Eggs...incredible, but not easy...

I love a good egg salad. It sounds gross, but that lovely, creamy, tasty spread on a good piece of bread... Now that's what I'm talking about!

I decided that a good meal for lunch all week would be egg salad. It's easy to make a big batch of egg salad, or so I thought...

First of all, I had to answer the first question in how to prepare egg salad. How in the heck do you boil an egg? Sad I know, but oh so true. Why would I know that? I don't eat hard boiled eggs... I think they are gross when not in egg salad form, but as a stand alone food, no thank you! I of course went to my first source of information, my Mom. She was unable to direct me in a way that uses any form of concrete tasks, so I then turned to the internet. Sorry Erin, you have a gas stove so your directions might differ, or so I thought...

There are many many many answers to this question online. Some I feel are performed in steps that coincide with your nightly TV watching schedule. Boil eggs for 30 mins. Soak in an ice bath for 30 mins. Crack eggs and resoak in ice bath for 30 mins. Seriously? I chose the one that best suited my schedule tonight, of eating dinner and watching 24 at 9! I got the eggs to a boil. Took them off the heat and covered them for 12 mins. I then scooped them into an ice bath. Then annoyed Joe for a few mins, then tackled the worst part of it all. Cracking the eggs AND only taking shell off. Somone needs to make a tool that makes this easier. Seriously. People would buy it in a second. Deviled eggs, would be brillant! Easter eggs would not be dismantled in such a harsh way. If I cared this much about eggs, I'd try to take on this task, but something tells me my mind will wander before I remember this was how I was gonna make the big bucks!

A few eggs less (some didn't survive my cracking ideas!) I then began the part I had been waiting for, the mashing!! This is my favorite tool ever. You get to mash stuff that's it's sole purpose. How fun is that! Then you get to play mad scientist. I added dijon mustard, mayo, salt, pepper, and of course, relish!! It tasted good at the time, but the real test is when it's on that yummy sourdough bread I got to accompany it!!

Can't wait!! And Joe can't wait til the house no longer smells like those incredible edible eggs!

Happy Day and Happy Eating!!

Lisa

My Dinner Kicked Your Dinner's Butt!!

This week was a weird one. We had sandwiches for dinner all week. I jazzed mine up with a little pimento cheese alongside my ham!! DELICIOUS!!! So, tonight I kinda felt like I should make a meal of noteworthy proportions!!

I decided on making Wild Mushroom Ragout (minus the polenta this recipe calls for) with Roasted Fingerling Potatoes tossed in EVOO, garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. I got this roasted potato recipe from my good friend Cassie who Wow's me with her culinary skills every time I visit! I felt the best compliment to this dinner would be a nice piece of steak!

I got the quarted Roasted Fingerling Potatoes tossed in the EVOO, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes, and onto a sheet pan and in the oven at 375 degrees. This usually takes about an hour, but you know they are done when they start to crisp up! YUM!! I definitely suggest getting Yukon Gold fingerling potatoes if you can. That nutty flavor adds another dimension to the flavor of the potatoes.

I then started on the Wild Mushroom Ragout. I cut the recipe down by about a third (thanks for doing the math for me Erin!) since it was just a side dish and not a main course atop polenta. This has to be one of the easiest ways I have ever prepared mushrooms, and by far the tastiest. I usually cook mushrooms alongside onion and sautee them in either EVOO or lately, butter, with a little bit of Worchestshire sauce and some salt and pepper. NEVER AGAIN! Sorry Joe, but this recipe is way too easy and yummy to pass up! I have also had it made for me served with the polenta and that is also quite the satisfying meal!

Joe, took the reigns on the cooking of the steak. We are kinda lazy when it comes to getting the barbecue out, so he said he'd cook the steaks on the stove. I saw him coat the steaks with some salt and pepper, montreal steak seasoning, and not sure if there was anything else. I also saw him put butter in the pan and a little worchestshire sauce, and then from there, I was more worried about what I was cooking to see how he made the steaks taste like heaven. I always ask for my steak medium rare, and well don't always get that result. Today, I don't know what tricks he pulled on those steaks, but they were perfectly cooked and some of the best tasting steak I've ever had at home! I'm pretty sure next time, I'll have him prepare steak the same way... I don't mind us being lazy if it produces such yummy results!

Can't wait to see what we cook up next!!

Tomorrow, will be a whole new day of CRAFTING!!! I can't wait to share all of my creations!! I saw a new technique (or at least new to me) of faux pleating, and I can't wait to try it on cards and layouts!! I'm thinking tomorrow I might do a one page layout for each of my girls!!! I've got some ideas and I'm ready to put them on paper!

Oh, yeah... More to come on Sophie's crate training... Day one ended in a fat nose, and Day 2 started with a vet appt to address said fat nose!! We can do this!!

Happy Day!!

Lisa

Crate Training 101

First rule in anything is if at first you don't succeed, try, try, again! That is how my day is going today. Sophie has had her last accident in the house today. I can't for the life of me figure out why she is peeing in my house when I'm not home. She goes to the bathroom no less than 2 times before I leave on ANY given day!

When she was new to our house about 4 months ago, we attempted crate training for this very reason. She was reluctant to go in the crate for anyone other than me! That posed a big problem since Joe leaves after me every day and if he can't get her in the crate then it just won't work.

Attempt one may have been flawed for many reasons. She hadn't yet learned to trust Joe. Now she will follow him anywhere. Another issue may have been location. I put the crate up in the downstairs bedroom thinking she could have privacy and not have Kahlua rubbing it in her face that she wasn't in a crate. Sophie freaked out.

Dad mentioned to me, how when Kahlua was in a crate it was always in a central location where she could go in an out of it at anytime when we were home, and actually preferred it at times for naps! For this attempt at crate training it's set-up in the living room which is very central to all parts of our house. I think this might work.

She was first in it when I was home and wandering about, putting the Christmas tree away (yes like 2 weeks after Christmas, I know!!) and cleaning up her mess. She barked at first but eventually laid down and relaxed. I then let her out and immediately took her outside so she understood that when you leave the crate you go right outside and pee!! She did really well and was relatively calm!

I then got Joe to try to get her to go in the crate, and I think with a treat upon entry she will go quite willingly!! I'm thankful for that! Tomorrow will be her first time spent in there with me and Joe gone from the house, so we'll see how that goes. She has been wandering in and out of it most of the night, laying down and getting back up, so hopefully it can become her safe spot!!!

I'll let you know how her first time alone in the crate goes along with how the Chicken and Dumplings recipe I'm super excited to try goes!!

Happy Day!

Lisa

Risotto, my 2nd love!!

It was probably an accident that I first tried Risotto. It doesn't sound like something I would like. It is a main dish with items mixed in. That is a big risk for a non-risk taking eater. I'm ever thankful for that first taste of Risotto. It's creamy, cheesy, wine infused state it by far the most heavenly thing I've ever eaten.



Tonight I tried a new recipe involving... Risotto. I make Drunken Risotto with Sausage and Spinach! This recipe came courtesy of the Rachel Ray magazine! Shocker, but made my year's subscription SUPER worth it!!

I think my hardest part was cooking the sausage. First of all I couldn't find loose sausage, so I had to open regular sausages... Not my idea of fun! That skin is not meant to be removed, nor seen. I also apparently heated the pan too hot because I began being attacked by grease splatters. OUCH!

It was so much fun to cook! I'm really a fan of watching the Risotto grow with each ladle of liquid added. I feel like a real chef! It really an amazing feeling. I think everyone should make at least one Risotto in their life!

The best part about eating it though, it certainly the taste. All of the flavors are finished off in the end with butter and Romano cheese! Wow that is just tastes like heaven!

Joe, my loving husband, was kind enough to try the Risotto I made tonight and unfortunately he was not a fan, though fortunately for me that just means I got to finish off his bowl and I have plenty of leftovers for lunch tomorrow! I'm already counting down the hours til I get to eat lunch tomorrow.

I realize this might make me sound like a crazy person who is in love with a dish that isn't sure if it's Rice or Pasta, but believe me it's such a rewarding dish I can't even explain it! The power you feel making it and the amazing flavors YOU created, THAT's worth talking about!


Happy Day and Happy Eating!


Lisa

Happy New Year!!

It's been awhile I know. I feel bad for not having posted more often, but it's been a wild ride of the end of the year. I had to make all my Christmas cards (pic to follow of my favorite Christmas card made this year) and then my sister came in town for Christmas and every waking minute was spent with her and my parents, that is when I wasn't working!

That pretty much catches us up to today, a most amazing day. Today wasn't a special day, it was a pretty regular day but it was spent alongside a 7 year old friend of mine, Thomas Kennedy. He has been a big part of my life ever since he was born, but lately, I haven't had a ton of time spent with just him, so today was a great day!

We went to IHOP to have lunch with Mom and Dad and he amazed me with his most excellent conversational skills and reading!! I was in shock at how well he was reading!! We then made a stop at the grocery store to prepare for the nights activities. We made a Pizza from Publix pizza dough. Rolled it and topped it with sauce and mozzarella cheese and thick cut pepperoni (that was Thomas' decision and it was perfect!!). We also got sprinkles to go with the cupcake ingredients we had at home to make and ice cupcakes!! He had me cracking up the whole time we were in the grocery store. He has really grown!!

We went home to play the one thing I know he was dying to play. Super Mario Bros for the Wii!!! He is pretty good at it, but his commentary during play is great. I don't think I have ever had that much fun playing a video game!! We then got treated to a fireworks display off my back deck and that was pretty cool!! At one point it was quite a professional looking fireworks show (I think they hit their finale at that moment!!)

I haven't felt this relaxed in a long time. I'm really grateful for the day I got to spend with Thomas. He is growing up to be a great little man! Tomorrow should be fun too! We are making breakfast for Joe!! Pancakes, grits, eggs, bacon, and roasted potatoes!! He is quite the helper too!!

So, my sister who has been a vegetarian for the better part of my life, has started eating meat. Today was her first day ordering a meal that the main course was MEAT! She has been eating bites for the last couple months, but today she ate her first Burger in 18 years from In-N-Out in San Francisco!! Strange, but exciting for her at the same time, cause I know how much fun it is to try something new!! Here's to 2010 Erin!!!

So, in light of this change in my sister I'm going to use that as motivation to start my 2010 off with trying new things. I love cooking but I get stuck in my rut of meals I know, and well love to make, but I'm sure Joe and I really would like to try new things. So I'm going to cook one new recipe a week and also bake one new thing a week!! I really like to do both, and would love to stop eating freezer pizzas (however delicious they might be) and eat food I cooked. I would love to stop eating fast food, and eat delicious leftovers for lunches!! So keep a lookout for recipes and pictures to come!

I'd also like to take one of my days off a week and spend it crafting. I want to make more projects as well as make cards for all the holidays and I most definitely want to finish my wedding scrapbook!! It's started off so lovely, I can't wait to see where it goes from here. Oh and there is the poor honeymoon scrapbook that I have started and have to finish... See I need to make sure I spend that one day a week in that amazing craft room I share with my Mom! So stay tuned for pictures of those as well!!

I hope everyone has a safe and Happy New Year!!! I hope 2010 brings everyone more good than bad, more fun than boredom and more love and happiness than ever before!!

Happy New Year!

Lisa

Well then...

Hey! It's been awhile since I posted. I have been pretty busy/tired/in a funk, but I'm trying to get back in my groove!

I have been working for the most part, and stressing. I have had my first car trouble in 10 years and it's been quite frustrating. It's come at a time when I'm making considerably less than ever and it just makes life that much more frustrating. I'm over it now, cause, well, it's my first car trouble in 10 years, I should be happy that nothing more has come up sooner. I mean I have had about 5 broken windshields in the last 2 years, but hey, that's what insurance is for! I actually got one coming home tonight! Nationwide, I'll be calling you soon!

I've been watching all these cooking shows and watching them cook delicious food, meanwhile I eat Ramen and frozen pizza! This is something I'm working on. I love cooking, when things go my way and when I understand a recipe. The trouble is, I work a 10 hour day and get home 12 hours after I left, and then making dinner seems to be the last thing on my mind, but that's gonna change. I started tonight. I made Pork Chops (my least favorite dish, but Joe's FAVORITE) with Homemade potato chips (that was an experiment gone ok, but not great) and then my favorite Green Bean Casserole and to finish it off I sauteed some mushrooms and onions! It was delicious! I still have a kitchen to clean, but hey the first step is getting the meal made! My big goal this week is to make Mushroom Risotto!! I LOVE risotto and I LOVE mushrooms, so I can't really see this going bad! I do make a pretty fine risotto too if I don't say so myself!

I've also started the big push to make my Christmas cards! I have a bunch to make and not a ton of time to make them in, but I'm cropping this weekend and I hope to knock out a bunch!! Here is one that I have already made!

Crafting is so fun! Nice and refreshing and relaxing! I can't wait to share more creations!

Let's see, I've also been spending a lot of time with Sophie. She is proving to be quite the challenge, but the sweetest little pumpkin ever. I found it kinda funny today when she wouldn't go near Joe while I was at work! He had to open the back door and move away from it just so Sophie could get up the nerve to run outside. She is quite a girl! I have bought 2 alternatives to leashes to help her stop pulling on her walks, or to keep her from biting another dog! Yesterday she proved the halty was no match for her and ripped off her halty and tried to tear off after a little weiner dog! She made me trip over her and I fell on top of her and we both ended up on the ground on a big heap of each other! That was quite the embarassing moment in front of my neighbors! Thanks Sophie!! I'm hoping I can get her socialized cause I know she would like to go out and about more!

So keep checking back to see what creations I've got going in the kitchen and in the craft room! I wanted to make cookies tonight, but unfortunately I don't have smooth peanut butter and so there goes that fun! Maybe a plan for tomorrow night!!

Happy Day!

Lisa

Walking for a Cure and for a Friend!

Every year since 2007 Team Holbrook has walked in the Race for the Cure to support our friend Beth Ann Holbrook who was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in April 2007 at age 32! YIKES indeed. After a double mastectomy and chemo and radiation, she is now cancer free and has been for 2 years!! Happiness indeed!! This year the race fell on her 35th birthday!

Friday began the birthday celebration with a Tour of Homes in DT Charleston, the Queen street route to be more specific (last year we did Tradd St!). The homes are amazing! They are huge and most amazingly decorated! Though some houses were a little cluttered and we did get called "sporty" with a bit of a stink eye we had a BLAST! We toured 7 homes and 3 churches. There were two houses that really stood out. One was that of a well known landscape artist in Charleston and the other was no one that we were told was special, I mean they do own a house in DT Charleston that is open for tours so I call that special, and did I mention they had a pool in their backyard along with 4 Piazzas!! My favorite church was the Unitarian Church. The ceiling was a sight to be seen. i just stared at it while the man described all the renovations of the church, but all of it paled in comparison to that ceiling! If you ever get the chance to take one of the homes tours I certainly recommend it. It's amazing and a great way to learn some history about the city we call home!

This was night one of a 3 part series known as BA's birthday weekend! We then all gathered together to walk the Race for the Cure on Daniel Island. Well, they tout the race as a 5K, but this year they tried out parking us further away from the race site and hey here's an idea, made us WALK a good mile or mile and a half to the race starting line!! It was a bit chilly this morning, but there wasn't rain and for that we are grateful. We did the walk last year in the rain, and it was not ideal! So after the walk, we hit up the freebies and got to see some friends we hadn't seen in awhile (always nice!) and then we treked back the 1.5 miles to the car... Fun... So all in all we are thinking we walked a 5 K on Friday night at the tour and then a 10K today so we got some good excercise in for the weekend! I was so tired and in desperate need of caffeine that I headed home to a warm bed and a hot lunch!!

Tomorrow the Birthday weekend will conclude with an 8pm showing of Kathy Grffin at the Performing Arts Center!! We are really excited about this! Should be a BLAST!!

Let me tell you BA is worth a weekend celebration! If everyone could have a BA in their life I think the world would be a better place!

So here is the card I made for her, that I have been waiting to post until I gave it to her!!

Hidden inside is a coupon for a free cupcake at Cupcake!! If you have never been, you need to make it a priority to go. They are amazing cupcakes and have many interesting and delicious choices!! They even havea $30 cupcake that is HUGE!!

This was a great weekend spent with great friends!

I hoep everyone stays warm and has a GREAT rest of their weekend!!

Happy Day!

Lisa

How I spent my day!!

I had a blast crafting, and shopping and lunching with Mom and Dad (well he lunched!!)!!

I got more done in the craft room than I thought I would granted we didn't get started til 3:30 due to the Pepsi debate 2009!!

Check out the baby shower card I made...

The Happy fall card I made

And the Halloween card I made!

Tomorrow it's off to a card class in the morning and then a baby shower at night! Fun weekend!!

Happy Day!

Lisa

Sophie Bear Russell

It's official. Sophie has been adopted into the Russell household. The adoption happened on Wednesday and I couldn't be happier to make her a permanent addition to our household. She is an amazingly sweet dog. She lives to be loved and to love you, her timing might be off on loving you aka when I'm trying to sleep in on a day off, but I still couldn't be happier!

When doing hte adoption, we realized she was not microchipped and so we went in to the shelter today to get her chipped. She was less than pleased to be returning to where she was surrendered. She was scared and reverted to the dog with the tail between her legs and trembling. I felt like a horrible Mom, but I knew she needed to be chipped. If she got out, then she would run!! She doesn't know our neighborhood well enough to be sure she would come back home, so it's WAY important for her to be chipped. Once that was done, she was ready to go and be on her way home. She is SUCH a good car rider. I hardly even noticed her in the car. She sleeps in the back seat and appears to be at peace in the car. She is the total opposite of Kahlua in this respect. Kahlua flys from one window to the other, doesn't lay down, nor does she posses decent balance for a turn or stop of any kind!

She is currently resting peacefully on a chair and happy to have a forever home! I love that dog and I'm happy for the positive changes she has made in the household. She has made Kahlua act about 5 years younger. They play with each other, with their toys and sleep together. These are things that I have tried for years to provide for Kahlua, but she doesn't respond to my toy interactions, doesn't play tug or fetch, but with Sophie she does it all and she is DARN good at it!! Two Two is still getting used to the fast pace Sophie lives, but she can often be found laying near Sophie on the bed. Give Two Two time to get used the the fast movements, and Sophie time to realize that we aren't going anywhere and I think that will be a sweet partnership!

Joe loves Sophie. More at night than in the morning. She wakes at the first sound and has a hard time going back to sleep, but I look at it as a way to get me moving earlier and be more productive with my day. Today is a prime example. I got WAY more done on a Thursday than I have EVER done since I started at the Shelter. I usually use Thursday as a lay around and take some time for myself cause I worked so hard during the week day!

So all in all I think Sophie is going to be the fresh step this house needs. Now, I'm not saying she's perfect. I hunt for my clothes that she has hidden throughout the house on a daily basis. She has no personal space boundaries. She has a thing for my favorite comforter, but her smile, her eyes, her face, her love makes all those silly things fly right out of my head.

I'm going to be crafting tomorrow. Starting early and hopefully getting a lot done before I have to go home!! I'll post what I work on!!

Happy Day!

Lisa

It's about time..

I got back in the craft room Thursday and Friday this past week! I needed that. I haven't spent that much time crafting in months!! I was going to work on my wedding scrapbook, but instead I chose to return to a passion of mine.. card making!! I made a card for my friend BA's birthday on the 17th!! And I made two fall cards. I was inspired by many things for these cards. Mom had been making a new format of a card, and so I wanted to play with that a little, and then we have an AWESOME paper pack that inspired the rest of the card. Here's the "Happy Harvest" card I made!!

I missed being in the craft room. I can't wait to go back. I have a card making class this weekend and I can't wait! She makes lovely cards and I can only imagine the loveliness that is to come!

One another note, I saw Pretty in Pink for the first time on Saturday night. Apparently, it's unheard of that I have made it to age 27 and not seen this movie. Well this sparked the discussion in person and on Facebook, what other classics have you not seen???

Well here are a few of the reccomended movies that I haven't seen and apparently NEED to see!

-Legends of the Fall

-16 Candles

-Say Anything

-Fast Times at Ridgemont High

-Better off Dead

-Weird Science (I think I have been quoted lines from this one...)

-Can't Buy Me Love

I'm sure there are more. Joe says I live in a bubble on a lot of things and I do believe this would be one of those moments! I have CHEESY taste in movies, but most times they are current and revolve around a current actor or actress being in them, not the plot itself. Case in point, My Best Friend's Girl starring Kate Hudson. HORRIBLY HORRIBLE movie... Erin can back me up on this one!! So I plan to add these to my Netflix queue and rating them as I go. I'll keep you posted!

One another note, Today is my Half Birthday!! 6 more months til my birthday!!! I would like to thank Mrs Vogel for teaching me about this wonderful holiday. Though no one ever remembers, I do, and that's what counts!!

Happy Day!

Lisa

Joe, please don't leave again!

I'm not going to appologize for being behind on writing I'm merely going to explain to you how I spent my week.

Let's see.... Joe went out of town for work on Monday morning not to return until late Thursday night. At first I thought, cool, I can have the bed to myself, watch cheesy TV without fear of mocking, that was not how this plan played out.



Monday night I realized started a new season of TV shows, mainly House, but there were a couple other cheesy shows that I'll get to in a moment. So I got home, thankful for an accident free house from Sophie. Settled down on the living room couch with my Totino's Pizza and House on the TV. Great episode byt the way! No spoilers from me, just a real good episode! Once that ended I decided to go and read a little. I'm currently reading Shoe Addicts Annonymous. GREAT book!! It's really funny and well written! I was going to get in bed all comfy like... Yeah, Sophie peed on the comforter... So instead of relaxing I had to change the sheets and take the comforter off. More of a process than I intended when going to relax and read. Well the fun, doesn't stop there. Come bedtime, Sophie started barking and staring into the hallway like there was someone there. There was not. All doors were locked. So I started off with turning the Living room light off all the way. I had it dimmed a bit since when I'm home alone I like a little comforting light from another room. So I rolled over and went back to sleep. She started at it again. This time I thought, ok I'll shut the bedroom doors so she can't see into any other rooms. Rolled over and went back to sleep. She went at it AGAIN. This time I assumed she must be hearing something, so I turned the radio on. Rolled over and went back to sleep. She continued AGAIN. So this time I thought fine. I'll turn the light on, so you can see clearly, whatever it is you are barking at and realize you are cooler than it, thus should not bark. This seemed to be the ticket cause when I rolled back over to sleep at 1:30, she followed suit.



I got home to yet another accident free night. I ate my dinner while watching the other shows I TiVo'ed from Monday night... Cheese and Cheesier. I watched faithfully One Tree Hill it's entire run, thought Monday night's episode will be my last. It has been horrible and it's just getting worse. I hate when a show is dragged on beyond it's time. Doesn't end well. Anyone an ER fan? 2 seasons too long! So we watched our TV shows, then went to go outside and play only to find that Sophie had not had an accident free day. She decided to pee on the doormat by the back door. This I'm not as upset about because it's A only really for decoration, and B can fit in the washer and dryer, something my comforter cannot. So that night we go to bed and the barking begins again. Thank goodness I learned from Monday night. I started with turning the light on Tuesday night. This worked. I was even able to turn the light off in the middle of the night so that it didn't have to be on all night.



Tuesday night I got the amazing news that Mom and Dad had smoked a whole ham just for me!! So on my way home I stopped to pick up this amazing gift! Wednesday night is my FAVORITE night of the week! So You Think You Can Dance is on and it's followed by one of the best shows of all time GLEE!! Happiness for 2 hours straight. This was a good sleeping night too. We all managed to get good sleep and I also believe Sophie was truly accident... oh wait.. nope she wasn't. That's right...



Thursday was a super day. I woke up feeling hungover, though I hadn't had a drop of alcohol. Then I got to go to the dentist. A place I normally don't mind. My dentist however got a new hygenist and let me tell you, I hope she is gone by the time I go back in 6 months. Lectures, I do not need. Tell me once and at 27, I'll do with it what I want. You certainly don't need to repeat yourself and poke me with your sharp tools just to prove your point. I get it already. AGAIN, I'm 27 and able to take in words and comprehend them, and choose to do with them what I want. I have been going there for 10 years... you have worked there for less than 6 months...



After leaving the dentist, I still felt hungover and then a little aggravated, so after a yummy lunch of leftover smoked ham, I took a nap! So as you can see not much time to blog.



I promise something fun to talk about this weekend though. It will not revolve around Sophie. I promise. She is sweet, but she has taken over my life these last few weeks!!



Happy Day!



Lisa

New Book..

To me books are like the best things EVER! I buy them and read them and love them forever!! I have been touched by many authors, but I'm always looking for a new one.

I needed a little light heartedness so I started reading The Waitress by Melissa Nathan, only to find out 30 minutes later that I had already read the book! I loved it, but it would have to be a realllly reallly really good book for me to read a book twice.

So then I went down to my library, yes I have a makeshift library in a walkin closet downstairs, to find another book, and I started second guessing what I had or had not read. So I chose to go buy a book! I bought Shoe Addicts Anonymous by Beth Harbison. So far it's a really good read and I can relate to it really well!

I had a long day at work, mostly cause I was tired beyond belief after working on the deck all weekend, but it could be that I also have a snoring husband and dog! Yup Sophie snores! I think we all can assume that Joe snores, but seriously... Sophie sounds like a man snoring. Last night was the first time she has pulled this trick out of her sleeve and hopefully it will be the last! I like my sleep! I can do without much, but sleep is certainly not one of them!!

Well off to a lovely dinner made by my lovely husband and then we are going to watch a lovely Iron Chef marathon!! Fun night!!

Happy Day!

Lisa

Am I invisible??

So, I left the house to get some more stain and to get a new miracle brush for the deck, and I felt like I might be invisible!

I left my driveway and was driving down the street only to almost get hit by some teenagers who think a stop sign is just for fun! i'm pretty sure I left skidmarks on the road stopping to avoid that collision.

I then got on 165 and was just driving along when the car next to me signals, showing they have an intent to get in my lane... Apparently they didn't mind that I was in it cause they came right on over. Avoided but annoyed...

I then left Lowe's after picking up my supplies and was using the far right turn lane to then get in the far right lane once my turn was complete, well the couple next to me decided when they turned they didn't want to get in the lane that is meant for them to turn into and they came right on into my lane, and right in front of me!

Seriously, Am I invisible????

Happy Day!

Lisa

What a Week!

I have been so busy. Any spare time has been spent with either Sophie or working on staining/waterproofing the deck (a task I never expected to take this long!)

First let's start with Sophie. She seems to be enjoying our house. She spends her days playing with Kahlua, emptying the toy boxes, and chasing the neighbor's dog though the fence. She does occasionally nap, but she is more of a go go goer until bed time. Last night I had to force her and Kahlua to stop playing so she would settle down for bed! I will make the decision this week as to whether or not she will be a permanent part of our household!!

Now, the deck. I guess I either A: underestimated the time it took to stain, or B: underestimated the size of my deck!! I think it's a little of both, plus when you add in hand cramps and sunburn it adds time on to your project. I have been working on all the pickets and railings on the inside of the deck, and Dad has been handling all of the ladder work pieces (he's so nice!!!) After about 1 week we have finished almost all of the pickets on the inside and ladder side, and I'm going to attempt to tackle the flat surfaces of the deck, landing and stairs tomorrow! I am ready for this one to be done. Thursday I decided to put on Suntan lotion, where I could reach... This became the major point seeing as I couldn't reach my whole back and now I have sunburn marks in the form of fingertips from where I was unable to reach with the sunscreen. I didn't think I couldn't reach that much but just ask my back, enough was missed for it to A: look weird and B: hurt! Lesson learned!

I have really enjoyed having a project though to focus on. It keeps me from doing stupid stuff, and actually accomplishing something. I think the next project is going to be A: painting Joe's TV room, and B: redoing the raised planter I have outback that is slowly crumbling away...

Well, let's see what else fun has happened this week??? OH YEAH!! My (kitten) friend at work, Thumbelina, got adopted within hours of going on the adoption floor. She is preciousness bottled into a kitten. Seriously. She is polydactyl which means she has thumbs, and the extra finger or two!! It's not a deformity, it's just a rare occurence in nature. It's what Hemmingway's cats had. In fact they are often referred to as "Hemmingway cats." She is the sweetest thing ever. She had the most curious face. She was always interested in what you were doing, or saying. when it came time for loving you could always count on her. I'm happy she found a home and so quick!! YAY Thumbelina!!

Joe got Beatles Rock Band today. We have been playing it most of the evening, but I had to take a break. I'm not the best at it and I appreciate Joe's patience for letting me play with him. I get frustrated when I suck it up, and then I lose my beat and it's all downhill from there.... Joe on the other hand is AMAZING!!! He is soo good on drums. I think the first two songs he played on EXPERT he got 5 GOLD stars!! He's a Rock Star in my eyes!!!

Well I'm off to finish up some laundry and relax so that I am well rested to finish the deck tomorrow!! I got a new tool that is AMAZING and will make the last parts I have left fly by!!

Happy Day!!

Lisa

PS Pictures to come on my next post... Mom has been the photographer for most of the project so mine are all at the very early stages of the deck project!!

Sophie's day at home...

As I left for work this morning, a sweet girl was sad on the other side of the door. I heard a little whining, but knew she will be fine. And she was, that is until Joe left. She then cried and scratched at the door. We will work on our goodbyes more over the next few days.

Mom and Dad went over to check on the girls today, and they were sure happy to see them. Kay suntanned as usual on the deck. That girl just loves the sun!! While Sophie hung out in the yard with Mom and Dad. It looks like a couple accidents happened in the house, but I'll take it. Shoot I'd piddle on my first day home alone too! We will work on getting our routines set so that we can all be happy! Two Two may not have been so happy about Mom and Dad's trip over cause when they left, they shut all doors leading to carpeted rooms, which is where Two has some pretty cool napping/hiding spots!! She'll be fine. She is resourceful!!

I can't wait to see them all tonight! I look forward to playing in the yard with all the girls and maybe even get some yardwork/deckwork done. That deck's not going to stain itself now is it??!!

I worked at Sticky Fingers today, and I'm so not used to sitting still this long. At the Shelter I'm lucky to sit still for my half hour lunch! There's so much to do and so much to see!! Here I have glued my butt to the seat as best I could, and with the help of my iPod managed to make it through the silence of the day. It's like a ghost town here. There's only a handful of people in the office today so it's been even that much quieter!! Though it's been real nice to see some of my good Sticky friends!!

Hope you are having a great day! More about Sophie's second night later on tonight or possibly tomorrow AM!

Have a safe and happy holiday weekend!

Happy Day!

Lisa

I'd like to introduce....

Sophie! She is my foster baby from the Charleston Animal Society. She is a sweet girl who in the confines of the shelter became increasingly shy and scared of those she did not know. This was hindering her going up for adoption. Well, I thought she was the sweetest thing, and so I decided to see if they would be interested in me fostering her to help her become a little more socialized. When she first came into the shelter we thought she was a boy because we saw her tail tucked so tightly between her legs, that we thought that was her boy parts!

Sophie is an English Setter mix, and she is 1 1/2 years old. She is extremely sweet, and to date has not shown that she is a barker. She is full of energy!

She came home with me today after an appointment at the groomers. She had horribly matted fur behind her ears and she needed some professional assistance. She LOVED the car ride. She laid in the back seat at first and then with astonishing grace she moved to the front seat and curled up into a ball and looked oh so sweet! When we got home I let her out in the backyard and she ran all around smelling things and running and running! I then thought, she seemed comfortable enough to go and bring Kahlua out! So I went upstairs and got Kay. They smelled each other face to face and face to butt for quite sometime and then I got them out in the yard chasing toys and each other!

Mom and Dad came over today to help me get started on the waterproofing/staining project that is my deck! By the time they got here Sohpie seemed to lose all shyness. I have yet to see her with her tail between her legs. She loved meeting Mom, Dad and Joe. She enjoys the dogs that live next door and runs along the fence with them. I'm hoping my neighbor doesn't mind this! She thinks Two Two is quite interesting, but Two Two thinks she is big and new. Give Two some time and she will be in love with Miss Sophie!

Here's a little showing of how the stain looks on the deck. The right has been stained and the left not. It will be a big project in the end, but it will look great once it's complete!

Sophie and Kahlua switched between playing and "helping" Dad and I stain the deck! They are cute and seem to like each other very much! This is good news, cause hopefully Sophie can become a part of our family permanently. She would be a great addition and give Kahlua a good dog friend to play with.

Food has been an interesting situation here today. So far I haven't seen Sophie eat any of the dog food that I have put out for her, though Kahlua has eaten it all. She has turned down a Peanut Butter filled Kong, as did Kay. It took three tries of giving her her big bone for her to take it and eat it, though Kahlua did try and sneak it away once when she wasn't looking (I got it back from her though!) Then came treats... She doesn't quite know how to sit on command. I have been trying all day, but she tends to get her treat anyway. Well tonight I got her to sit!! It was AWESOME!! Though, I'm not sure if it was a fluke or if she sat out of boredom, but we'll find out next time she does something worthy of a treat. For dinner tonight Mom, Dad, Joe and I had chili dogs for dinner, well one poorly placed spoon toppled onto the floor, though first grazing the side of Sophie. Did I mention she just came from the groomer today??!! So while I was cleaning her side off of chili, Kahlua took care of the floor for me. Sophie still has a little showing of the chili on her, but I think overall she will be ok!

What a lovely day!! I am enjoying our new addition, Kahlua, Sophie and I went on a walk around the neighborhood. Kay and Sophie are two different walkers. Kahlua is of the Walk, Sniff, Walk, Sniff, Walk, Sniff variety. Sophie is of the let's keep walking this is fun. Come on let's go. I like walking. What was that???? So, it was fun mixing the two styles. Hopefully we can find a happy medium over time.

We are now going to settle down for the night and watch Sunshine Cleaning, and hoping for an incident free night of good sleep for all!

Happy Day!

Lisa

I'm BAACK!!

So, it's been awhile. I'm sorry I've been busy/tired/in a bit of a writer's block. I have been doing some scrapping. I have almost completed my honeymoon scrapbook, and I'm slowly adding pages to my wedding scrapbook. It's awesome reliving it all. It was such a great day, and so much went into it, that it feels surreal that it was almost a year ago. I'd give you the exact number of months, but my month math is rough, so I'll spare myself that embarassment!

I have found that having 3 days off is a challenge to balance resting with chores. I tend to rest more than chore. I'm getting better, and I'm not complaining about having 3 days off, nor rubbing it in, just trying to find a balance so I can make sure to make time for all the things I want to do, people I want to see and things I need to do! Like, today, Kahlua got a haircut, and I did laundry. I still found time for a nap, but at least I got things done! Speaking of haircut, checkout my hairless baby! She got a flower today on her collar!! She is such a princess!

I've been starting some projects around the house, and by "I" I mean Dad has been helping me start/do some projects around the house. The big one now, is powerwashing and waterproofing/staining the deck! It's amazing, the difference between a powerwashed deck and a non-powerwashed deck. Check it out! Dad is magical! Who knew my deck was made of wood?! (Did anyone just picture that woodchuck that Joey on Full House used as Ranger Joe? Is that deck made of .....WOOD?)

Let's see what else has been going on. Oh yeah, I'm really doing a good job, of trying to work with less money than well ever before. I've been eating PB&J ( YUM!!!!) and eating what we have in the house for dinner and not going out (weird, but true!) So I had a list of things we needed like toothpaste, mouthwash, dishwash liquid etc. All maintenance type items. So I thought, TARGET!! They make me happy AND have everything I need!! So when I walk out with $111.00 worth of stuff, wouldn't you think that bit of shopping would make me happy?? I thought it would, but I was just pissed I spent $111.00!! I have never regretted spending a dime at Target!! Growing up is no fun, especially if it means I won't get pleasure out of shopping at target anymore. UGH!!

Off to continue cleaning my Friday night away!!

Happy Day!

Lisa

Ode to Grits

I moved to SC 9 years ago, and at that time, I was only eating bagel bites, or something in the pizza family. Seriously, I had plenty of holiday meals where everyone else was having Turkey and stuffing and I was eating bagel bites. Shortly after moving here, I realized I would have to learn to broaden my eating habits or I would be stuck home eating by myself!

I would slowly begin trying items that others ordered. I learned to like, chicken, or as it was called at the time, a chicken snack (which is simply chicken cut up and cooked in italian dressing, simple, but lovely!), I learned to like anything at a Japanese Steakhouse. I learned I LOVE zuccini! I learned Cassie is the only person who has ever made pork chops I like. But most of all I learned that I LOVE grits. I thought I only really liked them in the Shrimp and Grits form, but that is not the case. When cooked right and I'm not talking instant grits here, I'm talking coarse ground yellow and white grits, that are smooth and creamy and fantastically delicious all at the same time. Yes, I do realize they are corn, and I have been able to overcome that. I have always thought that I could only get them when eating out, cause I wouldn't want to learn how much cream and butter goes into them. Not to mention they must take hours and hours to cook seeing as how there is an instant version available. Well I went to the Mt. Pleasant Farmers market with my Mom a couple weeks ago and a gentleman was sampling grits and so of course I had to try them! I then read the instruction on the bag of grits he was selling, and my goodness that is the easiest recipe ever! I thought surely it must be harder to make them than adding water, butter and milk! I made them a couple days after I got them and ate them along with a breakfast for dinner meal we prepared and they were good. I just ate them plain and they were fantastic!! Tonight I got up the craving for grits again and decided to top them with cheddar cheese and bacon!! BEST IDEA EVER!!!! They were amazing!! I took a picture of them too!

I love, that grits are so much of a blank slate. I have yet to try shrimp and grits but I have some recipes ready when I get up the courage to try and remake the loveliness that got me started loving grits in the first place!

I am still trying things to this day. Dad got liver at lunch one day and it smelled great (I think now it was the sauteed onions that were on top!) so I tried a bite. That may be the last bite of liver I ever eat, but at least I tried it. Without trying things I wouldn't know I love Mussels, scallops, Steak cooked medium rare, mushrooms and many other lovely foods that are out there for us to enjoy! So my advice, keep an open mind. You shouldn't judge a food by it's reputation. I have never thought I would enjoy brussel sprouts, but this past month I tried some carmelized brussel sprouts and my goodness that was good!

Happy Day and Happy Eating!

Lisa

What a week!

This was a long week! I only had one day off last week and I don't think I spent my time as wisely as I should, which stressed me out this week. Too much to do, too little time, and too little energy after work! This weekendis going to be more productive. I had Mom and Dad over yesterday to help me out with a few things around the house. Dad got a blind up in the kitchen and it has already made a world of difference. We also completed my bedroom project. A couple months ago I decided it was time to paint the bedroom and rid it of it's bland cream walls. I chose a nice grass green color that I absolutely LOVE!!! I painted and hung pictures and shelves (or well, let's be honest, Dad hung shelves and some of the pictures) and the one last finishing touch was the BEAUTIFUL curtain I found at World Market! I couldn't find a curtain rod that I liked, so I took one from Mom and Dad's house! It came with their house, and they didn't really want them, so it helped us both out! Check out my new curtained wall!! Ignore the unmade bed, Mom.

What else of note happened this week? Um, I'm falling madly in love with one of my kitties at the shelter. Her name is Emily and I'm sure she has hit the adoption floor this weekend and probably already adopted. She is a Red Point Siamese mix, and she is the sweetest, cuddliest little girl ever!! I have tried to get Joe and Mom to get her, but both feel our households are full enough of loved babies! I also learned that the cat I named Chatty Cathy was adopted minutes after being put on the adoption floor. She was a talker, but she was sooo SWEET!! I'm happy she found a forever home. I also got to reunite many owners with their dogs this week, which is one of the happiest parts of my job. I mean a lost dog finding it's Mom and Dad... Be still my heart!!!

So, last week Erin asked for more pictures. I would love to take pictures of the animals I work with, but they are lost babies that are looking for their parents or they are turned in by their owners, and I just feel like that is an invasion of their privacy. I know they are animals, but they are special to me and deserve to be treated in a respectful manner. I once brought my camera in and felt so wrong about it, so sorry I will have to do my best to describe them in the way I see them in my heart! I will try and post more pictures of other things though! I love taking pictures and sharing them so I will do better in my sharing!!

I have also been deemed the medicine giver to my little brother, Cookie (Mom and Dad's cat.) He has a bad case of gingivitis, that he has to take medicine for 5 days a month. I just happened to be there yesterday at medicine time, and using my new knowledge from work gave him his medicine and he stuck around afterward and let me pet him!! Apparently when Dad does it, if he sits still long enough to get the medicine, he runs away right after and is mad at Dad for most of the afternoon. He and I were friends right after!! I like that. I'm happy I can help him get his medicine and not make Dad be the "bad guy." So I'll be heading back over tomorrow to give him his last days worth of medicine for this month!

Ahh... I forgot about how Joe and I spent our afternoon... We were professional ant killers!! We have sugar ants, which are tiny annoying ants that hang out in our kitchen. We finally found where they were coming from, the window! So we put out some ant bait, and when I didn't feel that was working I relied on some good old 409!!! It was an instant solution, and so far I haven't seen another. Joe and I can always fall back on our exterminating skills!!

I bartended the Darius Rucker homegrown concert last night. It rained from the minute the gates opened until the concert ended. WOW!! It was a packed house and we were the only game in town on the upper deck, so we were pouring draft beer all night long!! I had a keg blow on me, and I was scared I was gonna get pulled over on the way home and I would smell of beer! It was a great show, but I think Dierks Bentley outshined Darius a little. Hate to say it, but he can work a crowd!! He's not bad to look at either!!

I forgot about the one downside to my job, fleas. The animals I take in are stray or lost dogs and cats that have been out long enough to get fleas. Well this week was a doozy for flea bites. There was a moment I thought I might have chicken pox cause there are so many, but they are definitely flea bites. As Lauren said today though, if that's the worst thing I have to complain about my job, I've got it good. I really do, and I really love where I work and who I work with and what I'm working for!

Well, I think I'm gonna try and get through a little more of my book and enjoy the rest of my Friday night!!

Happy Day!

Lisa

Seriously?...

So, it turns out, I'm a sore loser. We were playing Five Crowns tonight (a fantastically lovely card game), we being, Mom, Dad, Joe and I, and I lost. I was in first place until the last 2 rounds. That just stings!! I wish I was a better loser, but I guess that's like wishing for it to rain candy!

This was a busy week. I worked my 4 days at the shelter, 2 of which were lacking in the AC department! Fun! Then, I covered phones in the Mail Order Department at Sticky Fingers (that's my old job) on Thursday and Friday, so instead of my nice set-up of 3 days off, I had just one. Not horrible, but I was so tired this week!

I do like, that on Thursday, I spent 30 mins on the phone with one customer, only to hang up and spend 30 mins on the phone with the next customer. One of which ended with an invitation to Las Vegas, but I should go in December when the Rodeo is in town. I love when people just want to call and talk. The guy ordered, but then he told me like 5 jokes and gave me a long comparison of OJ Simpson and Michael Jackson. I thought this too was a joke, but I'm pretty sure he was being serious, and felt that there was some conspiracy theory between the two. Weird, but an interesting way to spend a morning. People really do make me laugh sometimes!

Two Two (the cat) has found a string, or better yet, stole a string off my comforter and is now doing as she has done before, and obsessively carrying it around and meowing at you until you pick up the string and play with it with her (does that make sense?) It's cute at first, but her obsession has no boundaries. She doesn't care if you are sleeping, watching a movie, or eating. Now, my dog doesn't bark, but I think the lack of volume she has Two makes up for. She sounds like she is being tortured when she meows. Needless to say, we give in and play with the string. The hilarity of it all is when she jumps all 4 feet off the ground and wiggles around in the air trying to get to the string. Yeah, she's precious!!

South Carolina is having its Tax Free Weekend this weekend, which is supposed to aid in back to school supplies for parents and teachers. So where do wedding dresses fall into this category? Yes, this weekend, wedding dresses are tax free. I can understand, paper, pencils, and clothes, but a wedding dress is not an outfit that is worn to school, near school, or anything to do with school!! Just a strange thing that can only happen in SC!

One last rant. Kayla came in last on So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) on this week's show. Why? Because she has talent, skill, the ability to take any dance style and ROCK it, but she came in 4th... Evan, who can only do Broadway well, came in 3rd. Brandon, who thought his ticket to winning the show was to show off his body. Yes, he danced in his undies one night. Then Jeanine won... I'm ok with that. She was good, but not the best. I realize SYTYCD is trying to find "America's Favorite Dancer" but I just wish America respected Kayla's skills. And breathe...

I realize these are all random things, but they are my life, random as it may be, I like my life!

Happy Day!

Lisa