Sunday Stealing on Monday again . . .

Another round of crazy questions! Make sure you watch the video of our cat - totally worth it!

What color is your watch?

PINK!
I love pink!


What do you think of when you think of Australia?

I want to go there.

Ever ridden on a roller coaster?

Yes, I love love love roller coasters!

Birthstone? 

Pearl, I think!

Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive through?

I don't eat fast food very often anymore but when I was 80 pounds heavier, I would always go through the drive through because I didn't want anyone to see the overweight woman eating fast food! I cannot believe I just typed that.

Do you have any friends on facebook that you actually hate?

No, but over the last year some political posts have made me think twice!

Do you have a dog?

no dogs - only a cat who loves to have his teeth flossed!

Last person you talked to on the phone?

Dear daughter!

Have you met anyone famous? 

Yes, sort of. They were filming a movie when we were at dinner one night.

Also, a million years ago we were flying to Hawaii and an old comedian was on the plane and I introduced myself to him.
I've also met Bob Goff and had my picture taken with him and I think he is pretty famous!

Any plans today?

I've worked all day and now I'm going to hit the bike!

Where are you right now? 

I'm still sitting in my quiet office - I think I'm the only one here.

Biggest annoyance in your life right now? 

The last 17 pounds that I cannot seem to lose.

Last song listened to? 

Something by Imagine Dragons probably

Last movie you saw? 

We rewatched Young Frankenstein on Saturday night. It was made in 1974 and it is so ridiculous.

Are you allergic to anything? 

I'm allergic to a million thing - grass, trees, cats, dogs, mold, dust, perfumes, colognes

Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time?

Vionic flip flops - in every color and style!

What time is it? 

4:37 p.m.

Do any of your friends have children?

Almost all of my friends have children . . . and now have grandchildren!

Do you eat healthy? 

I sure do!

What do you usually do during the day?

I help people all day long - from scheduling appointments for the senior minister to scheduling weddings and funerals on the church calendar to taking notes for meetings.

Do you hate anyone right now?

I hope not. Hate hurts the one doing the hating far more than it hurts the one who is hated. There have been periods of time in my life where I STRONGLY disliked someone but I try not to hate.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame . . ..

If you have been reading my blog for long or if you actually know me, you know that we host a group of young professionals in our house on Tuesday nights. This past Tuesday, Mark's banker had asked if Mark would like to use the bank's box at the Baron's baseball game . . .and we offered it to our young professionals. We had a full house and had so much fun!

We were in a third floor box with a great view of the field.

I should have taken several pictures of the group so that I would have had a picture that was good of every single person . . .but for some reason, I only took these two.

It was a perfect night for baseball - it is July in the deep south and it is usually miserably hot outside but on this night, there was a breeze blowing and it was pleasant to be outside!

The Barons have two mascots - Babe Ruff and Lillie Mays - I'm sorry I didn't ask them if I could have my picture taken with them. I promise that I'm a grown up MOST of the time but there is just something about mascots (my favorite all time mascot crush is Aubie!!). I read an article yesterday that said it is at least 30 degrees hotter in those mascot suits . . .so if it is 100 outside, it would be 130 inside - bless those mascots! I'm sweating just thinking about it!

We had so much fun - we had grilled chicken and burgers and all of the toppings like lettuce and tomato and cheese and BACON. We had French fries and onion rings and popcorn and peanuts and pretzels and chips and dip and we had a refrigerator full of refreshing beverages. Mark's banker, Patrick, was the perfect host!

Sunday Stealing . . .FOOOOOOOD!

This is one of those fun question blogs from Sunday Stealing (yes, I know it is Monday) and it is on food – and I love food – so this is right up my alley. Disclaimer -- there is nothing remotely "useful" in this post!! Copy and paste the questions into your own blog and answer away or feel free to answer in the comments!

1.  Do you like pie?

I love pie and I make a great mini pecan pie. The best recipe is the recipe on the dark Karo syrup bottle . . . and you can even add a little bourbon and make bourbon pecan pie. Hubbie's favorite dessert of all time is blackberry cobbler - that is a pie, right?

2.  Italian or Mexican?

I could eat Mexican food every single day. I could eat beans and rice every day. I could eat chips and salsa every day. Guess I like Mexican food. I like Italian, too, but Mexican wins.

3.  Can you bake? If so, what are your favorite things to bake?

I can bake but my mother-in-law is THE best baker around. She is in her 90's and is still baking! I bake great brown sugar brownies and I can bake my mother-in-law's German Chocolate Cake and it is LIKE N.O. O.T.H.E.R.
4.  Do you use cook books or do you try to find recipes online?

I use mostly on-line recipes these days but I do use my handwritten ones, too. Every once in a while, I might use a cookbook but I gave away most of my cookbooks when we moved a few years ago.
5.  Do you own a kitchen aid mixer?

I sure do and it is awesome!
6.  Ever cooked a meal for more than 15 people at one time?

Why yes - yes, I do that often - every week on Tuesday nights! We host a Bible/book/DVD study for Young Professionals and I cook for them every week.
7.  Do you like hospital food?

My immediate response is "of course not" . . .but back when our kids were still at home, one of our "day dates" was to meet for lunch at a hospital near my husband's old office and the food was actually ok.
8.  Favorite fast food restaurant?

I have different ones for different items - I love french fries from McDonald's and Milos. I love Wendy's cheeseburgers. If I want healthier choices, I pick Chick-Fil-A.
9.  Any picky eaters in your family?

Not really. Hubby isn't too fond of Italian but he will eat it if nothing else is provided. I'm not very fond of salmon or tuna (not the canned kind - the real kind) but if I was served either, I could probably choke it down. If you served canned salmon croquettes, I COULD NOT EAT them. I don't know what I would do.
10.  Soda or Tea?

I have Diet pepsi or diet dr. pepper every day . . .and usually a diet ginger ale every day, too. I like tea but would almost always choose soda over tea.

11.  Hot chocolate?

yum!
12.  Favorite holiday dish?

turkey and dressing
13.  What is the most tasteful strangest looking thing you have ever tasted?

I've made some casseroles that were just downright ugly but tasty.
14.  Fries or tater tots?

Fries are probably my favorite food in the universe but I like tater tots, too.
15.  Do you like cheese? If so what kind?

Yes! Cheddar, sharp cheddar, brie, feta, and how about this one? Just bought it on Friday night at Whole Foods!

16.  Home made or can soup?

I love home made soup but grew up eating Campbell's so that will definitely do in a pinch.
17.  Do you like to eat out?

Love it! We don't eat out as often as many folks though because it has not worked as well for us regarding our weight - too many meals out equals expanding waistlines for us.
18.  What kind of food is popular where you are? (Like in Alaska it is seafood)

Our state is on the gulf coast so seafood is always good and we also have great barbecue! Our city is a new foodie location so we have some awesome places to eat.
19.  Do you like cotton candy?

sure. Have you tried cotton candy grapes???
20.  Turkey or Chicken?

both - all the time!
21.  Hamburger or tuna helper?

hamburger - the thought of tuna helper . . .not so sure about that one.
22.  Raw or cooked veggies?

both! I love veggies!
23.  Do you like salad? If so, what is your favorite kind of salad?

I love salad. I like green salad. I like asian slaw. I like chicken salad. I like potato salad. I like Baby Blue salad (baby greens, with strawberries, mandarin oranges, sweet and spicy pecans, blue cheese - only way I like blue cheese and a great balsamic dressing with a kick)
24.  Favorite pizza topping?

meat! (pepperoni, sausage, canadian bacon)
25.  Do you like meat loaf?

I do! I've actually eaten meatloaf twice in the last two weeks!

Weekend Projects

I have a tendency to do multiple things at a time. Why? I have no idea. One of the things I've had to work on is to COMPLETE each project! Today has been one of those days!

I've had "clean out closet" on my to-do list for a couple of weeks.

Yesterday, I took everything out of the closet. I'm actually too embarrassed to show you EVERYTHING that was crammed into this closet.

Once it was empty, Mark vacuumed the floor and baseboard for me so I truly had a clean slate!

The closet sat empty until this afternoon. I did laundry, ran some errands, went to Home Depot for some crates and a small shelf and sprayed a coat of paint on a bench (see below).

Everything now has a place and we took a load of coats and stuff to the Salvation Army. This is a "junk" closet - there are coats on the bottom left, wrapping paper in the middle, blankets, tablecloths, extra sheets, etc. in this closet!

We've had this little red bench at the foot of our bed for a couple of years. I bought a new duvet cover from Pottery Barn last week and the red just doesn't add to the room.

The paint is Chiffon Cream. I painted two coats and you can still see the red in a few spots so I've got to buy some more paint.

I need another hobby, too, right? I've always wanted to be able to write fancy letters. I thought about taking a calligraphy class but decided to start off learning about lettering styles. I read a book this weekend, too.

I have a tendency to do a little of one thing and then do a little of something else and then go back and finish the first thing. Anyone else do things like this? Jump from one thing to another?

In between projects, I put together the little wire rack/shelf that is now in the bottom of that closet. While I was doing my projects, Mark was busy with projects, too - from cutting the grass to putting out new bark chips around the plants.

What kind of projects do you do on the weekend?

p.s. The next two things have NOTHING to do with projects but I have to throw these pics in -- Vacation Bible School happened this week. We had record numbers of children and I loved the theme - Shipwrecked!

I just so happen to work for the most fun man . . .a senior pastor by day who turns into the friendly pastor pirate Brian during VBS.

Last but not least, we tried a new cheese on Friday night - it has blueberries in it! We were in Whole Foods and started talking to the cheese guy and ended up buying a tiny piece of cheese for $10! It is delicious and it is so rich!

Because we could

This weekend, we took a mini trip to a city that is about an hour and 45 minutes north of here and stayed in a hotel - just because we could! We ate out. We walked. We enjoyed each other's company. We met friends for lunch. 

Let me tell you about the very first thing we did - we drove over a VERY curvy mountain road (I get motion sick, remember??) to a place on the Sipsey River about 3 miles above the Smith Lake dam. Mark is interested in buying a NuCanoe and Riverside Fly and Float trips is one of two NuCanoe dealers in the state of Alabama. While Mark looked at ALL the stuff and talked to the "man", I spent some time looking at the flies.  I have always been fascinated with hand tied flies - maybe I need to take up that hobby! Aren't they beautiful??

We left the fly shop in Bremen, Alabama and WAZE told us a different non-winding route (thank goodness!!!!) and we drove to Decatur. We did a walking historical self-guided tour and enjoyed seeing a beautiful garden and some cool OLD homes. One of the owners even came out to talk with us and she informed us that the brochure was incorrect. She went on to tell us that the original owner didn't transplant plants from the Sipsey wildlife area . . .she said that she did all of that work. I wasn't quite sure how to respond.

This garden was open to the public and it was lovely. We are always on the hunt for plants for our yard and there was a large variety of plants to admire!

We left Decatur and drove to Madison and our next stop was the Old Black Bear Brewery. I wrote about this place a year ago. Mark loved it so much that we had to return.

Mark loves dark beer and I love a good Moscow Mule. The brewery even makes their own ginger beer and their own vodka!

We ordered an appetizer and it was delicious. It was a huge chicken quesadilla.

We met our friends for lunch on Saturday at Rosie's - a restaurant recommended by a co-worker. He said they have the best Mexican food in THE UNIVERSE! I must admit it was quite tasty and the décor in the restaurant was awesome. We spent 2 1/2 hours laughing . . .and laughing . . . and laughing!

I ordered a yummy chicken dish with black beans and corn and pinto beans. This was the lunch portion - it was huge.

After spending two hours at the table, we realized there was a line of folks still waiting on tables . . .and it is a big restaurant. We moved out to the courtyard to hang out with the Mariachi band! Hayden decided to play along.

We are thankful for a day filled with sunshine and good friends and good food!

I spy with my little eye . . .

This morning I kept thinking of that phrase "I spy with my little eye." I took a couple of days off from my job and this morning I was able to go on a long walk. What did I spy?

We live in a neighborhood with several parks and trails. I spy with my little eye . . .sunbeams and shadows.

I spy with my little eye crape myrtle and blue sky

I spy a park bench by the pond

In JULY, I spy some orange leaves - what's up with that???

I rarely take selfies because I'm not good at it . . .but I spy a red and sweaty face! It is so hot here!!

I spy a neighborhood library - isn't it cute? I didn't find a book to borrow but I'll keep checking.

What did you see today? anything interesting?

Blogging about the 4th . . .on the 10th!

Most families have traditions and one of our family traditions is to celebrate the fourth of July on the lake as guests of one of Mark's cousins. We've been celebrating together since our kids were little bitties . . .and now our kids have spouses and some of our kids have kids!

We relax and talk and eat and soak up sun.

some of us even soak up some shade!

our sweet girl ended up being the only little one this year due to scheduling conflicts but she had the best time! There were plenty of new to her toys to play with and plenty of outside fun to be had.

I had thought about getting into the little pool with her but within moments the pool was full of dirt and twigs - not my jam.

The weather was spectacular!

There was even some fishing going on . . .not sure how much "catching" was happening.

Some folks went swimming!

sweet girl even got her pops into the water!

Even the dog went for a swim!

He was in the pool as much as our girl!

I imagine this picture was taken during the homemade ice cream eating time!

When we got out to the car, our sweet girl (or her daddy) had left the mermaid barbies in our car doors so they could come home with us for the pool bag!

We only have one picture . . .and this is a screen shot . . . of our little family together. Mark was going to take the picture but it was on video so I grabbed this screen shot!

I am so very thankful for family, for freedom, and for traditions! I'm actually thankful for baked beans, too . . .because I love them and I'm thankful they are always on the menu for the fourth!