Showing posts with label Summer 09. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Summer 09. Show all posts

Monday, August 31, 2009

Photo of the Day

August 31

I love tomatoes probably more than the average person. However, I have to be honest...I can't eat another one of those little ones. These were pulled off a few days ago and there are 4 bushes that are still full of them.

Remind me not to plant so many next year.

Things I'm looking forward to:
Mums
Apple Cider
Apple Butter
Pumpkins
Sweaters and jackets
Pies of all sorts, cakes too
Lattes, especially those pumpkin spice ones
Candy apples
Salted caramels
Leaves changing colors
Halloween
Thanksgiving
Fall Festivals
Friday Night Lights
Grey's Anatomy
Finding new shows to love
Soups and stews

Not looking forward to:
Italian
History

But you know: you take the good, you take the bad.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Because It's Late and I'm Waiting on Something Before Going to Bed

Six Things I Wish I Could Say to Six Different People. (but don’t say their name)

1). You drive me insane and you're giving me ulcers over it all.

2). I'm tired of hearing it.

3). No, that will probably never work out.

4). I planned so that I didn't end up in your shoes, it worked, and I don't regret any of it.

5). I miss you.

6). I feel sorry for you.

Nine things about myself.

1). I worry about a lot of stuff all the time. Lately to the point of feeling ill.

2). Most perfume makes me sneeze.

3). I have to be really, really sick before I'll even take a tylenol.

4). I think I would be well suited to non profit work, some sort of state job or something to do with extension offices...I knew this too late in the game to change my major, but I think it's all going to work out anyway.

5.) I'm an obsessive email checker.

6). I love kiwi.

7). I sleep in the fetal position or on my stomach with one hand tossed behind my back, I tend to think this started in the womb.

8). I cannot wait to start a real career and begin traveling more.

9). I wish I had more real life friends.

Eight ways to win my heart. (in no order)

1). Have a sense of humor and use it to make me laugh. Words cannot express how much I love to laugh so that's definitely the way to my heart.

2). Superficially: A great head of hair. I don't get this whole bald is beautiful thing. And know how to buy and wear a pair of pants. I cannot stand men in pants that don't fit.

3). Be ambitious.

4). Smart and knowledgeable. My favorite topics of conversation are history, politics and pop culture, it'd be nice to find someone who can keep up in all three.

5). Love animals. I've never not had a dog, I don't see that streak ending.

6). Love to travel. This is an absolute must, must, must. My husband must agree to be my lifelong travel partner. I hate the idea of getting married and never going anywhere except home and work.

7). Want kids, but not be in a hurry to have them.

8). Have a compassionate heart.

Seven things that cross my mind a lot.

1). How in the world am I ever going to get through this upcoming year?

2). Political stuff.

3). What's for dinner? (I wake up thinking this, it's quite sad.)

4). How much I want *insert item name here*. I'm always thinking of something I want/need/have to have.

5). I should call Mamaw.

6). I should read Faulkner.

7). Numbers. To be so math phobic, I'm almost autistic over math patterns and adding/dividing/multiplying in my head.

Six things I do before I fall asleep.

1). Watch something on tv, a bit of news or a reality show usually.

2) Check my email.

3). Read a few blogs.

4). Brush my teeth, wash my face...etc. and so forth.

5). Flip the pillows over so they are nice and cold.

6). Put up my eyeglasses.

Five people who mean a lot. (in no order)

1). My brother.

2). My mother.

3). My father.

4). My grandmother.

5). My Aunt B/Uncle Danny

Four things you’re wearing right now.

1). A comfy old Seagrove Beach shirt.

2). brown shorts

3). eyeglasses

4). a grey sweatshirt

Four bands/singers that you listen to often. (not necessarily your favorites) (lately)

1). James Taylor

2). Sugarland

3). John Mayer

4) Michael Jackson (I can't help it, I am one of those people who totally busted out the MJ music after he died.)

Two things you want to do before you die.

1). Travel.

2). Have a family of my own.

One confession.

I'm avoiding reading Faulkner even though it's a summer goal.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Why aren't we flying? Because getting there is half the fun. You know that.

Clark: I'm just trying to treat my family to a little fun.
Ellen Griswold: Oh spare me, Clark, I know your brand of family fun. Tomorrow you'll probably kill the desk clerk, hold up a McDonalds, and drive us 1000 miles out of the way to see the world's largest pile of mud!


As previously mentioned, I didn't plan a trip this year. Because you know...I HAVE A LOT OF SHIT GOING ON IN MY LIFE.

But my mother has 6 days off this upcoming week. And she needs to get out of town, even if it's not to a beach (we might visit the beach with family at the end of this month...more on that at a later date.)

So I'm scrambling to decide where to go. Current top options as referenced in this handy map visualization I made for you, my lovely blog readers. It's super fancy. Be impressed.

Capture

Pineville: where my grandparents are buried. My mom hasn't visited in a couple of years and is making strong suggestions that she'd like to stop there on the way to somewhere else.

Gatlinburg: I've never been. None of us have.

Asheville: this place has been on my list for years now. So I'd really like to go.

daddy

But as with any trip, there are obstacles.

Issue #1...my father.

You see, he technically doesn't know at this point that she wants to go somewhere for a few days next week. Which sounds like a big deal, but this is pretty much how it's always done...albeit with typically a little more notice than a few days.

Sanibel 08 Day Three 006

Then we have the dogs. No two ways about it, the lab has to be boarded. Which means my butt will be hauling his behind to the vet this afternoon for his vaccinations (which are due this month conveniently.)

But my mom won't travel without her chihuahua. And the chihuahua loves to travel. Like, a lot. I'm pretty sure she'd kill herself if we left her.

But I won't lie...it annoys me. We can't just pop into a hotel, it has to be pet friendly.

WHICH MEANS THE WORLD ISN'T MY OYSTER.

But anyways. Figured I'd update with the latest. I'll share more as the details come together...or fall apart (it's anyone's guess as to which way it will go at this point.)

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Monday, June 8, 2009

I Steal All My Blog Ideas

10 Things Currently Rocking About Summertime (in no particular order):

1. Cheesecake. Specifically this cheesecake. Which I made yesterday and served with macerated strawberries. People...there are no words to describe this kind of indulgence.

2. Miracle Grow assembly lines. Every Sunday I feed my garden. The box of Miracle Grow says to use the plant food every 7 to 14 days...I like to feel like my plants are getting the most nutrients, so I went with 7. And while this would be a very difficult task for one person, we have a system: 1 person fills milk jugs with water, another person pours in the tablespoon of miracle grow, shakes it up and delivers the jug to another person who is in the garden pouring it on the plants. Easy peasy!

3. Sally Hansen nail polish in Fuchsia Power applied to my toenails. Recently I used the last of my signature pink polish and needed a new pink. This bottle was 50% off at CVS and is so shiny I don't have to apply topcoat.

4. The local library. I always visit more in the summer than in the dead of winter. Using the patron hold system has been an awesome way to catch up on all of the books I've missed this year. And I've not paid to rent a single movie yet this summer.

5. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Okay, so it's technically not been released yet. But it's coming, and I'm loving the anticipation.

6. George Strait. I can't stop listening to George Strait music. Okay, George AND Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga and John Mayer (Live in LA album to be precise)...look, nobody said my musical taste made any sense.

7. McDonald's Iced Coffee Drinks. Classy? No. But I'm miles away from any real coffee houses and for years I've subsisted on homemade drinks or gas station caffeine. I love taking $2 to a drive thru and driving away with a decent cup of cold coffee goodness. (And the sweet tea isn't bad either.)

8. Reality TV. A few I'm digging this summer: Kathy Griffin, Tori and Dean, Real Housewives of NJ, Jon and Kate, Little Couple, 18 Kids and Counting. The list probably goes on...but I'll save myself total embarrassment and stop there. Few things in life are more relaxing than vegging on the couch with the ceiling fan on and watching mindless television.

9. Fireworks.

10. Food: fresh corn on the cob, yummy berries, melons with salt, ice cream cones, grilled barbecued chicken, delicious burgers. What's not to love about summer food fare? Nothing.

Not rocking about summertime? Mosquitos. And ticks.

*****
The cheesecake link is actually a link to cheesecake now.

Monday, June 1, 2009

Stay Beautiful

I made the mistake of refreshing pages of the Trip Advisor Sanibel Island Forum this morning. It made me feel kind of (and really I wish I had a different name for this, because it sounds pathetic)...homesick.

Sanibel 08 Travel and Day One 079

Honestly, I know I've not traveled much. So I really feel guilty for saying I love that place so much. Because how can I really know for sure?

Sanibel 08 Travel and Day One 100

Except that I just do. I guess. We're not going this summer. Which is cool.

Sanibel 08 Travel and Day One 112

I don't even want to think about the drive. I swore on the way home last year that the next time I visited my dear Sanibel, I would be arriving in a plane.

Sanibel 08 Day Three 040

Unless of course someone said to me tomorrow, "Wanna drive with me to Sanibel." And I swear, it could be a complete stranger and I'd be all...SIGN ME UP.

Sanibel 08--Day Seven--Night 147

But I digress. My mother has 6 days off of work at the end of this month. I have no idea where we'll be going, or what we'll be doing. With all that's gone on this year (social security, car problems, health issues) it's been difficult to find the time to plan an elaborate trip, so this year's motto seems to be, the world is our oyster. Whatever that means. They have to do something with the van first. But my best guess is we'll start driving and just see where we end up. I've heard mumblings of Charleston, Asheville, Hilton Head, camping, hotels with pools.

Fort Myers Beach View

I'm kind of excited. I like a good adventure. And knowing my family it will be one. And in all honesty, I keep telling myself that anyplace is better than no place at all.

Sanibel 08--Day Seven--Night 087

But Sanibel? Stay beautiful until I return.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

More Taylor

I swear I'm not becoming a Taylor Swift blog. It just seems that way.

Anyways, me and my people watched this George Strait Artist of the Decade thing on CBS tonight. A bunch of singers covered their favorite George song. Taylor did 'Run' and we instantly decided it was one of the only songs of the evening that we didn't wish George was actually performing instead. (2nd place going to Jamie Foxx of all people!)



Jon says she is one of his 'favorites', which is totally teen boy code for she's hot. And if you tell him I told you all this I'll call you liars. But I doubt he'll deny any of it. Her poster is hanging on his wall.

*****
Final Plant count for those in the know:

54 tomatoes
18 peppers
14 squash/zucchini
10 cucumbers
5 melons
2 eggplant
47 silver queen corn
15 okra
an onion bed
basil, parsley, chives, cilantro

And we reused the trays that all of the plants came in to start seeds of sunflowers, gourds, and pumpkins. We'll also start fall crops in more trays at some point.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Festival Weekend

I dragged my mother down to the Kentucky Gourd Festival on Saturday. Since neither of us had ever been, I'd decided this was one of those things we'd have to go to just to say we did.

There was some amazing gourd art on display, like this:

Gourd Festival 2009 002

And this:

Gourd Festival 2009 025

And all of the rest that I managed to snap photos of as seen on my Flickr page.

But I quickly found my absolute favorite piece of gourd art:

Gourd Festival 2009 022
The Barack O'Gourd

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Sticks and Ticks

A giant tick. An extra large needle. A bit of flame. A bald spot. And peroxide.

we plant 024

Having your boy give you a great stick afterwards? Worth it.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Birdseed

I read this article a while back about the price of birdseed and how it was on the rise. And then I neatly tucked it into the back my brain only to recall it while standing in front of the seed at the store.

we plant 028

The article wasn't kidding.

Bird Retreat. Maybe not the most frugal idea I've ever had. But pretty neat regardless.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Flip Flop Season: The Pitfalls

The most comfortable pair of flip flops. Like butter on the feet.

we plant 017

A hole in the sole of the one on the left.

Not knowing at all where they came from or if that store still carries them.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Sweet Basil

The most fragrant basil.

we plant 005

Saturday Farmer's Market find. Purchased from the sweetest New York accented ladies.

The car still smells like a pizzeria.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

I Love a Good Birth Story

Going on in the blogosphere this morning: Crystal of about a million blogs, my favorite being MoneySavingMom.com gave birth to her new baby boy last night (MomofLittles: Join Us in Welcoming...). Silas Benjamin was born at 10pm and they were home by 2am...crazy! Midwife assisted, birthing center, all natural-no drug delivery, and a very cool story. There are so many different kinds of birth stories, exciting ones, natural, drugged, c-sections, emergencies. I love reading how different they can all be, yet the same (they do all end with smooshy babies at the end). Don't know why...just do. :D So, congrats to Crystal and her family this morning.

*****

I'm procrastinating, something that will probably not pay off in the long run, but you know how that goes.

I'm trying to train Molly to go outside to use the bathroom. Christina, my poodle from my youth always did. Jill runs away if you let her down outside so she uses puppy pads. But I think Molly has potential.


She is very curious about everything at this stage in the process. And Jack is maybe a little concerned about her peeing all over *his spots*, but hopefully they'll each get over their issues.
Testing Boundaries

The bird retreat needs mulch. And birdseed. And hummingbird food. But it's taking on a decidedly kitschy vibe this year complements of my brother, the landscape king.
Bird Retreat

I have to remember to get pictures of more of the detail. But you can kinda tell some of them in this one. The glass crush bottle, the makeshift water hole, the rocks, yard art and garden gnome. Cotton Cuddlesworth IV really enjoys his new digs.
Bird Retreat

Plant Status:
Plants
Still not in the ground...

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Seed & Feed

Monday I finally picked up the cilantro seeds I needed and I planted them last night.

Planting Cilantro

Cilantro Seeds (Coriander)

Chives have been growing for days now. The sprouted super fast, which is awesome.
Chives

I was in Crestwood yesterday so I stopped by the 'Crestwood Feed and Seed Depot' where I found the elusive White Half Runner Beans. I also picked up four packs of pickling cucumbers for $1.25 each (I bought 2), 3 Bush/Garden Baby Watermelons for .89 cents each (the packs had 2-3 plants a piece), and packets of hard to find gourd seeds and mini pumpkin seeds.

Long story short: I have a ton of stuff to plant.

White Half Runner Beans (Bunton Seed Co.)

Those beans are supposed to be amazing. They have quite the cult following amongst people 'in the know'. My Grandpa always canned them, and I happen to think anything my Grandpa did garden wise is probably really sage advice to remember.

Planting starts this weekend, a week later than I'd like, but I can't help the rain situation so oh well.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

Lessons in Domesticity

This weekend I made homemade dryer sheets.

I also clipped and organized my coupons into a nifty new system that I think is going to work great. It's based off of this idea. After that I took the coupons to the store and cashed them in on some deals. I saved $35 at Kroger and $20 at Walgreens. It felt wonderful. My stockpile of shampoo had officially run out, and my cabinets were dangerously close to lacking any toothpaste. I can now say I haven't paid full price for either of those things in over a year. Nice!

Tonight I did a taco bar for the family and a friend that Jon had over. I made Katie's guacamole, which was great! (Recipe to follow.) I also made homemade taco shells for the first time, I usually get the pre-made junk in the box. But never again, it's so bad to fry up the corn tortillas, but no more than I eat tacos I figure it's an okay treat. So tasty!

The weather as you all know is just fabulous. I did all of my errand running today while wearing flip flops! Mark the calendar: February 8, 2009 and I'm already sock-less. I can only imagine my mood will plummet when it chills back up though.

Finally I leave you with my vacation short list, because I need opinions. I have no idea which beach to go to.

-Hilton Head, South Carolina (or another SC beach, suggestions welcome)
-Outer Banks, North Carolina
-back to the panhandle of Florida
-St. Simons Island, Georgia (or Jekyll Island)
-St. Augustine, Florida
-Orange Beach, Alabama

P.S.

The Guacamole:

2 ripe avocados
the juice from 1 lime
(mash the avocado with the lime juice together before stirring in the rest)
some diced red onion
chopped habanero pepper
2 cloves garlic (feel free to use a teaspoon-ish of that pre-diced stuff you keep in a jar in your fridge)
handful chopped fresh cilantro
pinch of salt

stir it together and then nom nom nom! :)

My note: the nom nom nom part is especially vital when consuming this guac. ;)