Friday, July 10, 2009

...My not so hidden talents

I wish I had a green thumb. I can't grow anything. And I hate getting my hands dirty. But I can pick out a pretty pot.
I did help Thom plant the basil. Never mind that my "job" consisted of using a skewer to poke the holes to put the seeds in and trying to remember which holes he put the seeds in. That was pretty much it. I can, however, eat the heck out of the basil and take pictures. I do have quite ambitious hopes for making fresh basil pesto...


Thursday, July 09, 2009

...Around the yard


Doesn't it seem like July 4th marks a halfway point of the summer? At least it used to when we'd be on school break. Summer stretches on down here in Arkansas, luckily! I've been excited to see end-of-summer sales going on at places like Walmart {that's where the new patio furniture is from} and Hobby Lobby {let me just say that I AM NOT SO EXCITED about the rows and rows of Christmas merchandise already displayed there!!!}. I've been seeing lots of stuff to decorate the new yard and deck. I love bugs when they're not real :) {btw...that reminds me-I have pics to share of this bug that Jordan and Thom found at the house--it's straight out of A Bug's Life}


Wednesday, July 08, 2009

...This is where you'll find me

Most nights I can be found sitting out on our covered deck enjoying the new patio furniture. The weather as been awesome this week; cooling off in the early evening so that we can enjoy our awesome lake view.

I'm also loving having all my "stuff" out of storage and unpacked--namely my Martha Stewart Living mags. I have every issue since 1997....and a few from before that {do you know how much those early issues go for on Ebay? I think I quit bidding at 60 bucks...and it went W A Y beyond that!}.

Thom's been making dinner for me and Nicole and serving us on the deck too. {sigh} I'm loving summer. It has been brought to my attention that I "hog" the "good seat"--meaning the chair that faces the lake. Guess I'll have to learn to share better :)

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

...Long Time, No Blogging

Hi Friends...I'm still here...just too tired lately to blog. There's not a lot going on anyway. I've been working more the last few weeks. Thom's kids have been here as well...and entertaining them is something else.

We've been staying at our new old house more and more lately and there still isn't any television or Internet hooked up over there. There is new patio furniture though! We've been enjoying the awesome lake view at night and we're getting a reprieve from the heat as well, so it's been quite enjoyable :) We were able to see Heber's fireworks from our deck and there were two more days of fireworks to enjoy as well.

So, that's about it....hope y'all are well!

Saturday, June 27, 2009

...Reading Refreshment

I received two more books from Paperbackswap.com this week.....and I couldn't put either of them down. Finished both in four days. Reading, for me, is like needing to drink water and I was very thirsty, I guess.

The first, Water for Elephansts was an excellent look into depression-era traveling circuses. Sara Gruen's tale of love, loss, and aging mingled with interesting insight into the circus life is so descriptive that, at times, I felt the grit of dirt in my teeth as I read about the the circus train departing.

The second read of the week was Alice Sebold's The Almost Moon. This was so good that I read the entire book in one day. I had no intention of even starting the book as I have so many others on my To-Read list....but the first line pulled me in- "When all is said and done, killing my mother came easily."

Other than that....not a lot going on this week. I've been working and Thom's been trying to keep his children entertained. The kittens continue to be a source of entertainment and are full of cuddles and great, white fluffy goodness.

Today we're heading down the LR for an IMAX movie. Should be fun! Hope y'all are having a great weekend!



When Jacob Jankowski, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a
passing train, he enters a world of freaks, grifters, and misfits, a second-rate
circus struggling to survive during the Great Depression, making one-night
stands in town after endless town. A veterinary student who almost earned his
degree, Jacob is put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie. It is there
that he meets Marlena, the beautiful young star of the equestrian act, who is
married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. He also meets
Rosie, an elephant who seems untrainable until he discovers a way to reach
her.Beautifully written, Water for Elephants is illuminated by a wonderful sense
of time and place. It tells a story of a love between two people that overcomes
incredible odds in a world in which even love is a luxury that few can
afford.




With fierce intelligence and emotional intensity, Alice Sebold brings us a
searing portrait of a mother-daughter bond that descends into murder.Clair and
Helen Knightly are a parent and child locked in a relationship so unrelenting
that they have become the center of each other's worlds. But as this
electrifying novel opens, Helen crosses a boundary she never thought she would
approach. And while her act is almost unconscious, it somehow seems like the
fulfillment of a lifetime's unspoken wishes.Over the next twenty-four hours,
Helen's life rushes in at her as she is forced to confront the choices that have
brought her to this one riveting crossroad. As a woman who spent years trying to
win the love of someone who had none to spare, she now faces an uncertain and
dangerous freedom.With her unflinching ability to confront the violence and
danger that lurk beneath life's everyday surface, Sebold explores the complex
ties within families, the meaning of devotion, and the thin line that separates
us from our most haunting impulses. The Almost Moon is unforgettable, a raw and
powerful story of passion and redemption written with the strength of voice that
only Alice Sebold can bring to the page.

Images and book description courtesy of Paperbackswap.com

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

....And So It Begins


That's right. I'm going to be a mommy-blogger. Or kitty-blogger, if you will. Meet "the boys." They're SO cute. And cuddly. And funny. The kids have named them Sox and No-Name. I have named them Hop & Scotch. I realized after I heard myself saying to Thom's nine year old that it was my house and they were my cats and that I was naming them, perhaps I take things just a bit too seriously. So....for the time being I'm letting them call the kittens whatever they want :)

Remember a couple of weeks ago I was complaining about how cold it was in {Michigan}? Well, now I'm complaining about how H O T it is here. No mild summer this year. When I leave for work at 5:45 in the morning, it has already been 80 degrees. And then its 90 by 10 am. Today? Nearly 100.

Not much else going on. I've been fairly productive at work this week. I'm doing laundry this afternoon and uploading pictures to Flickr. I only took just over 1000 pictures while I was back home. It's taking forever since our computer is acting up again. Scott, the grad party pics are posted now :)

Hope y'all are well and doing fine. I'd love to hear from you!






Sunday, June 21, 2009

...HFD


Friday, June 19, 2009

...Here Kitty, Kitty


Guess who's the {reluctant} new momma to two five-week old kittens? Thom adopted them on Wednesday and brought them home this afternoon.
They're cute, little, white half siamese brothers. I'm thinking I have new victims to photograph.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

...Fun, Food, Camping

One of the best things abut camping is the food...definitely worth rolling out of the sleeping bag for! {Okay, who am I kidding. My parent's camper is like sleeping in a hotel...but this breakfast dish is something that would get me out of a sleeping bag for sure}.



Wednesday, June 17, 2009

...The Beach

This kid loves the beach and was nice enough to sit for a few {hundred} pictures. It helped that he found the video function on my camera, so as long as we made an adequate amount of videos at the beach, he was happy to stand still a moment and pose.