through it all.
Saturday afternoon we watched the Bama game then we headed to Lafayette, AL for Abbie Wilbanks' wedding. It was at Oak Bowery Plantation. I was not happy about the wedding time. We missed the second half of Bama and the first half of Auburn. However, we did keep up with it on Doug's phone. I kept updating everyone at the wedding. Ha! I had planned to leave after we ate but they had free beer. Specifically Coors Light in a can which is Doug's favorite. I had to beg him to go. Finally my Dad piped in and said they were leaving. We took separate cars because I figured we would leave before them and here we were leaving because they were leaving. The wedding was gorgeous, the food was yummy, and the bride was beautiful. We had a great time and it was nice getting to see family and friends.
I did make it through the game without injury or injuring anyone around me. I was worried there for awhile but Auburn's D-fence stepped up and made some great plays to help us win. Cam looked great in the half that I saw. He has a lot of energy, strength, and passion. He is definitely a team leader and I know he can carry us straight to the SEC Championship game.
Sunday we went back to Grandmother's and to help finish up moving. However, the rain came in and stalled the process. We met Pops for lunch and then we headed back to Augusta. It took us forever to get home due to the rain storm that came in. We averaged about 50 mph because the rain never let up. It finally stopped about 20 minutes from our exit so we had enough time to unpack the car before it started again.
This weekend I have the house to myself. Doug is going to Huntsville Thursday so I am going to party. Well... party meaning watch football and never leave the house. Ha! Mini vacation for Heather!
Thursday, September 23, 2010
The past week and the weekend ahead
I have not had too much going on lately to blog about so I figured I would just catch you up on what has happened in my uneventful week.
Friday night we ate dinner at our favorite mexican restaurant, Monterrey. We literally eat there on a weekly basis but this time we invited Doug's parents, Ray, and our neighbors and their daughter. We had a great time. While we were eating we saw Jessica and Nick sitting behind us so we invited them over to our house for drinks after they were done. It has been awhile since we had people over to the house for drinks and it was nice to be able to do it again. I miss seeing everyone because our schedules are so crazy these days. So everyone came over after dinner and since it was finally cool enough outside we decided to mingle out in the front yard. We were able to sit outside for awhile but the rain put us under the carport for the rest of the evening.
Saturday was my football day. I enjoyed it very much. It was my first day when I had almost nothing planned and was able to watch every game I wanted. I got up early to shower so I would not miss GameDay at Auburn. Doug had to work but it was nice having just football and me for a little while. Georgia and Tennessee played really well but just not good enough. Bama was a blow out and Auburn... well we played like Auburn. All the way down to the last second. When we went into overtime all I could think about was, "Oh No! We never do good in overtime!"
Saturday night we went over to Wes & Sara's to watch the Auburn game. Poor Doug was so tired he fell asleep on their awesome, big, comfy, couch. I entertained Sara, Wes, and their dog, Baxter, with my cheering and yelling at the TV. I did tone it down a bit in order to not scare them or make them think I was crazy. Every time Auburn did something good Baxter thought it was me wanting to play with him. Now picture me jumping up and down, celebrating, and an 80 lb dog coming over and wanting to play. Ouch!
Like my facebook status said Sunday... Auburn football is either going to make me an alcoholic (because the only way I can make it though a game is by drinking) or it is going to give me a heart attack. Either way, I can't live without it!
Sunday we did nothing but sit on the couch and watch TV. It was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! You need a day like that every now and then. This week has been slow. Sara's 10 month old son, Trenton, had surgery on his kidney on Tuesday and everything went well. She has left me at work to fend for myself AGAIN this week. I guess I will forgive her... this time. Just don't let it happen again. Ha!
Tomorrow night we are headed to Valley for a wedding and to help my Mom go through all my Grandmother's stuff. She is moving into a nursing home due to her health and she has to be out of her apartment by Sunday. Mom is very stressed about this and I hate not being able to be there to help her. She is so scared she is going to get rid of something she, my Grandmother, or one of her Brothers or Sisters may want. I keep telling her we will put it all in a storage building and go through it later when we have more time but she is dead set on getting it all done by Sunday. So please keep her and my Mom's family in your thoughts as they go through this process.
Friday night we ate dinner at our favorite mexican restaurant, Monterrey. We literally eat there on a weekly basis but this time we invited Doug's parents, Ray, and our neighbors and their daughter. We had a great time. While we were eating we saw Jessica and Nick sitting behind us so we invited them over to our house for drinks after they were done. It has been awhile since we had people over to the house for drinks and it was nice to be able to do it again. I miss seeing everyone because our schedules are so crazy these days. So everyone came over after dinner and since it was finally cool enough outside we decided to mingle out in the front yard. We were able to sit outside for awhile but the rain put us under the carport for the rest of the evening.
Saturday was my football day. I enjoyed it very much. It was my first day when I had almost nothing planned and was able to watch every game I wanted. I got up early to shower so I would not miss GameDay at Auburn. Doug had to work but it was nice having just football and me for a little while. Georgia and Tennessee played really well but just not good enough. Bama was a blow out and Auburn... well we played like Auburn. All the way down to the last second. When we went into overtime all I could think about was, "Oh No! We never do good in overtime!"
Saturday night we went over to Wes & Sara's to watch the Auburn game. Poor Doug was so tired he fell asleep on their awesome, big, comfy, couch. I entertained Sara, Wes, and their dog, Baxter, with my cheering and yelling at the TV. I did tone it down a bit in order to not scare them or make them think I was crazy. Every time Auburn did something good Baxter thought it was me wanting to play with him. Now picture me jumping up and down, celebrating, and an 80 lb dog coming over and wanting to play. Ouch!
Like my facebook status said Sunday... Auburn football is either going to make me an alcoholic (because the only way I can make it though a game is by drinking) or it is going to give me a heart attack. Either way, I can't live without it!
Sunday we did nothing but sit on the couch and watch TV. It was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! You need a day like that every now and then. This week has been slow. Sara's 10 month old son, Trenton, had surgery on his kidney on Tuesday and everything went well. She has left me at work to fend for myself AGAIN this week. I guess I will forgive her... this time. Just don't let it happen again. Ha!
Tomorrow night we are headed to Valley for a wedding and to help my Mom go through all my Grandmother's stuff. She is moving into a nursing home due to her health and she has to be out of her apartment by Sunday. Mom is very stressed about this and I hate not being able to be there to help her. She is so scared she is going to get rid of something she, my Grandmother, or one of her Brothers or Sisters may want. I keep telling her we will put it all in a storage building and go through it later when we have more time but she is dead set on getting it all done by Sunday. So please keep her and my Mom's family in your thoughts as they go through this process.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
I may be a girl but I am not stupid!
Yesterday I took my car into Jiffy Lube to have the oil changed. I hate doing this because I do not know anything about changing the oil and most car service places try to take advantage of people (i.e. GIRLS) like me. And I am also scared to death I am going to miss the ramp things you have to drive up on and my car will crash down into the big hole. Then Doug would kill me.
So I pull my car up to the window and thankfully there is another car ahead of me so they escort me to the waiting room. I tell them I just want me oil changed and I wanted the same oil I got last time. After waiting a few minutes they call me out of the waiting room to talk to me about what they needed to do. I tell the lady again that I just want my oil changed and I have a coupon for $7 for the oil change service. She replies by telling me my air filter is dirty and she suggests that I replace it. "No thank you. Just the oil change today, please."
Then she asks if I do a lot of stop and go driving. I told her all I did was drive to work and back everyday. She suggested I get the synthetic mix oil because it was better for cars who drive mostly in the city. Well what I wanted was $30 something and what she was trying to sell me was $46. I told her no thanks and that the regular oil would do just fine.
"Well we are out of that kind of oil"
I may be a girl but I am not stupid! She was trying to up sale me so she wouldn't loose the sale because they were out of the oil I wanted. I asked her if they had already started and she said they had. They seriously thought I was stupid enough to be able to tick me into going ahead and upgrading without telling me why they really wanted me to upgrade. Why would I pay the extra money for the better oil because they were out of the basic stuff? I mean, really!
Since they had already drained my oil I made them give me discounts. I ended up paying less for the better oil than what I would have paid for the basic. Ha Ha! They should have looked up what I got last time and told me they were out before they started. I may be a girl but I am not stupid.
So I pull my car up to the window and thankfully there is another car ahead of me so they escort me to the waiting room. I tell them I just want me oil changed and I wanted the same oil I got last time. After waiting a few minutes they call me out of the waiting room to talk to me about what they needed to do. I tell the lady again that I just want my oil changed and I have a coupon for $7 for the oil change service. She replies by telling me my air filter is dirty and she suggests that I replace it. "No thank you. Just the oil change today, please."
Then she asks if I do a lot of stop and go driving. I told her all I did was drive to work and back everyday. She suggested I get the synthetic mix oil because it was better for cars who drive mostly in the city. Well what I wanted was $30 something and what she was trying to sell me was $46. I told her no thanks and that the regular oil would do just fine.
"Well we are out of that kind of oil"
I may be a girl but I am not stupid! She was trying to up sale me so she wouldn't loose the sale because they were out of the oil I wanted. I asked her if they had already started and she said they had. They seriously thought I was stupid enough to be able to tick me into going ahead and upgrading without telling me why they really wanted me to upgrade. Why would I pay the extra money for the better oil because they were out of the basic stuff? I mean, really!
Since they had already drained my oil I made them give me discounts. I ended up paying less for the better oil than what I would have paid for the basic. Ha Ha! They should have looked up what I got last time and told me they were out before they started. I may be a girl but I am not stupid.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Football week 2
First off, I can not believe we are already into the third week of college football! I hurry up football Saturdays but when they get here I so wish they would stay longer.
Well I say War Eagle with a very monotone voice. I was very disappointed in their performance. I pretty much stopped watching after half time. It was pathetic. Good thing our defense hung in there and won the game for us. But even then it was too close for comfort. The thing I really don't get is that we jumped up to # 16! I really do not think that performance earned us any jump up the rankings, but I don't get a vote so thanks to all those who apparently didn't watch the game.
The Georgia vs South Carolina game went exactly as I had predicted it would. Ask the customer who argued with me that GA was going to win.I tried to tell him but those GA fans are quite stubborn. The game was great and SC played very well. I thought the score was going to be much closer but SC's defense did a great job of holding GA to field goals.
I watched Florida play on ESPN3.com and I was not impressed. I am not surprised they dropped in the rankings even though they won. They have a long way to go but I know they will get there.
Poor Tennessee. I watched bits and pieces of the first half and some of the second. They looked pretty good in the first half and hung right in there, but then halftime happened. I don't know what the coaches or captains said in the locker room, but it was the wrong speech. Man I felt the pain for all the TN fans out there. To be tied to a team in the top 10 and then get stomped 48-13, that just hurts.
And of course, Alabama. I had to drink to make it through this one. I was so nervous they were going to turn into the old Bama we all know and "love" and lose. So between the Jack and our 4 yr old neighbor, Jordan, I made it through the game. And they did not disappoint. They played like a #1 ranked team should play a #18 ranked out-of-conference team. I only yelled, in a non-positive manner, at the TV a few times thanks to the defense and Trent Richardson.
I am super excited that GameDay will be in Auburn Saturday for the Auburn vs Clemson game. I hope we show up and play like a #16 team is suppose to play. I may need to go buy another bottle of Jack, though!
Well I say War Eagle with a very monotone voice. I was very disappointed in their performance. I pretty much stopped watching after half time. It was pathetic. Good thing our defense hung in there and won the game for us. But even then it was too close for comfort. The thing I really don't get is that we jumped up to # 16! I really do not think that performance earned us any jump up the rankings, but I don't get a vote so thanks to all those who apparently didn't watch the game.
The Georgia vs South Carolina game went exactly as I had predicted it would. Ask the customer who argued with me that GA was going to win.I tried to tell him but those GA fans are quite stubborn. The game was great and SC played very well. I thought the score was going to be much closer but SC's defense did a great job of holding GA to field goals.
I watched Florida play on ESPN3.com and I was not impressed. I am not surprised they dropped in the rankings even though they won. They have a long way to go but I know they will get there.
Poor Tennessee. I watched bits and pieces of the first half and some of the second. They looked pretty good in the first half and hung right in there, but then halftime happened. I don't know what the coaches or captains said in the locker room, but it was the wrong speech. Man I felt the pain for all the TN fans out there. To be tied to a team in the top 10 and then get stomped 48-13, that just hurts.
And of course, Alabama. I had to drink to make it through this one. I was so nervous they were going to turn into the old Bama we all know and "love" and lose. So between the Jack and our 4 yr old neighbor, Jordan, I made it through the game. And they did not disappoint. They played like a #1 ranked team should play a #18 ranked out-of-conference team. I only yelled, in a non-positive manner, at the TV a few times thanks to the defense and Trent Richardson.
I am super excited that GameDay will be in Auburn Saturday for the Auburn vs Clemson game. I hope we show up and play like a #16 team is suppose to play. I may need to go buy another bottle of Jack, though!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
"Football Expert"
One of our radio stations here in Augusta is 104.3. I think it is WBBQ. They play a nice mix of music and I usually listen to it when I am tired of hearing the same top 20 songs over and over again. I usually listen to Kidd Kraddick or this new top 20 station, 102.3. 102.3 use to be all music, no commercials then they went to 90% music with a few commercials. Now they have a morning show out of Austin Texas and it sucks. So on my way to work I was flipping stations between Kidd Kraddick commercial breaks and for some reason I stopped on 104.3.
Well this girl was on their morning talk show talking about how she just discovered what it means when football announcers say teams are “on their own 20 yard line”!!!! Now you know that got my attention. How can someone say something that stupid on national radio.
THEN the other girl on the show was like, “I am so glad you know that. You are the only girl I know who is a football EXPERT and I love it when you explain that kind of stuff.”
At this point my jaw is on the floor and I am sitting on my hand to prevent myself from calling the radio station. She is seriously calling the other girl a football expert! I don't know what is worse, the stupidity of these two girls or the fact that they think they "know" all about football.
But THEN the “football expert” says “coming up I will tell you why sometimes teams go for it on 4th down and why sometimes they punt because I DIDN’T KNOW UNTIL RECENTLY”!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don't know all the plays in football, I don't know all the names of the many positions, heck I don't even know all the players names. BUT I have enough common sense to know why you would or wouldn't go for the 1st down when it is 4th down. Someone needs to take those girls to a football game. Geez!
Well this girl was on their morning talk show talking about how she just discovered what it means when football announcers say teams are “on their own 20 yard line”!!!! Now you know that got my attention. How can someone say something that stupid on national radio.
THEN the other girl on the show was like, “I am so glad you know that. You are the only girl I know who is a football EXPERT and I love it when you explain that kind of stuff.”
At this point my jaw is on the floor and I am sitting on my hand to prevent myself from calling the radio station. She is seriously calling the other girl a football expert! I don't know what is worse, the stupidity of these two girls or the fact that they think they "know" all about football.
But THEN the “football expert” says “coming up I will tell you why sometimes teams go for it on 4th down and why sometimes they punt because I DIDN’T KNOW UNTIL RECENTLY”!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don't know all the plays in football, I don't know all the names of the many positions, heck I don't even know all the players names. BUT I have enough common sense to know why you would or wouldn't go for the 1st down when it is 4th down. Someone needs to take those girls to a football game. Geez!
Monday, September 6, 2010
Happy Anniversary!
Sunday was our 1 year anniversary. And we did nothing but tell each other happy anniversary. No card, no presents, no dinner. His Mom and my parents gave us a card but that was it. Ha! Our trip was our celebration and gift to each other. We spent the whole day on a plane, in an airport, or in a car... with his Mom. Ha! But that was fine by us.
The week before I thawed out the cake so we would eat it before we left. Well, I ate it. Doug had half a slice and Ray took some home one night but other than that I ate it all. It was too good. Just like the first day we had it. It froze perfectly and it was nice and moist. Thanks to saran wrap and a couple of wal-mart bags, our cake was delicious.
Football week 1
This week was pretty uneventful for me since I only got to watch two games, the LSU NC game and the SC So Miss game. I kept up with scores but there was not many "can't miss" games on. As much as I hated pulling for LSU, I did. And once again they won by the skin of their teeth. They are not good, just lucky. South Carolina looked pretty good but they usually do at the first of the season. They hold it together until about half way through then fall apart.
I guess Auburn did ok but I did not see any highlights. Bama looked good but that was no big shocker. I watched Tebow play and he did ok. Took him a little to get going but once he did he performed pretty good.
I can not wait to watch Auburn play Thursday.I have to work Saturday but I get off at noon. I will have to record the first part of Georgia hopefully loosing to South Carolina but I will be glued to the couch to watch every other second of Saturday football. I am missing College Gameday again and I think they are in Bama so I may have to record that too. I need to print out the schedule and plan my day. Boy do I love football Saturdays!
I guess Auburn did ok but I did not see any highlights. Bama looked good but that was no big shocker. I watched Tebow play and he did ok. Took him a little to get going but once he did he performed pretty good.
I can not wait to watch Auburn play Thursday.I have to work Saturday but I get off at noon. I will have to record the first part of Georgia hopefully loosing to South Carolina but I will be glued to the couch to watch every other second of Saturday football. I am missing College Gameday again and I think they are in Bama so I may have to record that too. I need to print out the schedule and plan my day. Boy do I love football Saturdays!
Wisconis Days 7, 8, and 9
Friday morning we left for Chicago. The drive was not too bad and Garmin did not take us to the ghetto this time. Yay! We got to our hotel, which was about 25 miles outside of the city, and decided to take the train in. Now imagine three southerners standing outside a train station with no clue on what to do, where to park, who to pay, or where they wanted to go. That was us. Thanks to some nice city people we finally got our barrings and headed to Union Station. And to the drunk at 5:00 pm 20 something girls who could not handle their alcohol... I hope you missed your train home.
Well I usually plan our trips out so we know what we want to see and do and where to go to do those things. This time we didn't even have a map. Oops! When we got off the train we had no clue where to go. We where walking around the city wondering where everyone and everything was. It was creepy. We finally found a really loud bar with a decent food menu for dinner. Needless to say we were very skeptical about the city and going back the next day.
Saturday morning we got up early and decided to drive into the city. I did a bunch of research the night before on Doug's Droid so I knew where to eat and where to go. We parked by Millennium Park and then walked over to Navy Pier. I was amazed at all the athletic, runners out on the paths by the lake. The weather was beautiful so everyone was out taking advantage of it. We ate lunch at the park then headed over to the "mile" of shopping. I know it may be hard to believe but we did not buy a thing.
For dinner we went and ate at Lou Malnati's. Holy crap it was good. It was hands down the best pizza I have ever put in my mouth. The crust was perfect, the sauce was freshly made, and the cheese was extra cheesy. I could easily eat that for the rest of my life and die a happy Heather!
Sunday went very smoothly. We got up, checked out of the hotel, drove to the airport, and got on the plane. There were no delays or hiccups. It was odd. The flights were even exactly on time and they landed way early. The only bad thing was the flight to Cincinnati made me sick. I think the pilot's kid was flying the plane b/c when we descended we dropped. There was no slow descend. It was drop, level, drop, level, drop... just thinking about it makes me nauseous. But I made it.
Today we have been doing nothing but laundry. We grilled out with our neighbors for lunch and now I am catching up on all my computer duties (facebook, blog, pictures, etc). I will post the link to shutterfly as soon as I get the pictures uploaded.
Well I usually plan our trips out so we know what we want to see and do and where to go to do those things. This time we didn't even have a map. Oops! When we got off the train we had no clue where to go. We where walking around the city wondering where everyone and everything was. It was creepy. We finally found a really loud bar with a decent food menu for dinner. Needless to say we were very skeptical about the city and going back the next day.
Saturday morning we got up early and decided to drive into the city. I did a bunch of research the night before on Doug's Droid so I knew where to eat and where to go. We parked by Millennium Park and then walked over to Navy Pier. I was amazed at all the athletic, runners out on the paths by the lake. The weather was beautiful so everyone was out taking advantage of it. We ate lunch at the park then headed over to the "mile" of shopping. I know it may be hard to believe but we did not buy a thing.
For dinner we went and ate at Lou Malnati's. Holy crap it was good. It was hands down the best pizza I have ever put in my mouth. The crust was perfect, the sauce was freshly made, and the cheese was extra cheesy. I could easily eat that for the rest of my life and die a happy Heather!
Sunday went very smoothly. We got up, checked out of the hotel, drove to the airport, and got on the plane. There were no delays or hiccups. It was odd. The flights were even exactly on time and they landed way early. The only bad thing was the flight to Cincinnati made me sick. I think the pilot's kid was flying the plane b/c when we descended we dropped. There was no slow descend. It was drop, level, drop, level, drop... just thinking about it makes me nauseous. But I made it.
Today we have been doing nothing but laundry. We grilled out with our neighbors for lunch and now I am catching up on all my computer duties (facebook, blog, pictures, etc). I will post the link to shutterfly as soon as I get the pictures uploaded.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Wisconsin Days 5 & 6
Yesterday, Wednesday, we went to the Dells. They have a lot of amusement parks and water parks but we did not go to those. Instead we shopped at the outlets and at downtown. The downtown area reminds me of Gatlinburg's downtown. We went into a candy store called Goody Goody Gum Drops. They had everything so we bought a little of everything. We were going to go on a boat tour of the Dells but we decided not to. Instead we just walked down the riverwalk. That evening we went out on the farm to visit family and the deer. We saw a bunch of doe and one big buck. Of course my camera decided to act up when the buck was standing absolutely still and looking right at us. Today we have done nothing but spend time with family. Last night it was one brother and today it was another. Doug's mom has three but the third one is on a cruise in alaska.
Tonight we are going to the casino. Dougs grandmother loves to gamble and doug will partake with her when he comes up. It's ok with me because not only does he have an amount limit but tonight he has a time limit. See tonight college football starts and i will not miss a single second of it. I am so stinking excited. I will miss this Saturday because we will be in Chicago but you better believe i will be glued to the tv next saturday. Oh i am ready for my football!
And facebook still will not let me on. So i will post pictures sunday when i get home. Surprisingly enough i have not taken many at all. I know... shocking.
Tonight we are going to the casino. Dougs grandmother loves to gamble and doug will partake with her when he comes up. It's ok with me because not only does he have an amount limit but tonight he has a time limit. See tonight college football starts and i will not miss a single second of it. I am so stinking excited. I will miss this Saturday because we will be in Chicago but you better believe i will be glued to the tv next saturday. Oh i am ready for my football!
And facebook still will not let me on. So i will post pictures sunday when i get home. Surprisingly enough i have not taken many at all. I know... shocking.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Travis
Today my blog is me asking you to do something. See one of our family friends just found out he has cancer. Travis is the brother of my Mom's best friend, Tricia. I grew up with her son and daughter and we all went to church together. Her family is more like my family than friends. Travis is in his upper 30's and he is mentally challenged. He is very smart and can pretty much take care of himself but he is not mentally at the point a 30 something yr old should be at. He lives half the year with Mrs. Tricia and the other half with her sister.
Travis had been in pain for some time but did not tell anyone. By the time he did say something and they got him to the doc it was too late. The cancer has ripped through him. The doctors said there was nothing they could do but they are going to Birmingham to get a second opinion.
Travis is one of the sweetest, purest soles i know. He loves shoes and he loves Jesus. His two favorite things to do is go to school and church. Even if you have not seen him in over a year or in a couple of hours he will come over to you, hug you, and tell you how good it is to see you again.
Mrs. Tricia and her family have been through more than any one family should. I am asking you to pray for them and especially for Travis. Pray the doctors will be able to help him, pray that he will not be in pain, and pray for the family to make it through this difficult time in their life.
Travis had been in pain for some time but did not tell anyone. By the time he did say something and they got him to the doc it was too late. The cancer has ripped through him. The doctors said there was nothing they could do but they are going to Birmingham to get a second opinion.
Travis is one of the sweetest, purest soles i know. He loves shoes and he loves Jesus. His two favorite things to do is go to school and church. Even if you have not seen him in over a year or in a couple of hours he will come over to you, hug you, and tell you how good it is to see you again.
Mrs. Tricia and her family have been through more than any one family should. I am asking you to pray for them and especially for Travis. Pray the doctors will be able to help him, pray that he will not be in pain, and pray for the family to make it through this difficult time in their life.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Wisconsin Days 2 & 3
Well we have had two great days of walking. Ha! Yesterday we went to the Minnesota State Fair. It was fun but really hot. I am glad i remembered my sunscreen. Doug was so ready to chow down on fair food but it was so hot we all lost our appetite. We got some cheese curds and some of the best strawberries i have ever put in my mouth. The rest of our money was spent on water.
Today we shopped until we dropped at the Mall of America. Between the fair and the mall i bet we walked 10 miles or maybe even more. I bought a pair of black boots from DSW and dress pants from The Limited. Doug got a cover for his cell phone. Ha! We are headed to the dells tomorrow to do a boat tour and more shopping at the outlets.
Today we shopped until we dropped at the Mall of America. Between the fair and the mall i bet we walked 10 miles or maybe even more. I bought a pair of black boots from DSW and dress pants from The Limited. Doug got a cover for his cell phone. Ha! We are headed to the dells tomorrow to do a boat tour and more shopping at the outlets.
Monday, August 30, 2010
wisconsin day 1 & 2
Ok. I am writing this from dougs phone on the way to minneapolis so ignore all typos. This will be short so i will fill in the gaps when i get back to an actual computed.
We missed our first flight out of charlotte by 2 minutes. Thank you TSA. The people by the gate refused to help us and made us go all the way back to the front counter. Luckily those people were nice and escorted us to the front of the security line so we would make the next flight.
When we got here we went to dinner, checked into the hotel, and went to walmart to get dews and body wash (thank you again TSA). Our hotel room was small but ok. The only thing bad was the mattress sheet not staying on the bed and the smell. It smelled like the room had not had anyone in it for 5+ years. Not musty, not dirty, just old.
Day 2 we went up by the Mississippi to eat lunch in this little town called Twin Peaks Cafe. OMG! I had a sour cream and onion burger. It was damn good. Then we went to Lacrosse to do some shopping. I bought a book and a necklace with gift cards from my birthday. So so far i have not spent money on anything but food. Ha!
OMG i forgot to tell you about Lynda's bakery. I could die and go to fat kid heaven in that store. Breads, cookies, doughnuts, pies, cupcakes, and fudge. All homemade and 100% not good for you. It was so good we are going back tomorrow.
Today is the fair. Look for another blog tomorrow.
BTW it's in the 90's yesterday and today. So much for cooler weather.
We missed our first flight out of charlotte by 2 minutes. Thank you TSA. The people by the gate refused to help us and made us go all the way back to the front counter. Luckily those people were nice and escorted us to the front of the security line so we would make the next flight.
When we got here we went to dinner, checked into the hotel, and went to walmart to get dews and body wash (thank you again TSA). Our hotel room was small but ok. The only thing bad was the mattress sheet not staying on the bed and the smell. It smelled like the room had not had anyone in it for 5+ years. Not musty, not dirty, just old.
Day 2 we went up by the Mississippi to eat lunch in this little town called Twin Peaks Cafe. OMG! I had a sour cream and onion burger. It was damn good. Then we went to Lacrosse to do some shopping. I bought a book and a necklace with gift cards from my birthday. So so far i have not spent money on anything but food. Ha!
OMG i forgot to tell you about Lynda's bakery. I could die and go to fat kid heaven in that store. Breads, cookies, doughnuts, pies, cupcakes, and fudge. All homemade and 100% not good for you. It was so good we are going back tomorrow.
Today is the fair. Look for another blog tomorrow.
BTW it's in the 90's yesterday and today. So much for cooler weather.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Sara Saves the Day!
Sara went to Target on her lunch break and came across the elusive black lampshade. Yay Sara! It was the perfect size and shape. Thanks Sara for thinking of me and my lampshade dilemma on your lunch break.
Only me...
Have you ever done something or had something happen to you and you immediately thought, "Only Me." Well that happens to me a lot and today was a real big "Uh-Oh!"
I have been slowly packing over the past week and I have everything just about done. I was getting ready this morning and I was at the part of my routine where I took my morning medicines. I figured I would go ahead and put my pills aside for tomorrow. That way I could go ahead and pack my all my medicine. So I took out 2 blood pressure pills, 2 water pills, and 2 potassium pills and placed them on the counter. I packed the medicine, grabbed the two smaller pills, and took a swig of water. About the time the pills got to the back of my throat I realized I took two of the same pills. Of course, "Only Me." And you know it had to be the two that should not be taken at the same time. The water pills would have been ok, the potassium pills would not have fazed me, but the two blood pressure pills that I took could cause some problems.
I take my blood pressure pill twice a day, once in the morning after I get up and then again at night before I go to bed. So last night I took my pill at 10 pm. I took my two pills this morning at 7 am. Yep. That's 3 25 mg pills to lower your blood pressure in 9 hours. Uh-Oh!
Luckily my co-worker, Sara's, dad is a doctor so we called him to see what I should expect. He told me I should be in the clear but I may be sleepy or lightheaded. Worse case scenario is I pass out. Well so far I am lightheaded but I have not said hello to my granite counter top in my work station.
At least I did not do it tomorrow when I would be boarding a plane to Wisconsin. That could have made for an interesting flight.
I have been slowly packing over the past week and I have everything just about done. I was getting ready this morning and I was at the part of my routine where I took my morning medicines. I figured I would go ahead and put my pills aside for tomorrow. That way I could go ahead and pack my all my medicine. So I took out 2 blood pressure pills, 2 water pills, and 2 potassium pills and placed them on the counter. I packed the medicine, grabbed the two smaller pills, and took a swig of water. About the time the pills got to the back of my throat I realized I took two of the same pills. Of course, "Only Me." And you know it had to be the two that should not be taken at the same time. The water pills would have been ok, the potassium pills would not have fazed me, but the two blood pressure pills that I took could cause some problems.
I take my blood pressure pill twice a day, once in the morning after I get up and then again at night before I go to bed. So last night I took my pill at 10 pm. I took my two pills this morning at 7 am. Yep. That's 3 25 mg pills to lower your blood pressure in 9 hours. Uh-Oh!
Luckily my co-worker, Sara's, dad is a doctor so we called him to see what I should expect. He told me I should be in the clear but I may be sleepy or lightheaded. Worse case scenario is I pass out. Well so far I am lightheaded but I have not said hello to my granite counter top in my work station.
At least I did not do it tomorrow when I would be boarding a plane to Wisconsin. That could have made for an interesting flight.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Weight and bag number limits
If you have ever been on a trip with me you will know I pack everything including the kitchen sink. I am so afraid I will regret not bringing something, need something I didn't bring, or even worse forget something that I really need. So when I pack I make big lists and check everything off twice.
Now, usually when we go on a trip we are in a car and I can load that sucker down. But when you fly it's a whole nother ball game. You have limits. Why? Because airlines are greedy. They want to punish you by driving you mad, making you pick what you can and can not travel without. They limit your individual baggage weight to 50 pounds. I can meet that in just bathroom stuff. Then they charge you for not only your first bag but any additional bag you want to check and the more you check the higher the extra bag costs. Then they limit how big and how many bags you can carry on. By this point I am bald.
I mean really. When you have one bag for bathroom stuff, one bag for shoes, one bag for clothes, a hanging clothes bag, and a bag of misc. stuff, how in the HELL do they expect me to fly without it costing more than the vacation itself!
So here we are today... Monday... 5 nights before the flight... and I am balled up on the floor of my closet trying to tell my clothes who makes the cut and who doesn't. What if I need more shorts than pants? What if it ends up really cold one night? What if I spill something all over all my clothes? What if I don't pack enough short sleeve shirts? And how do I pick from all my favorite clothes? Why can't I take them all!!!!
Currently I have 4 blue jeans, 3 pants, 4 skirts, 4 shorts, 5 tank tops, 16 short sleeve shirts, 10 short sleeve t'shirts, and 6 long sleeve shirts... that I have edited... for a 9 day trip.
I need a stylist to come in and say, "Ok. Here is what you are wearing Monday... Tuesday..." That way I do not have to worry about it. I have the packing part down. I can fit tons into a suitcase. It's from years of experience with over packing. Our last trip to Wisconsin I brought 7 pairs of shoes! My luggage weighed 49.5 lbs! And I had a few things in Doug's suitcase. Ha!
I love going on vacation and I love going new places but the week before just about kills me. So too all the greedy airliners... just let people bring everything including the kitchen sink. It sure would make me a lot less stressed and I could enjoy my vacation more. It may even cut down on all the meltdowns people have at the airport.
Now, usually when we go on a trip we are in a car and I can load that sucker down. But when you fly it's a whole nother ball game. You have limits. Why? Because airlines are greedy. They want to punish you by driving you mad, making you pick what you can and can not travel without. They limit your individual baggage weight to 50 pounds. I can meet that in just bathroom stuff. Then they charge you for not only your first bag but any additional bag you want to check and the more you check the higher the extra bag costs. Then they limit how big and how many bags you can carry on. By this point I am bald.
I mean really. When you have one bag for bathroom stuff, one bag for shoes, one bag for clothes, a hanging clothes bag, and a bag of misc. stuff, how in the HELL do they expect me to fly without it costing more than the vacation itself!
So here we are today... Monday... 5 nights before the flight... and I am balled up on the floor of my closet trying to tell my clothes who makes the cut and who doesn't. What if I need more shorts than pants? What if it ends up really cold one night? What if I spill something all over all my clothes? What if I don't pack enough short sleeve shirts? And how do I pick from all my favorite clothes? Why can't I take them all!!!!
Currently I have 4 blue jeans, 3 pants, 4 skirts, 4 shorts, 5 tank tops, 16 short sleeve shirts, 10 short sleeve t'shirts, and 6 long sleeve shirts... that I have edited... for a 9 day trip.
I need a stylist to come in and say, "Ok. Here is what you are wearing Monday... Tuesday..." That way I do not have to worry about it. I have the packing part down. I can fit tons into a suitcase. It's from years of experience with over packing. Our last trip to Wisconsin I brought 7 pairs of shoes! My luggage weighed 49.5 lbs! And I had a few things in Doug's suitcase. Ha!
I love going on vacation and I love going new places but the week before just about kills me. So too all the greedy airliners... just let people bring everything including the kitchen sink. It sure would make me a lot less stressed and I could enjoy my vacation more. It may even cut down on all the meltdowns people have at the airport.
The Elusive Black Lampshade
This weekend my parents came into town. We had no plans for the weekend so we ended up doing a whole bunch of nothing besides eating a whole lot of good food but it was nice because we were all togther. We got up early Saturday morning to figure out what we wanted to do that day. As we were eating our breakfast Mom states, "I need a bedside table to sit my glasses on at night when I am staying over here." So we decided we would go look for a bedside table. We started at a few furniture stores but everything we found we liked was not a bedside table. They had one we liked but it was more than we wanted to pay.
We ended up buying one at Target. It is black with a shelf and two drawers. Well, since we had a table we had to find stuff to put on it. We picked out a silver lamp and a silver picture frame to sit on the top. The lamp is one of those that does not come with a lampshade. That way you can pick whatever one you find that you like. The colors in the room are black and tan, the walls are off white, the furniture is black, and I have rod iron and some silver pieces in the room. So, of course, I would want a black lampshade to go up against an off-white wall...
but the universe of black lampshades has another idea in mind. We spent the rest of the weekend searching for a black lamp shade. I refused to go back to the mall to look at JC Penny's and I forgot about K-mart but other than that we went everywhere. It's a small black lampshade for crying out loud. So if you know where you can find a small black lampshade, please put me out of my crazy misery and point me in the right direction. You know only I can make something as simple as a lampshade complicated.
We ended up buying one at Target. It is black with a shelf and two drawers. Well, since we had a table we had to find stuff to put on it. We picked out a silver lamp and a silver picture frame to sit on the top. The lamp is one of those that does not come with a lampshade. That way you can pick whatever one you find that you like. The colors in the room are black and tan, the walls are off white, the furniture is black, and I have rod iron and some silver pieces in the room. So, of course, I would want a black lampshade to go up against an off-white wall...
but the universe of black lampshades has another idea in mind. We spent the rest of the weekend searching for a black lamp shade. I refused to go back to the mall to look at JC Penny's and I forgot about K-mart but other than that we went everywhere. It's a small black lampshade for crying out loud. So if you know where you can find a small black lampshade, please put me out of my crazy misery and point me in the right direction. You know only I can make something as simple as a lampshade complicated.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
I got my hairs did...
I know it is not drastic but it's a lot for me. I got a lot of length taken off and put in some thin layers. So whacha think?
From Heather's Kitchen
This one is super easy and super quick to make. Not only is it delicious for dinner, it would work well for a side item or for lunch. This receipe needs to be made early so it will have enough time to cool down in the fridge before serving.
1 box Betty Crocker Suddenly Salad Classic Pasta Salad Mix
Chicken Alfredo Pasta Salad
1 box Betty Crocker Suddenly Salad Classic Pasta Salad Mix
1/2 cup Alfredo sauce
1 1/2 cups chicken strips
1 1/2 cups chicken strips
(This can be the pre-cooked and pre-packaged)
1 cup diced tomatoes
1 cup diced cucumbers
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
** Optional 2 tbs basil leaves
1. Cook pasta as directed on box and drain
2. Dice tomatoes and cucumbers
3. Mix seasoning pack from Pasta Salad Mix and the Alfredo sauce then refrigerate
4. Mix pasta, chicken, and veggies then refrigerate
5. When cooled, mix the sauce and the shredded Parmesean cheese with the pasta mix and
serve
The Q-tip Box...
If you haven't guessed from the title, this blog is about one of my other OCD's. Yes, the Q-tip box. I know what you are thinking, "How can you have a complex about the Q-tip box," but you can.
The Q-tips have to be perfect! No big gaps, no mess with them all going different ways, no skipping around, and no going down to the next level before the top level is completely finished. They all have to be straight and you have to pick up the very next one in line. No Exceptions!
And of course, Doug does not abide by these rules. I can always tell when he is out of Q-tips in his bathroom (Yeah, that's right. We do not share a bathroom and I pray to God we never will!). Mine will be a mess and all out of order. Every time he goes into my Q-tips I threaten him with death but it never works. I spend half an hour fixing the Q-tips to get them perfectly back the way they should be.
So what will be the end of our marriage? The peanut butter jar, the Q-tip box, the couch cushions, and the bed spread. Ha!
The Q-tips have to be perfect! No big gaps, no mess with them all going different ways, no skipping around, and no going down to the next level before the top level is completely finished. They all have to be straight and you have to pick up the very next one in line. No Exceptions!
And of course, Doug does not abide by these rules. I can always tell when he is out of Q-tips in his bathroom (Yeah, that's right. We do not share a bathroom and I pray to God we never will!). Mine will be a mess and all out of order. Every time he goes into my Q-tips I threaten him with death but it never works. I spend half an hour fixing the Q-tips to get them perfectly back the way they should be.
So what will be the end of our marriage? The peanut butter jar, the Q-tip box, the couch cushions, and the bed spread. Ha!
Monday, August 16, 2010
Well worth it...
About three weeks ago I went to Micheal's to have one of my wedding pictures framed. I had been putting it off and Doug was getting tired of not having any pictures from our wedding on the walls. I bought an 8x12 and they do not make frames for that size... anywhere! So as soon as I saw Micheal's framing go on sell for 60% off I headed over. I picked out what I like and waited patiently as the lady totaled me up. I knew we were custom framing and that is was going to be more expensive than the ones in the store, but I had no clue. When she gave the price, I about fell out! Custom framing is stinking expensive. Holy Crap expensive. I called Doug and asked him what to do and he gave me the go ahead to spend the extra on the nicer frame.
Well last Friday they called me to come and pick it up. Now, Friday was one of those days. You know. The ones that make you want to run out of your work screaming and never go back. So I was praying the picture was perfect because I really didn't want to take my anger and frustration out on the poor framing lady. As she unwrapped the picture, I literally held my breath.
I am not an emotional person and it takes a lot to get me going so I do not know if it was from the day I had or just the picture itself, but it brought me to tears. It was more than I had expected and it was exactly what I had wanted. It was WELL worth the extra money. Words can not describe how I felt when I saw our picture and I was literally swept away by it. I went out to the car and called Doug just a sobbing. Once he saw it, though, he agreed with me.
The lady at Micheal's said it was me & Doug that made the picture look so good but I disagree. It was mostly our amazing photographer, Jamie Burnett, and the rest was her amazing job of framing. So "Thank You" Jamie, Framing lady, and most of all my husband for letting me spend the money and agreeing to marry my crazy ass! I will treasure this for the rest of my life!
Well last Friday they called me to come and pick it up. Now, Friday was one of those days. You know. The ones that make you want to run out of your work screaming and never go back. So I was praying the picture was perfect because I really didn't want to take my anger and frustration out on the poor framing lady. As she unwrapped the picture, I literally held my breath.
I am not an emotional person and it takes a lot to get me going so I do not know if it was from the day I had or just the picture itself, but it brought me to tears. It was more than I had expected and it was exactly what I had wanted. It was WELL worth the extra money. Words can not describe how I felt when I saw our picture and I was literally swept away by it. I went out to the car and called Doug just a sobbing. Once he saw it, though, he agreed with me.
The lady at Micheal's said it was me & Doug that made the picture look so good but I disagree. It was mostly our amazing photographer, Jamie Burnett, and the rest was her amazing job of framing. So "Thank You" Jamie, Framing lady, and most of all my husband for letting me spend the money and agreeing to marry my crazy ass! I will treasure this for the rest of my life!
Monday, August 9, 2010
31
Sorry there has been a great gap in time since my last post but I can honestly say I have had nothing to blog about. I have been doing as close to nothing as I can, HA! And yes, it has been quite nice.
I promised I would post pictures of my 31 stuff once it came in, so here they are.
Large Zipper Pouch
A case for my flat iron
Small Zipper Pouch
Organizing Utility Tote
Currently we are getting ready for our long trip to Wisconsin. Two more weeks and we are off for 10 whole days! I can not wait! We plan on doing lots of shopping, going to the Minnesota State Fair, going to the Dells, and spending lots of time with family. I may go and never come back.
And that is it my friends. I have nothing else to blog about. I could talk about all the Saturdays I have been working, going out to dinner with friends, hanging by the pool, my bad experience at McAlister's, or some of the movies I have watched lately (we recently have discovered RedBox!) but that is just boring. Nothing interesting has happened for me to go into detail and tell you about it. But I promise I will write about it when something does.
I promised I would post pictures of my 31 stuff once it came in, so here they are.
Large Zipper Pouch
A case for my flat iron
Small Zipper Pouch
Organizing Utility ToteIsn't it cute! We are having another party next Monday and I already have my list ready. I think Doug is going to ban me from going to anymore parties. Ha!
Before we go I am getting my hair cut and I think I may be more excited for that than the trip. My hair has gotten so long and I am sick of it. I liked it once but now it just annoys me so it's got to go. My appointment is next week and I will post pictures afterwards. I hope it will be enough for people to tell because usually I only get the dead ends trimmed. This time will be more like 5 inches.
Monday, July 26, 2010
From Heather's Kitchen
I tried another new recipe and it was really good. Think crab cakes gone Italian.
Chicken Cakes Parmigiana
1/2 cup Progresso Italian-Style bread crumbs
1 egg
2 tbsp milk
2 tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp Garlic powder/salt
2 cups shredded chicken
2 cups pasta sauce
1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
2 cups Pasta noodles
1. Mix bread crumbs, egg, milk, Parmesan cheese, Garlic, and chicken
2. Shape mixture into small 3 inch cakes
3. Cook cakes over med-high heat in a non-stick skillet until golden brown on both sides.
*** Can use vegetable oil but I used Pam and it came out just fine.
4. Boil pasta noodles and drain
5. Top cakes with pasta sauce and Mozzarella cheese. Serve with pasta noodles covered in sauce.
It is a really easy recipe and only takes a few minutes to prepare. Easy cleanup and you have enough left over for lunch the next day.
Doug the Plumber
So Sunday was fun for Doug. He is not a handy man because he has never had to be. So now that we own our own home, he has to be because if something breaks we have to fix it. There is no maintenance man to call and I am not paying someone hundreds of dollars to fix something that costs $5. (Unless it is way over our heads and we have no choice but to over pay someone who will do a half-a** job.)
So Sunday morning (12:30 am to be exact) we get home to see a small stream flowing from our water meter box in the ground. Yay! We called the water company when we woke up and they came out to take a look at it. And that's all they did. Look. The guy claimed that it was not a water dept. fix and that is was on us. He even said it looked like someone ran over it. Question: How can you run over a pipe that is a foot under the ground? Answer: You Can't! The guy proceeded to tell Doug to call a plumber and that it would be $200 to fix.
Now Doug was already having a GREAT morning. He took my car to get it washed because there was a wad of gum on my car door and an inch of grass and dirt thanks to my work's lawn care guys (that's a whole nother story in itself!). The first place was closed, the second place was closed, so he went back to the first b/c they opened sooner. They were able to get the gum off but not the layers of grass and dirt on the front so Doug took it to a "do-it-yourselfer" so he could scrub the front bumper. When he came home from doing all of that is when the water guy showed up.
Doug came in fuming. He was ready to call the Homeowners Association and give them a piece of his mind. Thanks to crappy plumbers we were about to be out $200+. I talked him into calling our neighbor, Lamar, before calling anyone. Doug explained to him what happened and Lamar was like, "Oh that's easy. Let's ride to Low's." And you guessed it, it was not that easy. They tried to glue the pipes back together but it didn't work so they ended up having to put in a new pipe.
It only took them about 4 hours in the 100 degree heat. I felt so bad for them but what help would I have been? I mean, really. But now Doug can officially call himself a Plumber. I wish I had a picture to share but with the mood Doug was in I may have gotten in trouble for bringing the camera outside. Ha! You know it was killing me not to!
So Sunday morning (12:30 am to be exact) we get home to see a small stream flowing from our water meter box in the ground. Yay! We called the water company when we woke up and they came out to take a look at it. And that's all they did. Look. The guy claimed that it was not a water dept. fix and that is was on us. He even said it looked like someone ran over it. Question: How can you run over a pipe that is a foot under the ground? Answer: You Can't! The guy proceeded to tell Doug to call a plumber and that it would be $200 to fix.
Now Doug was already having a GREAT morning. He took my car to get it washed because there was a wad of gum on my car door and an inch of grass and dirt thanks to my work's lawn care guys (that's a whole nother story in itself!). The first place was closed, the second place was closed, so he went back to the first b/c they opened sooner. They were able to get the gum off but not the layers of grass and dirt on the front so Doug took it to a "do-it-yourselfer" so he could scrub the front bumper. When he came home from doing all of that is when the water guy showed up.
Doug came in fuming. He was ready to call the Homeowners Association and give them a piece of his mind. Thanks to crappy plumbers we were about to be out $200+. I talked him into calling our neighbor, Lamar, before calling anyone. Doug explained to him what happened and Lamar was like, "Oh that's easy. Let's ride to Low's." And you guessed it, it was not that easy. They tried to glue the pipes back together but it didn't work so they ended up having to put in a new pipe.
It only took them about 4 hours in the 100 degree heat. I felt so bad for them but what help would I have been? I mean, really. But now Doug can officially call himself a Plumber. I wish I had a picture to share but with the mood Doug was in I may have gotten in trouble for bringing the camera outside. Ha! You know it was killing me not to!
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Can you smell it?
It's almost that time of year again. Can you smell it? It's right there, within reach. I can see it on the horizon. I can hear it's distant rumbles. It will be here before you know it and I can't wait.
What am I referring to? Well, college football of course! It's only my most favorite time of the year. The temperatures drop, the leaves begin to change color, and every channel on TV has a football game on.
Doug will retreat to his game room to play all the new fall games that come out for X Box and I will take over the living room. From sun up to sun down, every Saturday, for 15 + weeks. It's my little piece of Heaven on Earth!
Last year I missed the first two Saturdays of football due to getting married and being on a honeymoon. I do have pictures of me watching GameDay before the wedding and I did make Doug watch the Alabama game in our hotel on our wedding night. I was not about to miss the entire first day of the season! The year before that we were in airports because we went to Wisconsin. I did manage to catch some of the Auburn game in an airport sports bar thanks to our flight being delayed. I was the only woman in there. Ha!
So this year, to keep the tradition, I will be in an airport the first game of the season. The next Saturday we will still be in Wisconsin so I made Doug promise me he would take me to a sports bar. Hopefully someone will have the Auburn game on since it will be on ESPN.
We are going to try to make it to one Auburn game this year and we have plans with some TN friends to go to the SC vs TN game in Columbia. Doug's Mom is a huge Packer fan so we are going to go see them play in ATL. I am so excited to go to my first NFL game. I could care less who wins or loses but it will be so much fun! I mean, you can drink beer and not get kicked out!
So get ready couch, so long husband, I am ready for some football!!
What am I referring to? Well, college football of course! It's only my most favorite time of the year. The temperatures drop, the leaves begin to change color, and every channel on TV has a football game on.
Doug will retreat to his game room to play all the new fall games that come out for X Box and I will take over the living room. From sun up to sun down, every Saturday, for 15 + weeks. It's my little piece of Heaven on Earth!
Last year I missed the first two Saturdays of football due to getting married and being on a honeymoon. I do have pictures of me watching GameDay before the wedding and I did make Doug watch the Alabama game in our hotel on our wedding night. I was not about to miss the entire first day of the season! The year before that we were in airports because we went to Wisconsin. I did manage to catch some of the Auburn game in an airport sports bar thanks to our flight being delayed. I was the only woman in there. Ha!
So this year, to keep the tradition, I will be in an airport the first game of the season. The next Saturday we will still be in Wisconsin so I made Doug promise me he would take me to a sports bar. Hopefully someone will have the Auburn game on since it will be on ESPN.
We are going to try to make it to one Auburn game this year and we have plans with some TN friends to go to the SC vs TN game in Columbia. Doug's Mom is a huge Packer fan so we are going to go see them play in ATL. I am so excited to go to my first NFL game. I could care less who wins or loses but it will be so much fun! I mean, you can drink beer and not get kicked out!
So get ready couch, so long husband, I am ready for some football!!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Baby shower
Sorry it has been so long since my last blog but to be honest, I have had nothing to blog about. Since we got back from Florida we have been doing our best to do as little as possible. Besides sitting on the couch, occasional errand running, and dinner with friends, we have done little else.
Last week Sara had a 31 party. It was so much fun. Nan brought her Margaritaville Margarita Maker and Sara supplied the tequila. Yum! Doug tagged along to keep Wes (Sara's husband) company and we made a night of it. Doug was reluctant to go to the "Girly Party" but at 11 pm I had to drag him away. He and Wes had a great time and I bought some cute stuff. I will post pictures when it all comes in.
Yesterday I traveled to Thomson for a baby shower. Mrs. Vickie is a co-worker of mine and she is adopting a child from China. I have a few "Second Mama's" here in Augusta and she is one of them. She is such a wonderful woman and an amazing mother. She has such a huge heart that three children were just not enough for her. They have waited such a long time and jumped through many hoops to get little Lia Faith. I am so excited for her and I can't wait to see her new baby girl. Here are a few pictures from the shower...
Today I bought our plane tickets for Wisconsin. We will be there from August 28th - September 5th. Happy Anniversary - we will spend it in an airport! Yay! We are super excited to see all our family and visit the area. And maybe do a little shopping. Ha!
Today I bought our plane tickets for Wisconsin. We will be there from August 28th - September 5th. Happy Anniversary - we will spend it in an airport! Yay! We are super excited to see all our family and visit the area. And maybe do a little shopping. Ha!
Friday, July 9, 2010
Eclipse Movie Review
First off let me say the movie was good. It followed the book well, cut out stuff not that important, and shortened others. I will (like the other movies) warm up to Eclipse more the more I watch it. Right now I am comparing it to the book and like most books that are turned into a movie there is no comparison. Eventually I will be able to enjoy the movie for what it is and not constantly compare it to the book.
I am going to try to do this in order of the book and if you have not read the book or seen the movie STOP READING NOW.
As I am scanning the book to write this I have realized how right on point the movie was with what was happening in the book. Yes they left small things out but the movie took lines straight from the book. I would say 90% of the movie was straight out of the book with no adjustments.
I love how there were things in the movie that was not from Bella's perspective like the book is. For example, the Cullen's chasing Victoria while Bella & Edward were in Florida; Victoria creating her army and Riley trying to control and train them; the fight against the newborns.
I love the little details they put in the movie - Jacob's note to Bella, Charlie's sly remarks about Edward and Bella, Alice's car Edward bought her (even though it was not discussed in the movie), the slayings in Seattle and the newborns getting ready to fight.
I love that they incorporated Bree and Riley's story in the movie even though the book just came out. I really liked the part when Riley was in Bella's house and he saw his missing persons file on Charlie's lap. It really added to his story and filled in the audience on what was going on in Seattle in one quick scene.
I love they put in a couple of Bella's escapes to La Push but I hate they left some out. I hate Bella's first "run-away" was in front of Edward instead of behind his back. I love when she sees his car in her rear view mirror on her way to Angela's. Ha! Classic. But I loved Jacob and Edward's fight outside Bella's house. I do wish the movie had more of their little scuffles over Bella. Plus, if they would had put in more of her "escapes" they could have shown how Edward gave in to Bella's wishes and became the "better man" by letting her see Jacob.
I wish they would have had time to tell Jasper's, Rosalie's, and the tribe's stories. The movie did a great job of condensing them but I know people who have not read the book are missing out. And Rosalie's story in the movie left out how much she wanted a child and that was the main reason she hated Bella's decision. That plays a big part in the next movie. I hope they will incorporate it in there somehow.
I did not like Jacob height when he was a wolf. He was too tall. Taller than Bella? Really? I know they are crazy big but her head should not have rested on his belly! It states in the book, "... he looked up at me..." NOT down.
I don't know why it bothered me but Bella's bed in Edward's room was suppose to be rod iron not wood and a canopy bed not sleigh bed. And the thing that really bothered me was not even movie/book related. Did you notice that 75% of the movie was a close up shot of either Bella's, Jacob's, or Edward's face? It drove me crazy. I don't think I saw a single person's feet the entire movie. I get a few close up shots every now and then in a scene but if felt like some were nothing but faces Like in the tent scene with all three. It went from one face to the other. Never once did it pan out and show all three at the same time. So much for that million dollar set they designed. We didn't get to see it. You should have put it on Jacob's stomach.
MTV's Best Kiss Award 2011 - Bella & Jacob. That one kiss put all of Edward's to shame.
All in all the movie was good. I think the second one may have been better but I don't want to say that for certain until I see the movie again. High expectations can lead to slight disappointments. Sorry if the blog seemed a little monotone. I enjoyed the movie but was not overly excited about any it.
Happy and pleased but not ecstatic - Future Film Critic Heather
I am going to try to do this in order of the book and if you have not read the book or seen the movie STOP READING NOW.
As I am scanning the book to write this I have realized how right on point the movie was with what was happening in the book. Yes they left small things out but the movie took lines straight from the book. I would say 90% of the movie was straight out of the book with no adjustments.
I love how there were things in the movie that was not from Bella's perspective like the book is. For example, the Cullen's chasing Victoria while Bella & Edward were in Florida; Victoria creating her army and Riley trying to control and train them; the fight against the newborns.
I love the little details they put in the movie - Jacob's note to Bella, Charlie's sly remarks about Edward and Bella, Alice's car Edward bought her (even though it was not discussed in the movie), the slayings in Seattle and the newborns getting ready to fight.
I love that they incorporated Bree and Riley's story in the movie even though the book just came out. I really liked the part when Riley was in Bella's house and he saw his missing persons file on Charlie's lap. It really added to his story and filled in the audience on what was going on in Seattle in one quick scene.
I love they put in a couple of Bella's escapes to La Push but I hate they left some out. I hate Bella's first "run-away" was in front of Edward instead of behind his back. I love when she sees his car in her rear view mirror on her way to Angela's. Ha! Classic. But I loved Jacob and Edward's fight outside Bella's house. I do wish the movie had more of their little scuffles over Bella. Plus, if they would had put in more of her "escapes" they could have shown how Edward gave in to Bella's wishes and became the "better man" by letting her see Jacob.
I wish they would have had time to tell Jasper's, Rosalie's, and the tribe's stories. The movie did a great job of condensing them but I know people who have not read the book are missing out. And Rosalie's story in the movie left out how much she wanted a child and that was the main reason she hated Bella's decision. That plays a big part in the next movie. I hope they will incorporate it in there somehow.
I did not like Jacob height when he was a wolf. He was too tall. Taller than Bella? Really? I know they are crazy big but her head should not have rested on his belly! It states in the book, "... he looked up at me..." NOT down.
I don't know why it bothered me but Bella's bed in Edward's room was suppose to be rod iron not wood and a canopy bed not sleigh bed. And the thing that really bothered me was not even movie/book related. Did you notice that 75% of the movie was a close up shot of either Bella's, Jacob's, or Edward's face? It drove me crazy. I don't think I saw a single person's feet the entire movie. I get a few close up shots every now and then in a scene but if felt like some were nothing but faces Like in the tent scene with all three. It went from one face to the other. Never once did it pan out and show all three at the same time. So much for that million dollar set they designed. We didn't get to see it. You should have put it on Jacob's stomach.
MTV's Best Kiss Award 2011 - Bella & Jacob. That one kiss put all of Edward's to shame.
All in all the movie was good. I think the second one may have been better but I don't want to say that for certain until I see the movie again. High expectations can lead to slight disappointments. Sorry if the blog seemed a little monotone. I enjoyed the movie but was not overly excited about any it.
Happy and pleased but not ecstatic - Future Film Critic Heather
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
PCB FL 2010
I had the best time at the beach! Thank you so much Mom & Dad for the hotel room. It was amazing. You know you've had a great vacation when you don't have to charge your cell phone because you never used it.
I didn't realize how great of a need I had for some white sandy beaches. As soon as we got in to town I felt like I was reunited with an old friend. I felt like I was home. Buildings and places have changed but it's still the same ole' place I grew up at. Have you ever had that feeling? It is hard to explain but it was tear jerking. Leaving was very hard to do. I made Doug promise me we would come back next year and the year after that and the year after that...
When we got in Saturday our room was not ready yet. So we changed into our suites and headed to the beach. The weather was wonderful. Sunny, in the 80's, with a nice breeze blowing. The water was clear as could be; no oil or seaweed. It was the perfect beach conditions. All we did was hang out on the beach while we were there. We would leave to go eat lunch or go out to dinner but would return as soon as we were done. We did no shopping or site seeing. It was totally relaxing not having to worry about what time it was or having to go somewhere.
The condo room was very nice but we did have a few complaints.
1. Parking - each room got one spot. If you had multiple vehicles you had unmarked spots that you could park it. Unfortunately there were maybe 50 unmarked spots and guests had to share those with non-guest and hotel workers. So let's do the math. 8 rooms per floor X 22 floors = 176 rooms. Some of those rooms had up to 3 bedrooms in them but could sleep an average of 8. So if on average each room had 3 cars... 3x176=528. They only had a 4 story parking garage that was tee-niney. And you know where they told us to park? Across the street in public parking! Doug about came unglued. Add some more floors!
2. Dirty floors and bed - I know it is the beach but there is no reason my feet should be black from walking around in the room. And when you change the sheets on the beds, take off the protective mattress cover and clean it out. Don't you know sand can get in everything, everywhere!
3. Wash cloths - 5 days X 4 guests X 2 face washins a day does not equal 4 wash cloths. I do not want to wash my face with a dirty, sunscreened covered wash cloth. I also do not want to wash a load of towels every night (but I did!). So please provide your guest with more than one wash cloth per person for their entire trip.
Saturday night we went to Wal-Mart to pick up some groceries for the long weekend.
I could not believe my eyes! Why were all these people at Wal-Mart at 9 pm at night? We checked out in the express lane even though we had a buggy full. Every lane they had was open and the lines stretched out into the shelving area. And they never got shorter.For lunches we ate sandwiches and for dinner we went to Montego Bay, Pier 77, and (for my Dad) Mellow Mushroom. We had crab cakes, mahi mahi, grouper, shrimp, scallops for Doug, hamburger steak for me (I only eat Mahi Mahi and you can't eat that every night), and then pizza. Ha! It was all so good and the zero wait time made it even better!
I was pleasantly surprised to see how much PC has "cleaned up" over there years. It still has it's party spots but overall the town is much more family friendly. We rode down by Pier Park (very nice!) and by all the new luxury hotels. Mom and I have already planned a shopping trip at Pier Park and we are going to stay at the Calypso so we can just walk right on over whenever we feel the urge to spend some money. I was depressed to see the Miracle Strip Amusement Park as a parking lot now. I had such great memories there.
Since we were down for the 4th of July we got to see tons of fireworks. Our condo was a few spots down from LaVela so we had a great view of their firework show on Sunday. Then Monday the whole beach was shooting them. We took our yummy coconut rum and pineapple juice drinks and walked down to the ramp that leads out onto the beach and sat on the railings. I was amazed at the quality and amount of fireworks people had. They would bring huge boxes of them and they were just as good as the ones LaVela shot. It was very nice having people with deep pockets stay at our hotel. We had hours of firework entertainment for free. Pier Park also did fireworks and we were able to see them from the beach without fighting the crowd.
One thing I hate and love about the beach is the way it can make you feel. Look one way and feel like a skinny, hot model. Look the other and feel like a white fat ass cow who needs to put down the bag of chips and pick up a hand weight!
Please tell me when GPS systems started having a "Ghetto Mode"! And please tell me how to turn it off. I swear on the way back home we saw every city's subsidised housing. The GPS routed us through Albany and Macon and from the areas we saw I can reassuringly say we will never be visiting those cities. I wouldn't even let Doug stop to get gas or food.
Doug and I hated to leave and drive back the 7 hours to reality but it was well worth it. Yes we are two hours away from Tybee and 3-4 hours away from Myrtle but it's just not the same. Your not at the beach until your toes are in some white sand! I can't wait for our next trip back. Look for more pictures on Facebook!
Doug and I hated to leave and drive back the 7 hours to reality but it was well worth it. Yes we are two hours away from Tybee and 3-4 hours away from Myrtle but it's just not the same. Your not at the beach until your toes are in some white sand! I can't wait for our next trip back. Look for more pictures on Facebook!
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