The Baddorfs

Productive Weekend

2012-01-29T18:43:00.001-06:00

It feels like we've had an extremely productive weekend without busting out butts.

We:
- undecorated the Christmas tree and took it to the curb
- packed up all the remaining Christmas decorations and put away in the attic
- Vacuumed the whole house
- 3 loads laundry
- went through 2 boxes of cookbooks
- re-organized cookbook book case
- cleaned out the fridge
- planted a pumpkin
- swept the front porch
- took out the leaf of the dining room table and set with new placemats and tablecloth
- reorganized the kitchen cabinets (getting rid of some things, adding new to us things)
- made a stew
- spent time with both of our families
- helped my grandmother
- cleaned out, cleaned, and organized the bar
- finished our first keg in the kegerator
- made 3 trips to the attic
among other things that I'm sure I'm forgetting.

Photo Books

2012-01-19T19:37:00.003-06:00

Since we got married I've been hooked on photo books. For someone who is too lazy or prefer a cleaner palate for scrapbooking, photo books are the way to go.

We have one that was professionally done by our wedding photographer. I made one to include pictures from all our showers and wedding events as well as guest photos from our wedding.

I've made photo books of our first year of marriage, our trip to Boston, as well as books for 2009, 2010 and now 2011.

Here is a preview for my 2011 photo book: http://www.blurb.com/books/2908705

I also made one for Project 365 2011. If I was clever and cared more I would do a preview for that as well. Oh well...

I hope we will have these books for us for years and years to easily look back at our fun times.

January 12th

2012-01-13T11:06:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, January 12th, my brother sent me this picture dated January 12th 1985.

Favorite 2011 Memories

2012-01-05T07:12:00.000-06:00

Before moving forward I want to look back and remember a few of my favorite memories from 2011.

1. Seeing Arcade Fire live. It was awesome.

2. New Orleans... okay, so this is actually 3 trips and a thousand memories. But we really fell in love with New Orleans and hope to make it a bigger part of our lives in the future.

3. Related to #2 getting upgraded to a suite on our last trip to New Orleans. It was so sweet of the customer service lady to upgrade us for free on my birthday. We seriously felt like Pretty Woman going from this random guys house in a bad neighborhood to the nicest room in one of the nicest hotels.

4. Delta Roadtrip. A surprise one night getaway trip to Greenville, MS proved how restful one night in the country can be. I loved our little cabin and hope we can get away from it all some more.

5. Beach trip. This was the longest trip Bryan and I have taken together and it was awesome to just spend a whole week relaxing together with no agenda.

New Years Resolutions

2012-01-04T07:09:00.001-06:00

1. Read more.

2. Find a way to save more money. I've already done this. I decided that we should get a kegerator. We can save around $80 a month buying a keg instead of bottled beer.

3. Start saving for a kitchen reno. When we bought our house three years ago I said I wanted to update the kitchen in the first five. Its almost time. It won't be a complete overhaul, just tearing out the backsplash, changing countertops and possibly changing the flooring in the kitchen and laundry room. Fortunately for us the appliances are all new-ish and in great shape.

4. Exercise. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. I know, right? Actually we just got Just Dance for our Wii and it is quite the little work out.

5. Find a way to catalog or document what I cook. So many times I forget to print out or save a recipe I make and then months later I'm wondering what the delicious dish was and where I found it. I also forget to write down modifications I make which makes it harder to duplicate.

6. Stop eating at the same two or three restaurants all the time.

7. Write more letters.

More Holiday Pictures

2011-12-29T07:30:00.000-06:00

Christmas Morning

2011-12-28T07:30:00.000-06:00

Christmas Eve Brunch with the Baddorfs

2011-12-27T07:00:00.000-06:00

This year Bryan and I hosted the Baddorfs for brunch on Christmas Eve. We had a ton of food, milk punch, and many pictures were taken. Here are just a few:

Genevieve read Gift of the Magi

Christmas Break

2011-12-26T15:37:00.003-06:00

This year I was lucky enough to have the day off before Christmas Eve. This was handy as we spent much of the day cleaning and cooking, but took some time to hang around as a family.

Life List: Barbecued Shrimp!

2011-12-22T09:20:00.000-06:00

I have a life list. Its ever evolving and definitely not definitive. But I like the idea of listing a few experiences I want to have in my life in the hopes that it would spur me on to actually do them.

I checked off the first thing a few weeks ago, granted it is probably the easiest one one the list, but still.

It all started in February when we went to New Orleans. I requested restaruant recommendations on my Facebook wall. Barbecued Shrimp at Pascale Manale's was mentioned by more than one person. I didn't take it too seriously, but ended up getting barbecued shrimp at another place on that trip. I was so smitten with the barbecued shrimp I had to try the original.

So on our June/July trip I knew I had to make a trip to Pascale Manale's. Due to some misinformation all I got was 10 minutes sitting on their front steps sulking. No dice. The worst part is that I had saved it as my last meal before we left town.

On our last trip a couple of weeks ago I made sure that we finally had our barbecued shrimp at Pascale Manale's.

It happened. I wore the bib. Got messy. Dipped my bread.

They were delicious, although not as good as my first barbcued shrimp. I wasn't disappointed, but more relieved that now I know.

Tennanbaum

2011-12-14T06:30:00.000-06:00

We got a tree!

Birthday Gathering

2011-12-13T16:46:00.005-06:00

The Baddorf's have a lot of December birthdays. We celebrate three and three. This past weekend we gathered at Chad and Julie's house to celebrate Chad's, Bryan's and my birthdays. I didn't get pictures of present opening, but a few of the girls playing with their uncle's.

New Orleans December trip

2011-12-12T08:23:00.000-06:00

Bryan had to go to New Orleans for a sales meeting for a few days. Since it was the weekend of my birthday, Bryan sweetly suggested that I fly down to meet him and we'd make a long weekend of it. We also scored a great deal on a swanky hotel from Living Social.

Saturday we started out with breakfast at Cafe du Monde followed by some French Quarter walking around. We went to Cochon for lunch and then viewed the Christmas parade on Canal.

For my birthday we went to Commander's Palace for Sunday brunch.

Afterwards we checked into the Royal Sonesta to cash in on our Living Social deal. Bryan was being a stinker to me as usual and when I mentioned it was my birthday and he should be nice to me, the receptionist upgraded us to a suite!

Our favorite feature was the private balcony over the Quarter.

Other highlights include architecture enjoyment, food, a rum distillery tour, and holiday decorations.

2011-12-01T08:00:00.000-06:00

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Sisters

2011-11-30T07:00:00.000-06:00

This photo totally slays me.

Porch project, completed

2011-11-29T20:38:00.000-06:00

It's done!

Nature Walk

2011-11-28T07:30:00.000-06:00

Instead of fighting the crowds on Black Friday, we went for a family nature walk in Overton Park.

The weather was perfect for enjoying some fresh air, the fall leaves, and the warm sunshine.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-25T20:32:00.001-06:00

Bryan was so sweet and made sure I was able to watch the parade. He set up our old TV in the kitchen. We watched the parade while drinking coffee, eating pie, and prepping other food.

We had lunch at Gram and Gramp's house with my family.

For dinner we went to Bevin and Jamie's and enjoyed turducken and the company of the Baddorf's, Nyharts, and Bryan's uncle Kirk!

Ornaments

2011-11-24T07:32:00.000-06:00

I have fallen in love with the plastic animal projects floating around the blogosphere and I decided I needed to try my hand at it. I thought they'd be the perfect little ornaments to tie onto a present to make it more exciting. (We all know my wrapping needs all the excitement it can get.)

When we were at Michael's scoping out plastic animals Bryan pointed out these buildings. They were perfect! Slightly more mature than animals and educational.

So they went from these:

To these:

Fun project, only about $10.

Indoor Herbs

2011-11-23T07:30:00.000-06:00

One of my projects that we've been working towards for the last few months was building a shelf in the laundry room to house some of my herbs indoors.

We've made some progress, but its in no way complete just yet.

Weeds

2011-11-22T07:28:00.000-06:00

We haven't weeded the back yard in a couple of months. This past Saturday we noticed some prettier weeds had taken residence in our weed bed.

Maybe I shouldn't weed at all...

Porch Progress

2011-11-21T07:25:00.001-06:00

Two weeks ago we did this:

Stewart Brother's didn't have all the hardware we needed on our first trip. So we decided to do a few other things and then went back this weekend.

The sun went down and the lighting hasn't been very good since we've completed it. But here's a preview:

November 3rd Thanksgiving

2011-11-03T17:49:00.000-05:00

Today I am thankful for co-workers. Those that have my back, those that listen to me bitch, and those that recognize the extra hard work.

A month of Thanksgiving: days 1 & 2

2011-11-02T18:46:00.002-05:00

I'm going to try to think of something to be thankful for every day this month. I'm stealing this from a friend's facebook. I'm willing to admit that.

Yesterday I was thankful for my sweet husband. I know this is kind of cliche, but I've been having a hard time at work and he's been super sweet and supportive. He knows how to cheer me up and remind me not to take things so seriously.

Today I am thankful for the honey badger. He reminds me not to care too much. I cannot do it all and I cannot be responsible for everything. Sometimes I just need to learn to give up a little bit and just not care. Honeybadger don't care!

An October Saturday

2011-10-23T15:54:00.002-05:00

Since I mainly use this blog to look back at our lives, I thought I'd recount our day yesterday.

We slept in, Bryan didn't get up to run, I can't remember why now. We got up and had coffee and watched two episodes of Scrubs.

After showers we headed to the downtown farmer's market and bought pumpkins from a local seller. So much cheaper AND prettier than the ones I got from the Midtown Nursery last year. 4 decent sized pumpkins = $18. We stopped by the adopt-a-pet area and held a sweet puppy who gave lots of kisses.

Riverarts Festival is going on, so we walked down South Main towards downtown. We went to South of Beale for lunch because I skipped breakfast and was hungry. We had a lovely meal on the patio with beers. When we were sustained we walked back down South Main and enjoyed the festival for a while.

Back in the car, we drove down to South Front Antiques. We are working on the front patio and wanting to make a little barrier on the one side of old windows. We scavenged and haggled and got two old windows.

Back at the house I taped out the approximate size of the area we'd like to put the windows in and I placed them. Then Bosco walked on them and broke two panes of glass. Ooops. It will add to the weathered look we are going for.

After cleaning up the glass we then decided to head to Home Depot to look for ideas for the laundry room shelf I want built. All we came up with was L brackets. Back at the house, though, Bryan figured out that we have two pieces of wood that would work, we just need them cut down to size. Sweet!

We walked over to Sherwin Williams since they were having a sale and bought two gallons of paint for trim and cabinets. Not looking forward to using it.

For dinner we had left overs and then watched Funny Farm. It was not too funny. Oh well.

It was a busy day, but it was nice to spend the day together exploring, decorating, and getting things done.

From the Draft Folder: Christmas Eve 2008

2011-10-08T12:04:00.000-05:00

Recently I found some old posts in my draft folder from several years ago. I thought they were humorous so I'm posting them. Enjoy 2008 Rachel rants.

I had planned today to go down towards my parents house and visit with some family, maybe do a little baking. Those plans got thrawted when we did not receive the last crucial check for our down payment yesterday. So I spent the morning laying about waiting for the guy to get the check. Went to the grocery store which was crazy. Waited at the husbands work for man with check. Deposited check. Talked with each of my family members to reassure them that I would not be coming down there today. Realized that dirty clothes were about to take over the closet, proceeded to do three loads. Made second rum cake of the week. Burned finger in the process. (I am having to pick at the keyboard in order to type, which makes this extremely difficult and slow!) Decided to make my infamous chex mix. Our retarded grocery store did not have two of the neccasary types of Chex, but had something somewhat similar. The Chex box does not have the oven recipe, burned half a mix in the microwave. Was amazed that it is even possible to burn chex mix. Cleaned up cat throw up. Ran to the sink about a thousand times to run burned finger under cool water. I am now collapsed on the couch waiting for the husband to come home to take care of me, the mess in the kitchen, and the rest of the laundry. Oh yeah, must shower, do nails, get dressed, go to church, eat dinner with extended family, open presents and socialize.

From the archives: November 2008

2011-10-07T12:03:00.000-05:00

Recently I found some old posts in my draft folder from several years ago. I thought they were humorous so I'm posting them. Enjoy 2008 Rachel rants.

Buying a house is a big decision.

So far we've discussed where we will put the bikes and that we would prefer a manuel lawn mower

From the draft folder: November 2008

2011-10-06T12:01:00.000-05:00

Recently I found some old posts in my draft folder from several years ago. I thought they were humorous so I'm posting them. Enjoy 2008 Rachel rants.

I have spent the last 8 hours looking at houses... either driving around or by looking on the internets. I've given myself a headache and some really tense shoulders. I think I need a back massage.

I have a feeling the next few months are going to be very stressful.

From my draft folder: July 12, 2008

2011-10-05T11:58:00.000-05:00

Recently I found some old posts in my draft folder from several years ago. I thought they were humorous so I'm posting them. Enjoy 2008 Rachel rants.

I hate getting up early in the morning. Its cruel and unusual punishment. I'm mad at my husbands family for making me do so...... I might forgive them if I had coffee.

This week I learned to love Reader. Sigh, my new best friend and addiction.

Coffee brewing, time to go outside WHERE THE SUN ISN'T EVEN OUT YET!

Tour D' Sprit 2011

2011-10-04T11:52:00.002-05:00

Bryan ran with the Breakaway team once again this year. Its a fun race to go to as many people camp out and generally stay for a way and get comfortable. It doesn't hurt that Breakaway buys a keg.

Beach Trip 2011

2011-09-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

Although it looked like we weren't going to get a vacation this year due to several big changes around here, we snuck in a week vacation to the beach at the last minute.

We enjoyed one full week of lolling about, reading, eating, and drinking.

First though, we stopped in Birmingham where Bryan showed me around Samford's campus. His name is still on the record boards.

When we arrived at the beach Hurricane Irene was just passing through.

We rescued Francois the turtle.

We visited our favorite bar for our favorite punch.

We visited Centre St quite a few times.

I was pretty angry we had to go home, but there's always next year.

Swimming Fourth of July

2011-09-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

These were taken on the Fourth of July. Bosco loves to swim.

And then Bryan held baby Max.

Washing Machine Fixer

2011-09-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

A few months ago our washing machine broke. Thanks for Bryan's connections and skills he was able to fix it.

I was a bit worried though when I came home to find this.

And then this happened:

The washing machine is as good as new!

Porch dog

2011-09-22T08:00:00.000-05:00

Bosco has become quite the porch dog. She likes to be out there in the morning while I drink coffee and read.

She watches the happenings of the street.

Cooper Young 4 Miler

2011-09-21T18:11:00.000-05:00

This past weekend was the Cooper Young Festival. Bryan ran and won the 4 miler race on Friday night.

A good time was had by all... despite my inability to take a decent picture.

Thanks for the Mize's for hosting a fun party in the yard while we cheered for the runner.

Breakaway Bardog 5k

2011-09-19T18:10:00.000-05:00

Bryan ran the Breakaway Bardog 5k a few weeks ago. He didn't win, but we had a lot of fun.

Fall Goals

2011-09-04T14:43:00.000-05:00

Fall is in the air. I've started or discussed a few projects I'd like to complete and I'm hoping if I write it down then maybe I'll stick to them.

Here are few things I'd like to complete by November 15th, right in time for the holidays:

- Make Bryan's office/work space more functional. (We're toying with the idea of moving our living room to the real living room and the office into the front spare room we've been using as a living room since we moved in.)

- Make curtains or have someone make curtains. OR use the roll of fabric that is currently resideing in the corner of the dining room.

- Reupholster my new front porch rocking chair. I picked up this lovely rocker off the side of the road. It is perfect for our front porch, but needs some new fabric and foam for the seat.

- Lose weight. I don't have a scale and have been avoiding them for a couple of years now. So instead of putting a number to it, my goal is to fit into my Joe's jeans that I bought new last year and haven't quite been able to squeeze into.

- Dinner parties. Have them. Every week.

- Laundry room re-do. I started priming the walls. I need to prime the ceiling, paint the walls and ceiling and prime and paint the cabinets. Maybe two and a half months will give me enough time to finish a 8 x 6 room. Maybe.

This summer I focused on mostly food goals, all of which I was successful in, but this season I want to focus on the house. I've been slacking on making some progress in the house so now its time I turn my focus to it and really get some things done.

Project 365: June 19-25th, 2011

2011-06-27T08:33:00.001-05:00

Project 365: June 12 - 18th

2011-06-21T13:20:00.000-05:00

Project 365: June 5-11th

2011-06-20T13:17:00.002-05:00

Playtime

2011-06-19T16:43:00.000-05:00

When the roads are icy and we have snow on the ground we've taken Bosco out to the front yard to play in the yard. We decided to try it again one evening recently.

Don't worry we were particularly obsessive about watching out for cars.

She loves having open space to run and play. Maybe one day we'll have a lake house with lots of yard for her to run around.

Until then, she'll always have the front porch.

Because I'm obsessed...

2011-06-18T16:43:00.000-05:00

Bosco was looking ridiculous cute, as she always is, today. I took a couple of pictures because I couldn't resist.

I mean really.

Aren't my photography skills improving?!

Summer 2011 Goals

2011-06-09T08:39:00.000-05:00

For as long as I can remember I've always had a summer project. It started when I was still in school and would need something to keep me occupied over the long hot summers. Past goals have included learning to knit, organizing photos, etc.

This summer I have a couple, nothing major, but just little things.

- Make pesto from scratch. I have tons of basil this year. Must take advantage.

- Try a different pasta salad recipe every week. I want to find the best pasta salad recipe this summer.

- Make a different shrimp or seafood dish every week. I've been reading through my new cookbooks and I'm struck by how many shrimp recipes I'm dying to try.

- Rearrange the guest bedroom to make it more accommodating for Bryan's office.

Do you have any summer goals?

Project 365: May 29th - June 4th

2011-06-08T14:47:00.000-05:00

May 29th: Happy Dog

May 30th: Doggie blanket

May 31st: Current read

June 1st: adding old stuff to my not new ipod

June 2nd: Ride!

June 3rd: Mojitos!

Project 365: May 22-28th, 2011

2011-06-07T14:41:00.002-05:00

I know I haven't posted any of my project 365 lately. I've been bad about not keeping up with it. Don't expect a catch up!

May 22nd: Pardon the messy lens. Someone likes to lick it.

May 23rd: Motley cat!

May 24th: Foot warmer

May 25th: Bob will miss Justin.

May 26th: Hello Kitty!

May 27th: Trolley Tour! Beers outside of Max's while we people watch.

May 28th: The least photographed pet, Dribble.

Estate Sale Finds

2011-06-06T13:42:00.000-05:00

My mom has been estate sale shopping for years and as I got older - and more interested in things one can find at estate sales - I started tagging along. Since we got married I've made it a semi-regular habit of checking out the latest sale on the weekends.

I thought I'd share a few things I picked up this past weekend.

Original painting. Not sure what I'm going to do with this. Maybe give it as a gift. (Sarah, do you like it?)

Original painting by Dot Halliday. I think it might be unfinished, but I still love the colors.

I love love love this painting. I just don't know where I'm going to put it.

Vintage ornaments. I'm starting to collect vintage Christmas ornaments. Can't wait to break them all out this December.

Cookbooks! I adore picking up Junior League cookbooks from towns across the South. One of these is from Vicksburg complete with menus for meals for any Southern occasion. The other is from Las Passe in Memphis. I think my mom has this and I remember seeing it growing up.

Do you shop at estate sales?

Saturday afternoon pets

2011-06-04T13:42:00.000-05:00

As I'm learning how to use my new camera I've been playing with it during my time off at home. I tested them out on the pets last Saturday. Here's a few shots.

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Pet Pictures

2011-05-31T09:31:00.000-05:00

Because I can't help myself.

Bookcase Redux

2011-05-30T09:25:00.001-05:00

When we bought our house we bought a bookcase (from the Pottery Barn Outlet). We enjoy reading. And I, specifically, like to collect books. Bryan doesn't like to hang onto them as much as I do, so I take full responsibility.

I semi-arranged the bookcase when we moved in and haven't really touched it since. But in the last year it sort of got out of control. I blame Burke's Books.

Not very attractive. The bookcase is in our "entry room", which obviously is not very welcoming.

Like a crazy person, I took everything off, not really knowing what I was getting myself into.

Somewhat of a blank slate. I moved the speakers up to the top. (That other thing on the very top is a handmade award from a race Bryan won. Its actually kinda cute.)

Two hours later, we have something that is halfway presentable!

The Patio and Cart Garden

2011-05-28T09:23:00.000-05:00

Last night I took some photos of my herbs and vegetable "garden". Its safe to say we're flourishing - besides one rosemary and one thyme plant that didn't make it.

Redeemer Crawfish Boil

2011-05-06T15:06:00.000-05:00

Our church hosted a crawfish boil last weekend. I hope it becomes an annual event, as it was quite fun.

I pulled out my camera after I had eaten more than my fair share of crawfish and my fingers were numb. But here are a few pictures.

Matt, Bryan, and John still eating away.

As a crawfish novice, Bryan was slightly freaked out by the mudbugs.

A brief rain shower. Bryan brought the cooler and purse over to cover.

My friend, Kathy Cox, gave me a quick tutorial on how to use my camera. These are some of her shots from my camera.

Thanks, Kathy! She takes professional pictures of children if you or someone you know has small children.

Also, thanks Redeemer, for hosting an awesome event!

Celebrity Sighting

2011-05-05T14:51:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday I thought I spotted someone who looked a lot like Jake Gyllenhaal. I told Bryan after he passed and Bryan confirmed it.

Bryan wanted to talk to him, but we couldn't come up with anything clever. So we stalked him briefly.

When we were at a distance I pulled out my camera to take a few pictures.

I haven't quiet learned how to operate it yet, so the pictures I took were really really really bright. I had to edit them quite a bit to even see anything. Here is the best.

He is walking with Ben Lovett of Mumford and Sons, who were in town for Beale Street Music Fest.

Both are very attractive in person. Yum.

River Rising

2011-05-04T21:36:00.000-05:00

Bryan and I headed down to the river tonight to get a look at the river. We don't recommend this... or at least not going to Mud Island. The police were blocking one lane to go over the bridge to deter river spectators. Traffic on Island Driver was also much slower than normal.

I got a couple of shots though.

This is where you turn off Island Drive to park along the park. Its totally blocked off now.

Looking the other direction.

For reference, this picture was taken 3 weeks ago.

We'd all be under water today if we were standing where we were on that day.

This is normally a beautiful park to walk and run along the river.

Later we drove to Riverside to get a look at the water there. Its not too far away from coming onto the road.

Easter 2011

2011-05-04T14:39:00.000-05:00

Last year I purchased some bunny years from Target ($1 section, baby!) and tried to get Bosco to wear them. We were unsuccessful, but as an older, wiser two year old, we were able to bribe her.

After church, we went to Mimi's for lunch.

Mimi taught me how to make her fried eggplant.

After a delicious meal with the Mitchum's we headed to Orange Mound to watch the girls hunt for Easter eggs and spend some time with the Baddorf's.

Special Delivery

2011-05-03T14:21:00.000-05:00

As part of my 2011 Garden Madness, I purchased a set of herbs from Burpee. I ordered these back in February when I was first bit by the gardening bug.

Finally, the second to last week of April, they arrived. Burpee will ship according to zones. Apparently the end of April is the prime time to plant in Memphis.

Here is how they were packaged.

They were in great shape! I was so impressed.

The instructions say to let them stay inside for a day or two to get adjusted to its new surroundings.

Unfortunately, it took me over a week to finally get them planted. The thyme was looking a little sad after being inside for a full week. Hopefully it will turn around and start looking more alive.

Anniversary Day Date

2011-05-02T13:47:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago we celebrated our third wedding anniversary. Here's a recap of our first and second anniversaries.

This year, we couldn't make it to Boston or out of town, but we did decide to take a staycation. We both took Monday, the day before our actual anniversary, off to hang out together.

We started out with breakfast at Cafe Eclectic.

It was delicious.

After breakfast we did a little shopping and walking around midtown and downtown. Around lunch time we stopped at B.B. Kings on Beale for drinks.

Did you know that there is a B.B. Brew? Its a wheat beer, which I ordered.

We walked north to Lunchbox Eats on Fourth. They had a strawberry/blueberry/lemonade. YUM!

Bryan got the chicken and waffle sandwich.

I got the Graduation Burger... which is meatloaf topped with mashed potatoes and fried onion straws on texas toast. We got a side of seasoned fries.

We both loved our meals and highly recommend it.

Bryan was ready for a nap after his sandwich.

After lunch we headed to the zoo. I had won some free passes the previous week and it was the perfect way to walk off our awesome lunch.

We saw the penguin show.

The gorillas are Bryan's favorite. This one did not appreciate the camera flash.

The grizzlies were active.

No zoo visit is complete without stopping by to see the giraffes.

After a long zoo visit, we headed home for a brief rest.

We stopped at Young Avenue for pre-dinner drinks out on the patio. We had perfect weather all day long.

We had sushi for dinner at Do.

For dessert we stopped at Yolo.

Bryan approves of my gelato.

We ended the day with a hot stone massage and falling asleep to You've Got Mail.

It was an awesome day. We're so lucky that we still enjoy doing everything together and are each other's best friends.

A Gardening Lesson

2011-05-01T13:41:00.000-05:00

Somehow my patio garden has gotten out of control this year. I intended to bring in a few additional herbs to the ones I had last year, but I've had to go out and buy additional pots TWICE this year.

In fact, the patio garden has extended to our new garden cart.

We purchased an antique cotton cart from a friend a few months ago. We originally intended to use it as a coffee or side table on the back patio. Bosco decided it was fun to chew the wood, so we decided to move it to the side driveway to keep it safe. Its the perfect potting table and place to keep yard supplies, as we do not have our outdoor storage yet. (Bryan, I am looking at you!)

One of the main lessons I've learned this year is that it is necessary to have holes in the bottom of pots to drain the excess water. And with the weather we've been having lately, excess water is not a good problem to have.

Two of the new pots did not have holes in the bottom and water has been standing in them lately. I had a tomato planted in one and it drowned. (Don't worry, I have four other varities that survived... so far.) I asked Bryan to make holes in the bottom before we lost any more plants.

He wasn't sure how to achieve this as one of the pots already had a thriving plant planted in it. But he came up with an ingenious solution.

He nailed a nail in an extra piece of wood.

Place the nail, nail side up. (Check out the garden cart.)

Push the bottom of the pot down onto the nail. We had plastic pots that needed holes, so its fairly easy.

Watch it drain!

This is a third of the herbs. I have a problem.

Come July I'm going to be cursing myself.

Bosco was not amused or impressed.

In which I annoy Bryan by taking too many pictures of him

2011-04-11T20:37:00.000-05:00

We're looking at buying a car. I captured Bryan researching online as I played with the new (to me) camera.

Thinking....

This is his I think I found it cheaper face.

But it has more miles than the other one....

STOP TAKING PICTURES OF ME face.

Thinking again.

"Here is where you can put your pictures."

The End.

New Toy!

2011-04-10T20:36:00.000-05:00

My dad had a birthday this week. He gifted himself with a new fancier (than he already had) camera. Which means, he handed his old one down to me. SWEET!!!

I've been wanting a SLR camera for over a year now.

About five minutes after I got home I started playing. Prepare yourselves for a ton of pointless pictures! Tonights post: Bosco!

Auto

I love how it captures her true color.

Here she is waiting for me to throw her bone.

Note to self: vacuum before taking pictures of the carpet. This camera is too good.

project 365: Week 10

2011-03-16T14:58:00.000-05:00

March 6th: Dressed up for Mardi Gras dinner at Beau and Christina's.

March 7th: Creative endeavour

March 8th: Sisters

March 9th: Bryan has been wearing these pants a lot lately. I really like his butt in them.

March 10th: Family dinner.

March 11th: Baddorf dinner at Bosco's.

March 12th: Dinner and dessert on the Collierville town square

Spring Seeds

2011-03-15T13:34:00.001-05:00

I've attempted starting from seeds before with not much luck. But I'm determined to try it again this year. Armed with a little more knowledge, tools, and determination, I'm hoping that they make it this year.

From online vendors I've purchased in seed form: cilantro, basil, mint, parsley, and several varieties of tomatoes. I think I over bought on the tomatoes, but I'm determined to have some this year. I bought two different varieties of larger tomatoes and two varieties of cherry tomatoes. I adore cherry tomatoes and have heard its quite easy to grow them yourself.

So this past weekend I decided to plant my seeds. The instructions on the packets said to plant them before the last frost (I think we might have had our last one last week, but you never can tell with March in Memphis) and keep indoors in a sunny place. I'm hoping that our laundry room will produce enough light. However, since we are going to have some warm weather for the next few weeks I decided to experiment and a couple (basil, cilantro, and parsley) will have one pot indoors and one pot outdoors. If we do have a chilly night I can always bring them in for the night.

I planted one tomato variety and one packet of marigolds (I got those for free with an online order with Burbee). We'll see how it goes.

I am going to wait another couple of weeks to plant my other tomato seeds. I definately don't have room for those inside, even if it does get cold. I also ordered a few starter plants, but those haven't arrived yet. If we are successful with our seeds this year, we will have a ton of fresh herbs and vegetables all summer long!

Thinking about gardening

2011-03-14T13:27:00.000-05:00

This will be my third year of growing herbs. Each year I've done something a little different.

2009 I attempted a couple of things by seeds indoors. They didn't make it. I can't remember what happened exactly. It was my first try and didn't do much research or care for them very well. So I ended up buying some already started plants from Home Depot. They did well for a few weeks before my dog decided to destroy everything.

Last year I was much more successful. I purchased several started herbs from a vendor at the Cooper Young farmers market. I still have the parsley, thyme, and rosemary! I also purchased a few more started herbs, a pepper plant, and two tomato plants from Home Depot. I didn't get any tomatoes, but we did enjoy jalepeno peppers and fresh herbs all spring, summer, and into the fall.

I did have a few failures last year though. A co-worker gave me to established sage bushes and they died. I'm not sure why. My mint didn't thrive as well as the year before. And we didn't have any tomatoes that were large enough to eat.

I'm feeling more ambitious this year though. I had Bryan move our antique cotton cart to the side of the house and set it up as my potting station. After the past two years I have a menagerie of pots to choose from and am quite excited to see what happens this year.

Project 365: Week 9

2011-03-13T14:58:00.000-05:00

February 26th: Naptime with Bosco.

February 27th: Hanging with Bosco.

February 28th: In case of tornado or earthquake for that matter.

March 1st: Tigger loves the new rug.

March 2nd

March 3rd: 201 poplar

March 4th: Family snuggle time

March 5th: Cats in the bag

Project 365: Week 8

2011-03-01T11:57:00.000-06:00

February 20th: Milestone.

February 21st: My bedside reading stack.

February 22nd: I love that its still light out when I leave work these days.

February 23rd: Down on Bosco's level.

February 24th: Its just not a good storm with out Dave Brown in the bathroom.

February 25th: Ree!

Project 365: Week 7

2011-02-28T11:41:00.000-06:00

February 13th: Sharing a pizza at Bosco's.

February 14th: I came home to find a fort in the living room.

February 15th: Bosco

February 16th: Hanging out together.

February 17th: Motley, the new towel holder.

February 18th: The new neighborhood pub, The Dublin House.

February 19th: The first time I've dressed up to go out in a while.

Project 365: Week 6

2011-02-26T11:40:00.000-06:00

Sorry I've been a bit of a slacker lately. This week we'll do catch up posts on Project 365 and a New Orleans post.

February 6th: Last meal in New Orleans, also the best. Barbequed shrimp at Mr. B's Bistro. It came with a mandatory bib and humiliation, but totally worth it.

February 7th: Back to work and swamped since Britney left. Workload tripled. Notice the box of Girl Scout cookies I didn't even bother putting in my food drawer.

February 8th: This is Bryan "expressing himself".

February 9th: Snow! I had to leave work early due to a ton of snow. I pulled in the driveway to find Bryan and Bosco playing. I had to join them for a few minutes.

February 10th: Looking down Madison towards Overton Square... a total sheet of ice. Glad we didn't have to get out in that.

February 11th: Cool back lit wall at Bar None, downtown Memphis.

February 12th: Bryan playing the Wii. Bosco was fascinated.

Project 365: Week 5

2011-02-07T20:54:00.001-06:00

January 30th: Hydration is very important.

January 31st: Breakfast slider, always delicious.

February 1st, reading magazines with Tigger.

February 2nd: last meal with Britney.

February 3rd: Alvin, the world's best tray player. At Pat O's in New Orleans!

February 4th: Fritzel's house band at Fritzel's on Bourbon.

February 5th: Hot chocolate and a new cookbook. I love vacation.

Project 365: Week 4

2011-01-30T17:35:00.000-06:00

January 23rd: Dinner at India Palace

January 24th: Friends or enemies? We're not always sure.

January 25th: Tigger, doing what he does best.

January 26th: Peek-a-boo

January 27th: Accidental dinner

January 28th: Late night

January 29th: The cats enjoying the warmth and sunshine on an unusually warm day.

Project 365: Week 3

2011-01-23T20:07:00.000-06:00

January 16th, Bears defeat someone to go to the playoffs.

January 17th, Taco salad! The first meal of our Mexican themed week.

January 18th, we both love this little girl.

January 19th, sorry to have two Bryan and Bosco pictures in a row, but I love them both so much!

January 20th, working from home. This includes two computers and a cat to cuddle.

January 21st, After 8 months Motley discovers we have a turtle.

January 22nd, Birthday celebrations... we celebrated Bevin and Erics birthdays today.

Project 365, Week 2

2011-01-16T10:14:00.000-06:00

January 9th: There are very very few instances where all three of them are this close to one another.

January 10th: Snow day!

January 11th: Comfort food at Molly's. Also fulfilling one of my other 2011 goals: eat more tacos.

January 12th: Enjoying both of my Christmas presents from Bryan.

January 13th: Tigger cuddles.

January 14th: Bosco enjoys chewing her bones. Sometimes I wish that I could be as happy as she is at the really simple things in life.

January 15th: Memphis Brewfest Winter Warmer. Also one of my favorite quotes hanging in the background.

Snow Day!

2011-01-11T13:27:00.000-06:00

Bryan and I had a snow day yesterday! I worked from home and Bryan had the day off. We found a little time to take Bosco for a walk.

We got around 4" of snow Sunday night.

We also got a lot of things done around the house. Such as finally taking down the Christmas stuff, including the tree.

This was the mess I made after I took off all the lights. Next time we won't wait so long.

Project 365

2011-01-09T15:53:00.000-06:00

One of my goals for 2011 was to complete Project 365. I've seen others and always liked the idea of taking a picture a day. I love pictures, but am horrible about remembering to take pictures. I also love the idea of journaling, but I'm even worse at that. So my goal this year is to take a picture a day and then create a book to remember the year by. I'll try to remember to post a weekly recap here, but being a good blogger was not a resolution this year... even though it should have been.

Without further ado, my first weekly recap.

January 1st - I had a horrible cold and we spent most of the day lounging around the house watching tv.

Jan 2nd: The donut fairy visited us! Thanks Brett.

January 3rd: My view from the couch. Still sick and enjoyed spending the day with my animals.

January 4th: we enjoyed dinner and Banana pudding at 3 Angels Diner, one of my new favorite restaurants.

January 5th: Back at work, but drinking lots of fluids.

January 6th: Bryan spent this evening in Seattle for his Brooks job interview. Bosco made sure to keep me company though.

January 7th: Waiting Bryan's arrival. I missed him.

January 8th: I had an overwhelming urge to clean, organize, and get rid of stuff... instead of creating a huge project I decided to go through some old magazines.

How to Acheive World Peace

2010-12-28T15:45:00.002-06:00

I have a theory on how to finally achieve world peace. Don't steal my idea. I deserve full credit for this! I'll be looking up my intellectual property rights as soon as I finish typing this up.

Okay, so world peace will be achieved if everyone had a taco and cocktail. Think about it. Everyone would be so happy that they wouldn't care about differences in religion, race, or whatever else stirs people up.

Let's dissect this idea. First: tacos. Mmm... you really can't go wrong with a taco. Any kind. Whether is the more authentic version, a fancy fish taco, or a 79 cent taco from Taco Bell, there is a taco for every taste and every mood. I firmly believe that we haven't fully tapped the full capabilities of the taco just yet. Think of all the things we haven't tried yet! After we've all had a taco we can begin work on creating delicious new tacos.

Cocktails. I realize this could be controversial as some people do not drink and for those people, I suppose a mocktail will have to do. I remember once going out to eat with some friends in junior high and we ordered virgin daiquiris. The thrill of a fruity drink with an umbrella was exhilarating. It is still is. They come in all kinds of pretty colors, tastes, fun glasses. How can a cocktail not bring a smile to your face and an ease in your pace?!

You can thank me for this radical world changing idea by bringing me a delicious taco and a fruity cocktail.

And you're welcome.

Tis the Season

2010-12-03T17:12:00.002-06:00

Tonight begins our busy holiday and birthday season. I've spent a while this afternoon decorating the fireplaces in our house. When I finally looked at my clock and realized I needed to leave asap, I started scrambling. I quickly finished my project, cleaned up, realized I had forgotten to wrap a present, wrapped the present, changed clothes, and rushed out the door. Once off the street I realized I was off an hour.

Let's try to enjoy this season for what it is: a time to remember why we are here, who loves us, and to enjoy one another. Our purpose in life is not to get things done.

Merry Christmas!

My House

2010-11-08T18:17:00.002-06:00

I had a nightmare last night. It involved us selling our wonderful 1920's Midtown bungalow and buying a new brick house in a suburban new development in Florida. There were so many things wrong with this. Let's list them:

1) I love my house and never ever want to leave it. (Unless it means we're moving some where cool like Europe or Boston.)
2)New house
3) Suburbs
4) Florida... I love the beach, but I'm not sure if its for me. I could be wrong on this point though.

I don't mean to step on anyone's toes or insult anyone or their house. But new housing (unless I get to work with the architect and help draw up the plans and design) is not for me. I hate neighborhoods where all the houses are nearly the same.

Here is where I should pause and admit that yes, most of the other houses on my block are also bungalows, and yes, they all have a similar (but not the same!) floor plan. BUT, over 90 years each house has taken on a life and personality of its own. No house in our neighborhood is the same. And I love that. I'm willing to be that my 90 year old house has more charm and character than all of the new homes in one development. Trims, old knobs, scary basements, exposed brick, small fireplaces, all of these and more make our house a cool place to live.

Suburbs are great. I grew up in one. I understand why people like them, but its not for me. I love living in the city, walking to my favorite places, and being close to my neighbors. If I want to go anywhere outside of Midtown, it only takes me five minutes... unless its one of the outer-lying suburbs... which I hardly ever go to.

I love my house. From the moment I first walked into it at an open house, I knew it had to be mine. The high ceilings and big rooms had me at hello.

All of the above being said: we're experiencing some major plumbing problems. Like, we can't use any water until the plumbers get here tomorrow. No showers, no flushing toilets, can't finish the load of laundry, no washing dishes... Hmmm... it actually sounds like a vacation.

Anyways, despite our current situation, I still wouldn't want to live anywhere else.

But ask me again when I receive our plumbing bill.

How about them Knobs...

2010-09-30T19:49:00.003-05:00

One of the things on my household updates to-do list has been to add hardware to the kitchen cabinets. When we bought the house only the four upper cabinets had knobs. Some of the drawers and cabinets were difficult to open, but I survived.

Something came over me the past month or two and I got around to purchasing knobs. We put them on all the drawer and cabinets.

Its so easy to open things now! I can't believe we went so long without them. Its really sad.

The Guest Bedroom, redo

2010-09-12T14:19:00.003-05:00

We spent much of last weekend painting. Which wasn't too bad as our paint spot was on the front porch and the weather last weekend was phenomenal.

Our guestbedroom was looking a little sad. Here's a before:

Lets recap: random broken chair on far left, mismatched linens (especially the pillows), broken side table. Also this room has become a collect-all for items that don't really have a home and/or need to go up in the attic.

Solution: new bedding and two new tables.

I purchased two side tables from antique stores and we proceeded to paint them an off white.

And... Here's the after:

Ignore the glass on the bed, that is being put away. Also, for the sake of testing things out, making final decisions I did not put the down comforter in the duvet yet. I wanted to see how it would look without going through that hassle yet. Plus, I want to keep Bosco off the new things as long as possible.

This is my favorite table. Its the perfect height and is much more interesting than the previous table. Plus it adds a place to put a glass on that side of the bed. We are planning to put the dog crate away before guests come to stay. Isn't the new lamp perfect in here? It makes the room so much more home-y.

Here's the other table. I like that it offers some hidden storage. It relives the closet of some of the overflow.

I still have a little more styling, putting away, and finishing touches to make. But at least you are able to get an idea of our progress. What do you think?

Ebay Lessons

2010-08-23T16:31:00.000-05:00

I consider myself an internet savvy person. Yet somehow I made my very first Ebay purchase last week. It was a vintage mailbox. It was perfect! Norman Rockwell-ish for Bry and asethically pleasing for me. However, I failed to take note of the dimensions.

Turns out its a penny bank. Yes, a PENNY bank. Oopsy. Oh well, it will look really cute added to our kitchen hanging collage.

NOTE TO SELF: Please take note of dimensions and other features before any online purchase.

Dreams

2010-08-22T16:35:00.002-05:00

Ever feel like you have a 100 different dreams for you life? I do. A few things I've been thinking about doing lately:

- become a tambourine player and join a band
- Open my senior project business: Get Organized
- Open a classy, fun women's underwear store in the neighborhood, name it something like Skivvies
- Open a build your own burrito/taco place in the neighborhood.
- Open Bryan's idea for a restaurant. Home.
- Quit my job and stay at home.
- Move to Europe
- Move to the beach
- Own a boat
- Operate a "burger barge"
- Cook more

Those are just a few. I don't consider this a bucket list, just my changing whims. But I'd like to really do at least a few of these.

Does anyone have any money they would like to invest?

Restaurant Review: The Villa

2010-07-23T22:07:00.002-05:00

Bryan and I went out the other night and decided to try the Villa, what was once Le Chardonnay. We never went to Le Chardonnay, so we can't tell you how it has changed, but can offer a fresh view on a new restaurant in our neighborhood.

We live in the Tucker Jefferson neighborhood, just two blocks away from Overton Square. It was one of the main reasons for buying our house, the ability to walk just about anywhere we need, specifically some of our favorite restaurants.

Excited to try a new restaurant in our area, within walking distance, we walked into The Villa on Friday night. Maybe its been a while since we've been to Overton Square on a Friday, but it took us a long time to find a parking spot and it looked like all the restaurants had a wait.

When you walk into the Villa there is a sign greeting you at the door to see the bartender for a table. Its the first time I've seen a sign like that. I stood at the crowded bar for several minutes before someone even acknowledged me. She didn't even give me a guesstimate on how long it would be to get a table. We found a place at the bar to tide us over until we got a table.

It actually didn't take long to move to a table, 10-15 minutes. However, it appeared that the bartenders played hostess and waiter. I didn't see one employee that seemed like a real waiter/waitress. Everyone was a bartender/runner.

While our food was good, the service was awful. Its not the employee's faults... they are understaffed by at least two. It took a full hour to get food. We had to wait five minutes after receiving food to get silverware. We were never offered bread or appetizers... even though we saw other tables getting free bread.

The atmosphere is great, although rather loud. They could use a bit more fabric in the place relieve some of the loudness of the space. But otherwise a well decorated and appropriate.

Maybe we were there during their busiest time ever, or maybe that's just how it is. But the service was awful and I probably won't be back unless we hear the service has vastly improved.

Recent News

2010-06-13T15:58:00.003-05:00

Recent news in our lives:

1. I went to Minnesota for the first time ever.

This is as much as I saw of the city. But I met a ton of great people. And didn't hear one "dontchaknow", which I found very disappointing.

2. We have decided to go to Europe. First to travel and get a feel for it. If we decide we like it, we'll consider moving. We are focusing on Spain, Italy, and France. And will probably be traveling next February and/or March.

3. In lew of #2, I've decided not to buy more "stuff". We will be asking ourselves before any purchases, does this help us get to Europe?

4. Also in lew of #2 and #3, we're prefer money for any gift giving occasions in the next year.

5. I've got herbs! I need to do a whole seperate post on my little front stoop garden, but its now majorly hot outside and I can't bring myself to go out there.

6. We got Instant Netflix on Wii! The amount of time spent in front of the tv has now quadrupled. But we're mostly watching documentaries, so does that even count?

7. We took Bosco to the lake yesterday for a swim. She loved it. She also loved mud.

Motley

2010-05-31T14:08:00.000-05:00

Meet Motley.

Motley has made a full recovery and is out and about among the rest of the members of the family. She was quarantined to the bathroom for a few days at first while she was still healing.

She and Tigger get along well for the most part.

But Bosco is very eager to have a new playmate. She (Bosco) hasn't learned to be gentle yet. We were hoping since Motley has claws she could put her Bosco in her place, but Motley is reluctant to use her claws, which is good and bad depending on the case. Good: no shredded furniture, window treatments, or rugs. Bad: Bosco is still too rough with her.

It will take a few more weeks or months for everything to fall into a nice rhythm, but for now, we're all getting along well.

The Pantry

2010-05-29T13:55:00.002-05:00

One of the things I love about our house is the large pantry. It was so much better than the zero storage we had at our first apartment. However, over the last year and a half that we've been in the house it has gotten a bit disheveled to say the least.

Pictures before:

So with a few days on my hands, I decided to tackle the pantry. It didn't take much time, one extra large garbage bag, and one trip to Target.

I started by taking everything out. Then I wiped and vacuumed the crummies. With everything out I could start with a blank slate and group like things together.

I even had some extra room to store a few small appliances!

I purchased a few media bins at Target and they were the perfect depth for the space. I put small things together in those. The lesser used items were put on a higher shelf.

The real trick will be keeping it this nice.

Our New Friend

2010-05-12T20:57:00.002-05:00

We've actually had several new friends in our household. First, Henry Chapatoula, purple beta fish. Part of the decorations of my dear friend Allison's wedding. He has a lovely home in a blue bowl in the kitchen. Although he might be finding a new home soon.

The other night when the husband and I were headed out a small, motley looking cat came up to us mewing. It was so pathetic, yet so friendly. And much smaller than Tigger, our indoor kitty. He did not go away and I felt so bad for the little friend, I fed it. I know, roll your eyes, tell me how awful that is, whatever. I fed it. Its little and hurting and it needed help. I'd do the same for you and I'd hope you'd do the same for me.

Five days later, the cat is still around. I've called multiple societies and shelters, no one will take the little guy or girl. So I take matters into my own hands and take it to a vet.

I was initially worried about how I was going to catch a stray cat. Its been overly friendly (more friendly than our cat we've had for two years now), but you never know until you try to pick up a cat. I also wasn't sure if the cat was going to be around when I needed to round him/her to take it to the vet. But I came home and there it was laying in an empty pot. It mewed a hello to me as I opened the door to retrieve the cat carrier.

Cat carrier in hand, I picked it up and set it in the carrier. No problems. However, I had to listen to it howl for an hour. I never knew cats could make such noises.

An hour later, we have a girl. She has an absess that will need to be drained and a skin allergy. A couple hundred dollars and a few days, we will welcome home our latest addition, a spayed female kitty named Motley.

Happy Anniversary

2010-04-19T15:21:00.002-05:00

Today marks two blissful years of marriage. To commemorate the event we took a weekend getaway to Little Rock, Arkansas. While not a 5 star getaway, it was a very relaxing and fun weekend. We made it back to town aroun 1 pm and had a wonderful afternoon and evening hanging around hte house and patio listening to live music at Huey's Anniversary party a block away.

However, things took a turn for the worse around 12:45 this morning. The house alarm went off. Our house came with an alarm system from a previous owner. We have not activated it, but it beeps anytime a door or window opens. That is enough security for me... that and we have a very large, ferocious dog. So when we were awakened in the middle of the night by constant beeping for an alarm we don't know anything about, we were a bit muddled to say the least.

Bryan was the first to realize what was going on. I just thought it was beeping like when you come in to an armed house and believe I mumbled something about just hitting the button before becoming cognizant of what was actually happening. After Bryan being out of bed messing with it for a few minutes and the sustained beeping, I decided it was time to see what was going on.

For a good forty-five minutes I hit "Bypass" every 8 seconds while Bryan did his best to figure out what the hell was going on and how to stop the constant beeping before both ended up in a sanitorium.

Finally, after 45 minutes of confusion and frustration it stopped. Neither of us has a clue why or how, but it did and that was enough for us. Until exactly an hour later... just as I was finally beginning to fall back into a peaceful slumber, the beeping. Oh, the beeping! Bryan jumped up and hit the button. Peace was among us again. Until exactly an hour later! I'm not sure how long this went on, but around 4 something it decided to begin beeping every 5 minutes. Bryan left me for the couch so as not to disturb me when he jumped up. Somehow at this point the beeping didn't disturb me so much. I guess after 4 hours one becomes immune to constant beeping. Who knew? Probably some poor tortured prisoner. Around 5 or so, the beeping stopped. For what we hope is good.

To celebrate our actual anniversary our plans include sleeping. Going to bed early and sleeping. Not quite as exciting as Boston or the wedding, but we look forward to it very much.

UPDATE: The above was written while at work. When I got to my front door I could hear the beeping already. My way of dealing with it until the husband got home was sitting out back where I could barely hear it. While talking to said husband he convinced me to try a combination of buttons which immedately set off the alarm alarm and a steady beep. Bosco, my guard dog, and I are sitting out front now making sure the police don't show up or something. Please send help! Constant beep + alarm is NOT FUN!

Herb Garden

2010-03-14T12:37:00.002-05:00

Last summer I purchased a tall plant stand and 6 Mexican hand painted pots for my various herbs. It was an experiment, seeing as I do not have much gardening experience on my resume of life. But as I have begun cooking, I use a lot of fresh herbs. It can get expensive buying fresh herbs all the time. A few things went well... like the cilantro did okay for a while and mint turned out great. Bryan's pepper plant did well, except that we forgot to pick the peppers. Bosco destroyed the parsley, as it was on her level. Then eventually the herbs were scorched in the sun when I forgot to water them. And then Bosco managed to destroy all the pots but one. (That one now sits atop my fridge in the kitchen with some dried flowers in it.)

But with the approaching warm weather, I've been thinking about trying herbs again. This time inside. My plan is to add a few shelves in my laundry room which is mostly windows, but I think I could put a few small shelves up.

In a few weeks I'm going to take a week off and this will be my paint the laundry room and start my indoor herb garden week.

The Plan:
1) Finally paint the laundry room the light blue of my kitchen. NO MORE YELLOW!!!
2) Paint and install shelves.
3) Purchase terracotta pots and paint them the dark teal of the kitchen.
4) Purchase these saucers for the pots.
5) Purchase starter herbs or from seeds (I haven't decided yet) and plant them in newly painted teal pots.
6) Put it all together and enjoy fresh herbs for as long as it will last.

Anyone have any advice?

Lightbulb Conundrum

2010-03-02T19:29:00.002-06:00

When we bought our house, it came with two small light fixture/fans in the kitchen. They are great. We especially love the dual fans in the warmer months. However, they light the kitchen with an odd shaped light bulb. We've probably wasted $50 on light bulbs that do not fit.

Not only finding the right size super annoying, but they burn out frequently. They generally burn out every 3-6 months. We've replaced all the bulbs multiple times already.

At this point I'm so frustrated I'm willing to buy new fixtures.

Any ideas as to why we're having problems keeping light bulbs in these suckers?

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T16:06:00.002-06:00

To celebrate Valentine's day this year, I surprised Bryan with a brewery tour at Ghost River Brewery downtown. It was actually a better tour than our Sam Adam's Brewery tour, which turned out to be an even better surprise.

We spent the rest of Saturday relaxing at home and watching Olympic games.

Today, Bryan surprised me with a custom made ring. Its gorgeous, yet understated, and if I'm able to get off the couch in the near future, I might post a picture of it. We had leftovers for lunch after church and watched more Olympic games. (Two sports I've never heard of before: Biathalon and Nordic Combined). Other highlights include a nap and Bryan cleaning all the dirty dishes left over from Friday night. (Didn't I marry well?!)

We have dinner reservations at a nice restaurant, which I'm excited about.

Hope you had a great Valentine's with your true love.

Facial Hair

2010-02-13T10:40:00.002-06:00

I leave you this Saturday with a series of pictures. Enjoy

Don't worry, the Fu Man Chew (is that how you spell/say that?) did not last long. He's now clean shaven and I'm still wondering if he's actually my husband after living with a bearded man for 8 months.

Cabin Fever

2010-01-30T15:40:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, Memphis experienced a bunch of winter weather. I was homebound (sick) and the husband joined me for the majority of the day. Today the roads are bad and we're not going out. While I'm content to sit in my pj's, lounge around all day reading magazines and books, playing sudoku, and just looking out the window with a glass of water. Others are not. Specifically the husband and the dog.

Since its so cold and icy out, I feel bad letting Bosco stay outside for any length of time. So I've been trying to keep her in and she's about to drive me crazy. Normally we give her a bone and she's content to chew for a while. But she went through three bones yesterday before getting tired of it. She is constantly roaming the house, trying to find something she can do to get herself into trouble. She is always successful at this.

The husband wants to know what we're doing next. What we're doing tonight. At least I don't have to chase him through the house. He's played Wii, we've watched episodes and movies. He's been for runs and helped in the kitchen.

Essentially... my cohabitants have cabin fever. And I think I catch it in waves. A little while ago I found myself vacuuming and polishing the stainless steel in the kitchen. Odd, I know. But I would be nice to get some things done in all this free time, I suppose.

Wouldn't it be nice if they would catch my laziness? I think so.

Happy Birthday, Baby

2010-01-26T08:15:00.002-06:00

Today is Bosco's first birthday. In her honor, I give you a retrospective of her growth this past year.

The youngest picture we have of her. I think this was 6 weeks.

The day we brought her home.

At 11 weeks old.

16 weeks

18 weeks

21 weeks

23 weeks

8 months

9.5 months

10 months

Christmas morning, 11 months.

2 things

2010-01-03T17:35:00.002-06:00

First, Christmas is gone, leaving a Christmas tree sized hole in our dining room. Nothing really was there before, but now it just seems so much emptier. Suggestions? Not considering a ficus. Never.

Second, Bryan plugged in my iPod and turned it to a regular shuffle (I've been listening to Christmas only shuffle for over a month now) and am rediscovering my music. I have good taste, if I say so myself. What are you listening to?

Christmas 2009

2010-01-02T12:16:00.002-06:00

Okay, so I know this is WAY late, but I'm in the process of taking down my Christmas decorations and it got me thinking about how lovely the house was this year. So I thought I'd share.

This is our first Christmas in our house. Last Christmas we came home from Christmas dinner and starting taking down the tree. We closed and moved into this house on the 29th. Needless to say, with Christmas cut short last year and the new house, I was dying to decorate the house for Christmas this year.

Bryan decorated the outside for me as a birthday present. He was so sweet.

At one point there was garland over the front door, but it kept falling and ended up on the railings, but I never got a picture of it. Oh well...

I splurged a little on the tree as well as garlands. But it was the most beautiful tree there ever was. The perfect height, thickness, and fullness. I wish I could perserve it.

From around the house:

We hope you had a very merry Christmas this past year.

Holiday Time

2009-12-21T13:21:00.000-06:00

Its Christmas time. Its my favorite time of year. Christmas songs, the smell of pine, christmas trees, and beloved ornaments being unwrapped from their worn tissue paper wrapping. Presents and food. Its all wonderful.

I've heard people talk about how busy they are at this time of year and it never really seemed the case for me. Until this year.

I skipped a free nice meal last night to stay at home and make my own dinner. To snuggle in my pjs on the couch with my man and watch a favorite Christmas movie. And while I love the different gatherings and events, its hard to really enjoy the time without getting stressed and think about preparing for the next event or the next thing to cross of the to-do list.

So, today, I'm asking, how do you cope? How do you savor this time of year without being stressed?

Christmas came early

2009-12-19T08:55:00.001-06:00

I have the best husband in the whole wide world. I'll be spending the day making cookies and thinking about things I can do with it.

Things to be Happy About:

2009-12-01T13:45:00.005-06:00

I've been struggling with a few things lately, so today I'd like to focus on a few things that make me happy:

- Christmas decorations
- delicious soup
- $5 subscriptions to House Beautiful and Real Simple from Amazon
- This little bugger:

- And this one:

- Plans for my birthday, including a very nice restaurant and Starry Nights.

- Bosco's beer

Thanksgiving Recap

2009-11-30T09:42:00.000-06:00

As much as I've discussed Thanksgiving recently I thought I at least owed you a Thanksgiving recap post.

We had my husband's family over and had a huge feast! You can read about the turkey here, I'll save you the details, but my first turkey came out a success!

All in all, we had a great Thanksgiving and have much to be thankful for this year.

Anthropologie Ornaments

2009-11-21T10:23:00.002-06:00

I have two weaknesses:
1) Bird stuff. This is a recent development, within the last two years. Love anything bird related to decorate (read: clutter) the house. From candle holders, salt and pepper shakers, art work, and now ornaments.

2) Christmas decoration. I've been seriously trying to fend off all Christmas decorating urges until after Thanksgiving. I like to celebrate one holiday at a time. But that doesn't stop me from thinking and planning. Oh no. One day recently I stumbled upon Anthrologie's website and further stumbled into the Holiday Shop like Alice falling down the hole. Big mistake. Do not do it! Just don't. After 15 minutes and $100 damage to the bank account (I really hope Bryan doesn't read this!), I received a box of goodies a few days later. Check it out:

I bought duplicates of two birds. The second and third pictures are the same product, but quite different as you can tell. The listing did say they were unique and I do love each one. But I might find it difficult to give any of them up. So so cute. Its okay to be jealous.

Turkey Ready

2009-11-16T15:40:00.001-06:00

After doing my research, I had to do some shopping.

Yesterday I went to Lit, my favorite kitchen supply place in Memphis, and to William Sonoma Outlet. Between the two I was able to get everything I need.

Plaid placemats for the table, big ass pan for the turkey, V-rack for roasting, brine bags for brining.

Next step is to plan the rest of the menu. What are your favorite Thanksgiving dishes?

House-a-versary

2009-11-15T15:35:00.002-06:00

It has been one year since we first stepped into our house.

Bryan was the first to find the house as he ran by on a run. He drove me by it the same night and we picked up a flyer. I wasn't so sure, but there was an open house a few days later and we went.

From the first time I walked in, I knew it had to be mine. I called my parents and they drove in to see it. Mom said she knew when she walked in that I was going to love it.

Sigh... can't believe its been a year... I still love it. One of my absolute favorite things is to just sit with the blinds open in the front part of the house. Love it.

So does Bosco.