Plaidpoppy's News and Updates

And they lived happily ever after...

2011-10-01T22:00:00.000-05:00

I had the wonderful gift of full access to my Niece's wedding. One way to be able to get the photos you want is to say you will take the photos. This photo however was taken by my brother. A photo that no one else could take and capture the moment so well like the father of the bride.

Lindsey and Liz, Alex's sisters were bridesmaids. Jason, Scott's brother was best man. It was nice and very special to have the wedding party be family, very sweet and personal.

Alex my Niece and Scottie her new husband made a beautiful bride & groom and God gave us a wonderful sunny day and a backdrop no church could rival.

I was a little skeptical about an October wedding outside in upper Wisconsin it could be cold and snowing or perfect. It was perfect, although the wasps were a little excited to have a wedding in their house.

I almost missed this photo trying to swat the wasps away. Luckily I got the shot and with that my job was over and I could relax. Love the expression on the pastor's face. He was quite the jolly fellow.

I had a wonderful time up north. Wanted to stay forever. I loved spending time with my brother and his family and it's never enough. My location may be in Florida but Wisconsin will always feel like home.

KT & Jalfred Engaged!

2011-08-05T11:32:00.004-05:00

This past week I was lucky enough to be able to take Engagement photos

for Paige's friend KT and her fiance Jalfred.

I wish them Love, happiness and joy beyond belief.

For the sun to shine on them where ever they go.

I also pray for God's protection for the man who makes KT smile from ear to ear.

May your love comfort you forever and God bless you with a lifetime of wonderful memories and stories of strength, joy and love to tell your grandchildren!

Pearl loves cards....

2011-07-01T12:28:00.003-05:00

(<--------Pause the music before you watch the video)

Pearl loves to hate audio cards. She wants to tear them apart and will continue to try to get it until you hide it and make it stop. We think Mr. Hygiene's Birthday card was the best this year, the song is perfect for Pearl and all her vicious sweetness. The best Birthday Wishes to Mr. Hygiene, glad you stuck around another year you make my life amazing!

Dear Hershey's, Good bye!

2011-06-11T19:44:00.001-05:00

Ingredients

1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
4 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate
2 tablespoons butter (no substitutes)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions

In a heavy saucepan, combine the milk, chocolate and butter. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until chocolate is melted. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla

This is one of the easiest things I have ever made! Four ingredients and fifteen minutes or less is all you need. I would give this recipe a ten for now. I will let you know how it keeps in the fridge and let you know if when I reheat it still is a ten. Yum! Oh and I used semi sweet chips instead squares.

People can be Amazing....

2011-06-01T00:01:00.003-05:00

No secret I love to cook and no secret I love Rhubarb! When I lived in Michigan it was in abundance and I had plenty to bake with even got a lot of it free. When we lived in Omaha Nebraska I found a lady right on my side of town who had it for .49 a pound and would freeze it and bake up a storm happy with the ease and quality that was available. Here in Florida I have only bought it once it was over 4.50 a pound and it was not good at all. Old, dry and nasty. I commented a week or so ago about missing it so much, it is a flavor that I grew up with and love. Well to my surprise today in the mail was a big box full of rhubarb. Christel who I know from Berrien Springs Michigan sent me a wonderful surprise. I had just talked to a friend from Nebraska about having someone send me some in the mail. I am blown away first that I talked about this last week and second how sweet and generous it was of Christel to send it to me. People can be so amazing when you least expect it and it is a nice feeling to have someone do something so nice. Thank you Christel!

Cast a Pretty Stone

2011-05-31T14:09:00.000-05:00

In the recent months and weeks I have had a new interest in crocheting river stones. It has become a small obsession with me. Then a few weeks ago after a long discouraging post on Facebook singling out a group of people, my thoughts of these stones turned to the bible text John 8:7. I started to send them out to friends who have been having a hard time or heard a sermon in church they felt was directed at them. I can not believe how some people can stand behind their bibles and throw stones. It is clear, love your neighbor, do not judge live like Jesus. No hate, no finger pointing just love and compassion bringing people close to Christ. I usually do not post about my faith or spirituality in general. I feel it is personal and private but through these stones I have found a need to remind people they are loved unconditionally. I hope to only cast pretty stones.

New Pink Toy

2011-05-29T12:25:00.000-05:00

The toy says it is indestructible.... we will see.

Oh, here go hell come!

2011-05-24T15:06:00.007-05:00

Yes, I have issues and buying chairs is one of them. I spotted this pair today at the Salvation Army and could not leave them there regardless of the discussion that will happen tonight when Mr. Hygiene gets home. it will start out "Jill Ann" and then go into something about how we do not have the room and what two chairs I need to get rid of if I am keeping them..... Oh, Here go, Hell come!

I love them just the way they are but they have a little bit of a granny powder smell to them. if I can not get the smell out I am going to repaint and reupolster them and see how they come out. I am thinking bright bright bright with modern floral fabric for Paige. I am thinking Black with the fabric below.

Good cakes bad photos!

2011-04-01T15:33:00.007-05:00

Stacy's office had a bake sale and this was the new cake on the menu. Had to add a little flair to it because it is such a modest looking cake. Thanks to Sheri for the paper I turned into a banner to make it look as fabulous as it tastes. Another shout out to Ina for an amazing recipe. Fifty dollars was the price that took Old fashion banana cake home! Wow! I think I will add a banner to everything I cook now.

The other cake I made was a Cream Cheese Pound cake dusted with powdered sugar. This is the tried and true cake that I go to for consistently pleasing every pallet. I bought a new pan a few months and this was the first time I used it and was impressed with how well it turned out and came out of the pan. I have to give Heidi a shout out for the beautiful ribbon she sent me a few years back it was the icing on the icing free cake to style and flair on the wrapping. This cake did well at the bake sale and brought in forty dollars. (Just got the official sale price today and it went for fifty!!!! 04.08.11)

*I have to let you know that my camera is in the shop and I had to use a point and shoot camera so I apologizes for the bad photos.

San Francisco Here We Come!

2011-03-07T23:02:00.054-06:00

We hit the ground running. Off the airplane, in a cab, checked in the hotel, picked up our Muni passes, on the cable car, up a hill, down a hill and to the wharf.

Pier 39 was full of these cute little creatures. They kinda remind us of Pearl napping. It was fun to see them, hear them and watch them swim around. Loved how they pilled on top of each other to find the perfect spot to sleep.

Went into Boudin to see them make bread. Paige loving Crabs the way she does found a friend right away. I love how she make her eyes red to go with the hat.

Our hotel was right on two cable car routes, California and Powell. I think it was the best possible spot to be for easy transportation in San Francisco. I will stay here again! The Hotel was The Stanford Court Renaissance and I would recommend it to everyone. Rooms were clean, staff very helpful and the concierge was so helpful. It was a great beginning to our vacation.

Pearl Sweet Pearl

2011-03-06T22:55:00.001-06:00

Laundry Day... or why I get nothing accomplished

2011-02-11T20:36:00.004-06:00

(Pause Playlist Music to Listen to Video)

This is why I do not get anything done. I get distracted. Really distracted. Most people would not stop and play with the cat who climes into the warm laundry or take the time to video it as well. These are the things that keep me from getting the laundry, dishes, dusting and usual household chores done. I want my house to be spic and span but I do not want to miss the small things that happen daily no matter how insignificant they might seem to others. Seeing joy in small things and taking time to enjoy them is something more important to me than a spotless house. Life is what happens to us everyday when we are too busy to notice and I for one will stop to smell the roses.

Really? You have not made this yet? Really?

2010-12-31T17:53:00.006-06:00

This cake is amazing. Yep this is the third one I have made. It is now in the permanent rotation. It is right up there with Special K loaf, Pecan balls, Haystacks and Pasta n Peas. Today I chopped the walnuts on the top instead of halves I like the way it looks. The orange zest is the kicker in this recipe. Yummy!

Here is the Recipe from Ina Gartens new cook book Barefood Contessa How Easy Is That?

Old-Fashioned Banana Cake

3 very ripe bananas, mashed

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Grated zest of 1 orange

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Cream cheese frosting (recipe follows)

Walnut halves, for decorating

PREHEAT ovent to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 x 2-inch round cake pan.

MIX bananas, granulated sugar and brown sugar in bowl with an electric mixer on low speed until combined. Add oil, eggs, sour cream. vanilla and orange zest. Mix until smooth.

STIR together flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. With mixer on low, add dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Stir in chopped walnuts. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 15 minutes, turn out onto cooling rack and cool completely.

SPREAD frosting thickly on top of cake and decorate with walnut halves. Slice and serve.

Makes 8 servings.

Cream Cheese Frosting

6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (1/2 pound)

MIX cream cheese, butter and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment on low speed until just combined. Don't whip. Add sugar and mix until smooth.

Manatee!

2010-12-29T21:38:00.000-06:00

We went to Blue Springs today and saw this cute little manatee. It already had a big scar on its back. They were hungry today digging in the sand to get to some roots to eat. Poor little things.

Christmas Excitement and .....

2010-12-25T14:18:00.003-06:00

So our holiday did not start out the way we thought. We thought we would wake up early, have Paige open up her Christmas stocking where we hid a key in the toe, have Paige drive us to church in her ("new to her") car and spend the day riding around looking at fun Christmas things maybe go to the State park and take a nice walk out in nature. Nope, not today. Paige woke up feeling gross and before we could start the day she was bowing to the porcelain god.

She was really sick, it took her until noon (after about an hour of coaxing) to start opening the gifts in her stocking and get to the one on the bottom that we have been waiting for her to open for two months. It is not easy to keep a secret like that let alone hide a big blue car. Needless to say she was excited and seemed very surprised!

After the additional surprise and another trip to the bathroom she managed to walk outside and take a look at her car.

Look how shiny...

Paige are you okay? "Yes, I am just full of excitement and diarrhea!" and with that said she started up the car, turned it off and went back to the bathroom then sat on the sofa for an hour or so and now is sleeping with Tulip the Christmas cat and slowly starting to feel better.

Not how we thought the day was going to go, but nothing makes me happier than being a Mom and a sick child on Christmas that needs me is a great gift even if I would rather her be healthy.

Christmas

2010-12-24T20:29:00.003-06:00

This child loves big furry hats. A perfect gift.

Crusty is enjoying her gift of nip, Hopefully this will give Crusty some Holiday cheer.

Tulip Loves the nip as well. She usually likes it until it is soggy.

To the left you will see some Florida State Christmas spirit. We changed around the letters in Noel to NOLE. GO Noles! & Merry Christmas!

Christmas Guilt

2010-12-23T13:18:00.000-06:00

Guilty!

Tree now guarded...

"Please step away from the nip!"

2010-12-21T19:31:00.004-06:00

Light the Christmas tree...

2010-12-06T22:18:00.000-06:00

Thanks to Mr. Hygiene we have lights on the Foxtail Palm. We lit it up to try to keep it from freezing this year, last year we lost our original one and this is the replacement we planted this summer. We do not want to buy one every year so this is the plan not only to decorate it like we usually do but put so many lights on it that it will also stay warm.

Anyway, we had to wrap the trees trunk and I cover the bottom two rows of fronds as well. It looks like a giant mushroom glowing in the dark. I will take and add a photo soon. took the temp of the trunk after I got it all tucked in and turned on the lights. At 11pm the temp was over 100 degrees so I took off one layer round the trunk and brought the temp down to 79. I did not want to cook it to death that would defeat the purpose.

*Note we painted the front door black, thank you Mr. Hygiene and now we have some trim to paint as well. I love black, white and tan. Hmm what does Mr. Hygiene have on? He matches the house.

Dear Santa

2010-11-26T21:34:00.023-06:00

1.Dish towel

.Book

.Shoes

4.Zesty

5.Magnetic

6.Tradition

7.Music

8.Scoop

9.Hot

10.Fragrant

11.Wish

12.Yep!

13. Geek

Test kitchen officially open

2010-11-22T22:37:00.005-06:00

Tis the season! Nothing can kick off the holiday like a new cookbook. I went to Costco to get cranberries and walked through the book section and saw the new Ina cookbook, in the cart it went. While sitting on the couch I happened to show Stacy the photo for Easy Cranberry & Apple Cake. "Yep, sounds good!" Not looks good or when are you going to make that. Like I was showing him a menu and he picked out desert. Oh he makes me laugh. So off to the store I went I needed to get an orange for the recipe then into the kitchen. It was a quick prep and into the oven. 60 minutes later we have cake, let him eat cake fresh hot cake. Mr. Hygiene said I could make the cake again. His stamp of approval. Yum!

Hooch!

2010-11-06T14:06:00.006-05:00

Not so Scary Halloween

2010-10-12T23:53:00.006-05:00

I received a lovely package from my friend Sheri Seibold last week. She sent me some Halloween fabric that she designed and I have started putting it to good use. I have been cutting, sewing, turning right side in, and sewing some more and this is what I came up with. I have wanted to make a Halloween bunting for awhile with her whimsical fabric and I was so excited to get some from her collection from last year as well as her new fabric from this years collection. I know some college kids that need some decorations for the season.

Here is my helper for the day Crusty. She is protecting the fabric from the squirrels outside by giving them the stink eye. Oh and I better not forget she is adding some of her fur to the project. I will post a photo of the finished banner as soon as I get them sent off to the girls.

Squirrel hunting begins

2010-10-05T10:49:00.003-05:00

These little guys started to build a nest in our car so it is time for them to go. Our neighbor has been hunting squirrels for the pas few weeks and cough over 34 of them in his yard alone. He put a traps in his neighbors yard and caught 7. Today I put one of his traps in our yard and started the squirrel removal process myself. It was full before 9 this morning and the little critter was relocated by 10. The trap is reset and ready to go. You can hear the varmint chatter in the video, wish it was not such a pest I think they are so cute but they have to go. ( you can push pause on the music bar to the left so you can hear the noise coming form the cage.)

This was caught while I was recording it. I got lucky. This was less than two hours after I caught the first one this morning. I hope it enjoyed the organic peanut butter and Mountain Medially before it's long trip...

To tired to play

2010-09-14T15:44:00.003-05:00

These are Pearls favorites today. Her nylabone, monkey and her tennis bone and she wants to nap with all of them at once.

So glad she is home!

2010-08-12T16:06:00.000-05:00

I love having Paige home. The kitchen has gotten a small workout from it's vacation while Paige was at FSU. (Not fun cooking for two) Last night Paige and I had a "while you are cooking snack" and it is great to have a fellow food lover back in the house.

I made her favorite Pasta with carrots and peas, I know I have blogged about it many times before but it is so simple and she just loves it. We went to our favorite Cheese store in Winter Park to get fresh Parmesan. Bought some fresh bread and some delicious spicy olives as well. Yum. Glad your home Paige.

Cat Nap

2010-08-06T15:20:00.000-05:00

Caught Crusty waking up from her catnap today. Sleeping on top of the Dryer in her basket. A few weeks back Stacy saw her in the basket and said you should make that crusty's basket and leave it there for her all the time. It has been her basket for months now, glad he finally noticed.

2010-07-17T14:59:00.034-05:00

This year Paige turned 18. How did that happen? We had a small birthday party with a few of her close friends. I usually do not do themes but this year it was Raspberry Lemonade. The cake started it all so we will blame the cake.

Pink and yellow are fun to put together, I tried to get her favorite candy for decoration so she could take it back with her to college after the weekend was over.

Nothing high end here for the party just a few hand made flowers and a string of garland worked just fine. I made these while we sat on the beach earlier in the day before the party. Fold, fold, fold, tie, cut, fluff shake out sand and repeat.

It was so nice having Paige home for her birthday and to have her friends around as well. I can not believe how time flies, how fast they grow and how much we enjoy Paige. She is such a wonderful person with such a big heart. We are proud to call her our daughter. Happy birthday Miss Paige we love you very much!

All tied up.

2010-07-08T08:37:00.001-05:00

This seems to be the craft of the month.

This post brought to you by the letter "P"

2010-07-05T12:10:00.000-05:00

While Paige was home I decided to embroider a pillowcase for her and since my skills are somewhat sketch I decided to stick to what I know, French knots. I wish I knew how many went into this but I will tell you my fingers still have not gotten all their feeling back yet.

I wanted to add a Crown or some additional design around the "P" but time did not allow. Crusty and I thought it was cute enough for Paige to take back to FSU with her as is.

First day of School ~ Florida State University

2010-06-23T12:37:00.000-05:00

Well it really was not the first day of school but it was her first day at school, in the dorm and the day we left our baby at College. I only cried for about 20 minutes, not bad.

Perfect basket!

2010-06-17T23:10:00.006-05:00

I got this basket a few months back with the intentions of using it for the beach. Well I started using it around the house for different things and using it in the truck to carry things in and out. But today I used it for breakfast for Stacy's office and it worked perfectly!

I layered the food with the hot items on the bottom and the cooler items on top. The top layer was Big Sur Power Bars. I found really nice little light weight trays that just happened to fit perfectly inside the basket. I could not have planned this well fitted set up if I tried.

The second and third layer was Breakfast tarts with eggs, swiss cheese and chives. and the bottom two layers were hash brown casserole. They stayed nice and piping hot tucked in the bottom of the basket. I can not believe how well it all fit together in one container like this.

Sen10r

2010-06-09T20:16:00.003-05:00

Today was the last day I can say my daughter is a Sen10r. Where does the time go? I am not old enough to have a daughter in college, only 14 days until that happens. We had a great day and God shown mercy on us and made the weather perfect. Not too hot or too humid.

The only thing that was not perfect about today was the shutter on my camera decided to get stuck open when Paige got her diploma and gave me a big sparkle pretty wave. The photo I have waited 17 years to take. I guess in the scope of things it was minor.

It was a great day. We are so proud of our daughter. Her academic achievements far exceeded our expectations but we are even more proud to say Paige is a nice, kind, giving person with a big heart. We are honored to call her our daughter and can not wait to see what the future has in store for her.

Sun, Fun and Great Parking!

2010-05-29T21:19:00.008-05:00

The secret to great parking at the beach is getting there early. We found a great parking spot without driving round and round the lot. I also found this little car on the beach, looks like they had an all nighter at the beach.

Our day at the beach was made easy by this magnificent fishing cart that Mr. Hygiene got for us this past week. Only one trip from the truck to the beach with no heavy lifting or multiple trips to the truck. We worked a little on customizing it by adding a chair hook to the back, it can hold up to 4 chairs, its removable and adjustable as well as being a place to hold Stacy's sand wedge. I have more plans for this little cart but for now this is how it looks.

Just getting ready for his big glass of Lemonade. Casa de Prince is set and ready for enjoyment.

It was a very nice day. Wish I could go every day and someday I hope to have a little place on the beach.

Perfect!

2010-05-18T18:05:00.004-05:00

One more perfect thing for my picnic basket. I found these Antique Silver Spreaders today while I was looking for something else. These will make a great addition to my collection of Picnic goods I have gathered over the past few years to make a day at the beach, regatta or park an event worthy of time spent with family and friends. I like to make it nice. No paper plates here. We like the real thing. I am tempted to go back and get the cork screw, I love it. It says "One good turn deserves another" but most of the places we go do not allow the kind of beverage one would need to truly enjoy this tool.

SEN10R Prom!

2010-05-15T20:24:00.001-05:00

Prom. Prom. Prom. There is a lot of work that goes in to Prom. Hair, Dress, Shoes, Nails, Photos.

Oh did I say Photos. We did not plan enough time for all the photos Paige and her friend Ryan wanted. Poor thing having to climb into this joint with her heels. Love her smile.

Just enough time for a few quick shots in the new concrete drainage pipes that have not been put under ground yet. Then also a few at the bus stop as well.

No pool screens, retention ponds or palm trees in these photos. Nope. They got what they wanted and I think they even had a good time at Prom.

On Broadway

2010-05-14T18:20:00.003-05:00

Paige had another concert this past week. We came, She sang, We went. Repeat. Two nights of songs from Hairspray, Rent, Mama Mia and others.

I can not believe how good a high school production can be. I have to give a big shout out to Mr. Kilpactrick He is an amazing teacher and not only love by the kids but the parents as well.

Class of 2010

2010-04-24T23:01:00.004-05:00

Where does time go? How could I be taking Senior class photos of Paige?

Shouldn't she still be 6?

A day with friends

2010-04-24T22:19:00.008-05:00

It was a beautiful day here in sunny Florida. We were so excited to get to see our friend from Kansas City, Shelby who was here on her Senior class trip.

The manatees are not at the springs at this time of the year, they are out and about leaving the springs open for land mammals to enjoy.

We enjoyed our few hours with Shelby and hope we get to see her again tomorrow at the beach.

This week at the beach

2010-04-17T11:07:00.001-05:00

Three pelicans were released.

Two turtles got sent to swim with the fishes

I forgot my kite again, someone remembered theirs.

Championships were won

And one little boy asked Stacy if he lives on the beach.

Balls!

2010-04-13T21:44:00.007-05:00

Yep, balls. Well they are really called cake pops but balls sound funny. I made these for Stacy to take to work for the 4Th annual Mini Masters Golf Tournament he puts on at work. This year in addition to the trophies I made cake pops that some what resemble golf balls.

This was the first time I have made them. I have seen them on several blogs and decided to give it a go. They are easy to make just time consuming.

I started making them last night, I made the cake filling and rolled them in balls and put them in the fridge over night.

Then this morning I put them on the sticks and covered them in the white chocolate bark. Stacy and Paige have had a taste and love them and the people at Stacy's office enjoyed them as well.

Here is a photo of them in action in Stacy's office at the winners table.

I love the beach

2010-04-10T18:44:00.000-05:00

Days like this could almost make me like Florida. The beach was perfect Saturday, absolutely perfect! We had our usual picnic, yum! Paige got to bring along friends and Stacy and I took a long walk. We spotted some land that we liked and imagined how we could use it. I want an amazing deck with a outside shower, a fire pit, an air stream trailer, little lights surrounding it, a long table full of wonderful homemade food and chairs filled with people we love and one chair for Pearl. The beach is where I get to look at this smile, I love this smile. I wish life could be like this every day.

The Easter Beagle strikes again

2010-04-04T12:38:00.003-05:00

Can this already be the third year of egging people? The Prince family tradition continues and Easter Beagle Paige was in true form today. We had a few issues with egg distribution, I think it the spider webs, dog surprises and weeds did not help in even distribution.

We added two little girls to the egging this year it was particularly fun filling the eggs with girlie little surprises. We hear that the little girls loved it and the parents were pleasantly surprised as well. Hurray!

I do hope that the Easter egging continues even with Paige going away next year. We have more fun than you can imagine and we get so much enjoyment planning, sneaking and wondering what people think when they wake up and step outside. Yes there is an Easter Beagle Charlie Brown and she lives in Orlando.

Bunny Truck

2010-04-02T09:43:00.002-05:00

Poor Mr. Hygiene. I don't think this is what he had in mind for his manly truck but Paige and I could not resist. We surprised him yesterday and thought for sure he would have taken them off before he went to work but he was a great sport and left them on. Thanks Mr. Hygiene for being festive.

Footloose

2010-03-27T20:44:00.000-05:00

Sunday at the park

2010-02-07T20:24:00.008-06:00

After the last cold snap here in Florida in December I thought I would never be glad to see the temperature go below 45 degrees. Well after seeing the Manatees two weeks ago during a mild cool down I was ecstatic to see the temperature last night fall to 42 degrees because I knew the manatees would be out. Last time we were there the Park Ranger said some times when it is really cold the manatees pack in like sardines. She was not kidding. It was amazing!

Stacy got to come with us this time to watch the manatees and the people as well. There are always some interesting people here in Florida, tourist are everywhere and never leave us short of some sarcastic comment.

There is never very many manatees at the mouth of the spring but it is so beautiful. It looks like a vintage Florida post card. If you ever are in Florida when it is cold look up where the Manatees are and see them it is worth your time and effort. Way better than seeing them at SeaWorld.

New Music Monday on Wednesday

2010-01-27T16:13:00.004-06:00

Have you heard Melody Gardot? Well you have now, you have no excuse to be with out this wonderful music. I saw her on Sunday Morning with out Charles Kuralt. My One and Only Thrill is the album I purchased and it is in the "New Favorite" rotation. Check out her web site and you can listen and fall in love with the sound of her voice.

Luck

2010-01-25T16:29:00.006-06:00

I have felt good things about this year. Starting out the year almost completely pain free I can feel change in the air, I am lucky.

A few years back Heidi came to visit and we went to a art festival in Winter Park. She bought this lovely lucky horse shoe made by Betsy Youngquist. I have wanted one like it ever since. I looked for Betsy Youngquest every year since hoping to get one but she has not come back with her beaded art.

Well today her bead art came back to me. Heidi sent this amazing horse shoe to me for my birthday. I found a home for it right away, did not even take time to finish looking at the box of goodies she sent. I tried a few places and this is the place it wanted to live. I like it placed here because I will see it every time I walk into my living room, office and every night when I go into my bedroom. It was one of the most thoughtful gifts because Heidi loved it and still parted with it because she knew how much I loved it and wanted one. Thank you Heidi you are one of the most generous people I know and not because of this gift but you give from the heart. Thank you.

Manatees!

2010-01-23T17:55:00.001-06:00

Finally! I have wanted to see the manatees since the day we moved here. We have seen them at SeaWorld but not in the wild. Leisa, Paige and I Packed a picnic and went to see the manatees at Blue Springs State Park.

This was a mom and baby under a dock along the banks of the springs.

We decided to rent a canoe to see the manatees close up, away from all the people. We could see them swim slowly around the springs and then they started to gravitate towards the canoe as if they were checking us out as well. They got really close, a little too close for me. I was a little worried about the stability of the canoe. Eek!

Great day, great weather and great company. Oh and the food was amazing.

Todays agenda

2010-01-22T19:10:00.006-06:00

Get on Airplane. Check
Fly to Florida. Check
Drive to Beach. Check
Lounge in the Sun. Check
Have a Sea Side Repairitive. Check
Begin Yearly Holiday. Check

Laugh our Arse off. Check
Feel stress melt away. Check

Santas Helper

2009-12-20T13:43:00.004-06:00

If you could see the look we got when the bow went on... Crusty loves to be in the middle of what ever is going on and this time of the year it is wrapping. We think her grumpy personality is because she was not a holiday pet. Tulip and Pearl both were Christmas gifts, Crusty on the other hand was not. What a joyful face. Such a nice kitty.

Thanksgiving pets

2009-11-26T11:45:00.000-06:00

Tulip is our sweet cat she is the oldest pet in our house. Tulip was a Christmas gift for Paige from my mom around 13 years ago. Her fur is the softest fur I have ever felt on a cat.

Crusty is another story she is not sweet, her favorite thing to do is hiss and open doors and try to escape. We now have to lock our door to our garage because she lets herself out along with the air conditioning.

Pearl, wonderful, sweet Pearl is the nicest dog you will ever meet. Only wants love, food, naps, her nails painted and to sit in the sun.

We are thankful for our pets who welcome us home everyday, greet us in the morning, cuddle up to us when we sit still for a moment and accept us just as we are.

I live in a Swamp...

2009-11-22T23:24:00.001-06:00

There are times when I think to myself I live in a swamp. Florida to me is little more than a Swamp.

We went to Tallahassee this past weekend to look at FSU for Paige, it is one of the colleges on her short list so we made our second trip over there to see the area and on the way back we thought we would see how far the beach was and we ended up at a national park, St. Marks Florida is 25 miles below Tallahassee. It was not the beach I had thought we would see it was more like a swamp, okay it was a swamp with gators and all. Not the park I would be taking a stroll through. Nope I stayed in the truck except for a quick adventure to the lighthouse to snap a few shots and then back into the truck.

I don't like the thought of snakes and creepy things lurking around in the tall grasses, not good.

We also had to go to a football game, I got to try out my replacement lens that I bought last week that is the replacement for the lens Stacy broke. (I just had to let you know I was not being greedy thinking I had to have a new lens for no reason, Sorry to toss you under the bus Stacy)

Sheri Berry in Macy's

2009-11-05T00:04:00.002-06:00

I went down to our big Macy's to take some photos of the trees with the ornaments designed by Sheri, her Macy's is not carrying the line so she is not able to see how they displayed them. Of all the Macy's to not have them, poor Sheri.

I had an interesting time taking photos of her ornaments, I asked the girl at the counter if I could snap a few photos and she said that was fine. So I was snapping away then out of nowhere, the store security swarmed and informed me that photography was not allowed in Macy's so I had to stop. I guess my giant flash and zoom lens was a little much. But I look so unassuming.

Cute, cute, cute! You can see the whole lot of I think 64 designs at Sheri's blog Sheri Berry Studio. Hope your Macy's has them they are so fun to see. I really want to stand by them and say look how cute these are, my friend designed them she is so talented....

Hanging around the house

2009-10-31T00:23:00.004-05:00

Mmm... candy... The ghosts are up again this year they were almost replaced with new ones but I ran out of time to make them and the old ghosts went up again. I think they are running on 9 years old and holding up pretty good. This year I talked Mr. Hygiene into rigging up a pulley system so we could raise and lower them with out the usual tossing of the tennis ball over the high branch that could take over a hour some years. I have to have them spaced just right you know, cant have them hanging just anywhere. Now I have nice rings to clip them onto and maybe this Christmas we might find something to hang there as well. Thanks Mr. Hygiene for climbing the tall tall ladder when you don't like heights.

Great Music Month

2009-10-20T16:21:00.007-05:00

What a month for music. First we had Michael Buble put out a new album Crazy Love, can I say I love Michael Buble. I know I am not the first on to say he could sing the phonebook and it would be wonderful. I do have to say that this is not my favorite album of his I would have liked a little more Rat Pack and a lot more Big Band, but that is just me.

Second, Pink Martini's new album Splendor in the Grass came out yesterday, what amazing talent. They are so good. I know Pink Martini is not for everyone, usually something that isn't sugar coated crap doesn't fit well into mainstream but they have talent and boy that China Forbes can sing. There is a bonus appearance on this album by Ari Shapiro, I know who is that? If you don't know I did not post that info for you.

Lastly but not least Sting came out with an album yesterday as well. I have not listened to the album yet, I think it will be a good one to light up around the holidays. On another note I don't know where the photo from the album cover was taken but that is where I want to live.

*update~ Don't like the new Sting album at all and that is all I have to say about that!

Swell Noel at Macy's

2009-10-18T12:44:00.005-05:00

Macy's is now stocking the Christmas department and as most of you know I am really not a ornament shopper or regular Christmas consumer. I am picky and don't want to fill up my tree just for the sake of filling. I have to love something to part with my cash, so this year is an exciting year because I found something new to add to the tree.

Sheri has a line in Macy's this year and I can not be more excited. Paige and I spent some time in the home/holiday department Friday looking at all the wonderful holiday trim designed for Macy's by our friend Sheri Seibold. We know that The people at Macy's made a great choice this year selecting Sheri's designs and cant wait until the whole line is out. This is just a sample of what they will be offering.

The line is called Swell Noel. The colors are wonderful, not your typical red and green, a nice change. If you want to see more of Sheri's designs head over to her blog. We are not sure what Macy's stores will carry the line, I guess from what I hear is that they stock their stores differently throughout the country so I hope yours has it. I would love to hear if you have it in your Macy's so post if you have seen it. My apology for the poor quality of photos my short lens is broken and it is not easy to take photos inside with a zoom.

Mermaid Paige

2009-09-07T20:08:00.006-05:00

We had a nice day today not doing much. Puttered around the house getting a few things done and just enjoying the day together. Paige went to the pool to study and get some sun at the same time. Then when she came back I decided to see how good some photos would be if I used my Nikon in the Dicapac under water camera bag.

It worked well for the most part when the sun was out and not hiding behind a few stray clouds. I think the key to under water photography is lots of sun light to make up for the lack of color under water.

This made for a fun afternoon. I was surprised how well my camera bag worked. We will have to do this again soon. Weeki Wachee here we come!

Who stole my rims?

2009-09-06T20:01:00.000-05:00

Okay you all know this is not my truck. It is our neighbors across the street. We woke up Sunday to see his ride hold up on some garden blocks. Glad I did not get my truck pimped out. We are still in shock at how someone could do this with out getting anyone to notice and how it has not fallen over.

Thanks Mr. Hygiene

2009-09-01T12:03:00.003-05:00

Stacy upgraded my shelving space this weekend. I have had this little wardrobe for a few years now and it has gone through some changes. It was bright yellow when I found it on the side of the road waiting for the trash man, I painted it and made it into storage for craft supplies.

The latest change was to add shelves in the closet side to make it more functional. Stacy did a great job now I need to paint the inside and fill it up.

Big Sur Power bars

2009-08-28T11:50:00.000-05:00

I made these again last week. I thought Paige would like them for her school lunch. this time I made them with out the espresso powder and added dried cherries and Goji berries. Thought I would make them with a little more added nutritional bang. Did a little digging on the little berry that seems to be the new super food and it is impressive. Oh well if it is all hype at least it adds nice color and texture to the bars. I also added a handful of chocolate chips to balance out all the good thing I added. Things don't usually taste great when they only have healthy things in them. If you feel like making these the recipe is somewhere in my blog just look for the food tag and it should pop up.

Finally

2009-08-02T14:51:00.003-05:00

After years of taking such good care of his girls, Mr. Hygiene gets his truck.

Pearl one ~ Jill zero

2009-07-31T14:46:00.002-05:00

Why did I think I could get a bone from Pearl while she was running full speed? Pearl kept her bone, I got a cast. Torn ligaments and tendons in my thumb. Got black to match what I usually have on. Wish they had leopard.

Day at the beach

2009-07-23T20:22:00.002-05:00

What a beautiful day at the beach, Cocoa beach never disappoints.

Nothing like standing in the ocean with a sub.

Carousel

2009-07-21T20:55:00.003-05:00

Magic Kingdom

2009-07-20T23:09:00.003-05:00

Paige and Connor went to the Magic Kingdom today, this is one of the few photos I got to take because I did not go with them.

I have to give credit to Connor for some nice photos, thank you Connor. This is Paige on the tea cup ride, Love this photo! I think I will frame it and put it up in the house.

Big Thunder Mountain Railway is a place for photos too. I would have liked some more of Disney but I guess the subject matter was limited to photos of Paige and photos of Connor. Hummmm....

Afternoon at the beach

2009-07-19T19:59:00.005-05:00

We almost did not go to the beach the forecast looked gloomy but we went after the rain and hoped that it was only a short storm and would be great at the beach. It was.

Stacy did his best to look great as usual. Thank you Mr. Hygiene.

It was handy to have Conner with us. Less for us to carry... and for some reason Paige smiles a lot when he is around. Whats that all about?

*I will be backdating some posts shortly. I have been not keeping up with my blog but will catch up soon....

Fun, Sun & New Friends

2009-06-23T09:52:00.007-05:00

It has been a busy few weeks. This week we took off to Naples, Fl to see my friend Leisa's sister and kids. We knew that we would have fun with them even though we only have seen them a few times when we lived in Michigan, they are related to Leisa so they have to be fun...Right?

We left home at 6:30 Sunday morning and drove down early to meet Laurie and her family for a day of sun, sand and para sailing. Yep, you heard right para-sailing.

We were surprised that Paige wanted to go,I thought she would be afraid but she was game. Emileigh and Paige went up together. It was pretty cool.

Hi Mom! Laurie asked Paige what was the best part of para-sailing and Paige said "Not vomiting." Nice.

A quick photo on the pier.

Emileigh, Conner, Paige & Ian

A little retail therapy. Wish we could have stayed a little longer but it was a fun filled 24 hours. I was glad to see Naples it is a beautiful place and we will go again.

Photos... My Photos...

2009-06-08T23:05:00.004-05:00

Our neighbor had a very unfortunate day. Her house got broken into some time after she left for work and before she got home. They took the usual items, jewelery, computer, TVs, i-pod and things like that. They went through everything and took their time to unplug everything and take the cables and cords as well. We were home most of the day. We left for a short time to drop something off for Stacy at his work and then to stock up on grillers then came right home. Maybe we were gone an hour and a half or two at the most. We wonder if it happened while we were home sleeping in or while we were awake doing laundry. The thing that hit home was when she said "all my photos were on my computer." I cringed knowing I would lose it if I lost my computer with the last 4 years of photos on it. We have our computer backed up but I think they would grab that too because it is sitting right next to the computer, then what good would a separate drive to back up my photos be?

Well I starred to upload my photos to flicker. I got a pro account that has not restrictions on file size and quantity of photos. Under 25.00 a year. I don't know how long it will take me to up load everything I want to save but I will sleep better at night knowing that I will at least have my photos saved someplace.

If anyone knows a better way to back up your photos online let me know and if not think about your photos...

Clearwater with my brother Floyd

2009-05-30T07:38:00.009-05:00

Floyd had a convention here in Florida Friday and we were lucky to be able to spend the evening with him. We drove over to Tampa, went out to eat with him and then off to Clearwater to see the sunset on the beach.

You always get more than the sunset at the beach. This guy/alien was quite interesting... I wonder what his day job is?

We walked out to the end of the pier, watched some fishermen and the sunset. There were a lot of fish being caught, but they were small. Nothing too interesting but a great place to spend an hour.

Mr. Hygiene looking as handsome as ever.

It was a nice end to the week. I love the Gulf side. The sand is so nice and you get the sunset to top it off. Glad to see my brother even if it was for only a few hours. Wish he could have stayed the weekend and that Lisa could have come along with him, next time right!?

Crew Banquet

2009-05-28T10:30:00.002-05:00

Tonight was the end of the year Crew banquet for Paige and the rest of the team. It is a marker for the end of the season and a farewell to the Seniors who are leaving.

Que the tears... Paige was sad thinking about her boys that are leaving. Most of her boat this year was Seniors and she was having a hard time holding it together.

She is also saying farewell to KC a fellow coxin for the men's team. It was nice to have another girl on the team.

Matt.

Mark.

Troy.

Kyle & Preston. The boys will be missed by Paige and I will even miss a few of them, crew boys are good kids to have around.

Jordan is not leaving but I loved his enthusiasm for getting his photo taken so I added him to the post. Thanks Jordan!

Tenna-bone

2009-05-22T19:50:00.003-05:00

No one loves me. I wish someone would play with me. How sad can I look? I need a Pet-a-cure.

Little Lightning Legs

2009-05-21T19:59:00.003-05:00

Paige came home from school the other day and told me about her day in P.E. class and I thought I would share... The track coach was out while they were running on the track for class and he stopped Paige and said "Why aren't those little lightning legs running for your school? Little lightning legs would make Lake Brantley go faster." She thought that was cute. New name for Paige "Little lightning legs"

Day at the beach

2009-05-19T12:01:00.004-05:00

Sunday we went to the beach close to where we usually go. We found a spot we like a little better and have went there a few times now. It's still is close to Ponce Inlet, only a mile or less up the beach. This is the usual, Stacy with his shoes on, Paige texting and I have everything you could need, want or think of, packed in the cooler. What a nice day it was although it was a little too windy. We all have been exfoliated by beach sand. Still a great day 86° and sunny.

States ~ April 25 & 26th

2009-05-15T09:37:00.011-05:00

I have so many great photos from states in Sarasota that I want to share a lot with of them with you. Stacy was Dock Master for awhile and was lucky to have Paige and her boys got to come in to his dock. One of those nice father daughter moments.

They did a great job in this flight. You can see Scott in the front not able to stand up. It took him a few minutes while the oars were being taken off the boat. He really gives it his all not an ounce of energy left to give.

You can tell they were happy with the race. They did not get first but they knew they did their best and could not have done any more and made it into the qualifying race later in the day.

Devin and Elgin came to say hello. They are Christina's kids. Christina is Heidi Steinhagen-Snowdens sister.

Elgin was playing down by the reeds I pointed out the sign to Christina.

The second flight of the day was to see if they would be in the finals the next day. They made it.

I think Marks face shows it all. He is the stroke for the boat.

Game face time.

Here is the last flight for the MJV8.

Stacy looking on. You can hear him think... come on Paige, come on Paige make the boys work...

The last walk off the dock.

Congratulations from Coach. Her smile...

Results for the MJV8
2nd place for scolastic club rowing state wide.
5th over all including club and scolastic rowing state wide.

Word of the day ~ Magnesium

2009-05-13T19:45:00.003-05:00

I guess without going into my heath issues I will tell you to look into magnesium. It seems that is is something that I have needed for a long time. Take time to see what it does for us how our bodies use it. If for no other reason than it is interesting.

I want these

2009-05-07T20:33:00.001-05:00

I don't think I need to say anything else.

Masterpiece Classic: Little Dorrit

2009-05-04T10:24:00.008-05:00

Over the past few weeks I have been watching Masterpiece Classic on PBS. Every once in a while I get sucked in and find a story that I cant stop watching and this was one. Little Dorrit was wonderful. Not stuffy or boring I enjoyed every bit of it and did not have to fast forward at all. (You know I have no attention span).

The usual three up to no good

2009-05-02T21:39:00.001-05:00

Well they were off to church...

Too busy to blog

2009-04-21T22:03:00.010-05:00

I don't want to leave you all hanging with out a new post so here is one that I did for Stacy's 3rd Annual Mini Masters he puts on at work. I am glad to let you all see how hard he works.....

The Easter beagle is back...

2009-04-12T17:36:00.007-05:00

This is one of my favorite things to do with Paige. It is a blast. We planned a little ahead of time this year and bought hundreds of eggs (we think around 1500) last year on clearance after Easter and only had to get candy and fill them this year.

We egged Mallory's house again.

Grant (Preston's little brother) asked Paige on Friday if she was going to egg them again we thought it would be a good idea to stop by his house too.

I love how Paige runs with her eyes shut. I took 8 photos of her running out of Grants yard and in all of them her eyes were shut.

We also added KT, Alyssa, Kyle, Robbie and Ben to the Easter trail this year. Ben is our little neighbor who does not believe in the Easter bunny any more so he got a basket and egged. We told him last week when Paige was sitting him that he needed to believe in the Easter bunny for his mom because Moms like to do special things, so if not for himself believe for his mom.

Kyle got a pile of eggs, Paige needed to work on her placement a little bit in his yard.

The Masters

2009-04-09T21:19:00.007-05:00

Stacy was lucky enough to get a ticket to The Masters this year. It was only for one day but he was excited none the less. He went to Augusta on Tuesday and then to The Masters on Wednesday. I was glad to see he wanted to take Paige's camera and had hoped he would snap a few photos. Well I was happily surprised to see he took over a hundred photos so I knew there would be a few good ones.

The greens were beautiful beyond words. Stacy still is going on about them and that was the first thing he told me on the phone when I talked to him on Wednesday night. I wish I could have seen them.

I love the dogwood trees in the background. I have had them on my wish list for awhile now, I might need to go and pick one up sometime soon.

Stacy knows me so well he took this photo knowing I would want to know what kind of things they serve there and how well he ate. That was so thoughtful of him and made me smile when I saw the photo. He had a Pimento cheese sandwich, an egg salad sandwich, a bag of chips, a cookie that he dropped in the grandstand that fell between the seats and he could not retrieve and a bottle of water. More than he usually eats but he told me that the egg salad sandwich was a backup in case he did not like the pimento cheese sandwich.

How could any golf event be complete without a Tiger siting? Pretty good photo Mr. Prince.

The golfers got to bring along their kids on Wednesday, some of the golfers let them tap in the ball. It disqualified them for the par 3 event or what ever it is but they seem not to care, Stacy said it was something to do with winning the par 3 would jinx them so they don't take it too seriously. How cute is this photo?

Stacy had a great time I wish I could have gone with him at least to see how beautiful it was, but I am glad that he got the one ticket. I did not know how hard they were to get and how lucky he was to get it, but he sure had a great time. Thanks for taking all the photos Mr. Hygiene, you did a great job and I love the Menu selection photo you took for me that was really nice!

Day in the Swamp

2009-04-04T22:51:00.001-05:00

Yet another Regatta. It was one of the most exciting race days I can remember. We were lucky enough to be able to ride in a launch during the races and it is exciting to see them so close.

A big thanks to GAR for doing this for us! Paige had a very good flight with her 4 boat. They came from behind to over take the Varsity boat, it was a nail biting race.

Paige and her boys rigging their boat before their race not knowing what is lurking right under the water.

Here is the little gator who was lurking below waiting for one of the rowers to fall in and become lunch for his mom and siblings.

I over hear a Parent talking about how beautiful it was there and how they would love to build a house with the view of the lake between the trees. Ya it is a great place to build a beautiful house for a horror movie, I guess they have never really seen the woods up north to know that they are so mistaken. I would really get the creeps living in the swamp.

On another note, Happy Birthday Scott! only 8 more years until your 50!

I want this

2009-04-03T22:35:00.004-05:00

Just when I think I have everything I need for our outdoor dinning I find something like this..... I love to pack up our little basket and cooler with extra nice things for our days out. We have a regatta tomorrow and I really like to make it special. I am testing out a new table and I am very excited. I will let you know how it goes and will take some photos to share. Have a great weekend

Boys

2009-03-28T13:46:00.006-05:00

Friday was the annual Lake Brantley Crew Golf Tournament and Mr. Hygiene asked me to come out and snap a few photos of the day. I bet he is thinking "I told her to take photos for the club not for her blog."

Only an hour into his game and you can see all the stress melt away. I will put it in print... Mr. Hygiene you need to golf more! Love to see that smile...

Look at the grass fly, nice action shot for Mr. Hygiene. I wonder if he likes golf because it is such a clean well groomed sport?

Okay aren't they cute. Get them on the golf greens and they are 12 again. Men, get them together no matter what their age and they become boys again.

He's Back

2009-03-23T22:18:00.009-05:00

This little guy was chased up a tree a few months ago by Pearl and now he is back. Stacy noticed him as he was going to let Pearl out for the night and we all had to take a look.

I went back into the house to change the lens on my camera and I heard Paige say "Did mom get a photo of him..." that made me laugh, she knows me so well.

Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival

2009-03-20T14:44:00.000-05:00

It is that time of the year again, the Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival is here. I love it so much. This year I was smart enough to go on Friday in the early afternoon instead of the weekend. It get so crowded that it becomes arduous, and I wanted to really enjoy it and take my time. (Look no strollers or people walking tiny dogs)

I did make a bee line over to see John Herbon. Last year I remember watching a lady pick up a vase l wanted, I hoped she would put it down but she did not and she went home with my vase so this year I skipped my coffee and went right over to booth 99. What I love the most about his pottery is the green he uses, well and the detail and that it does not look like "Art School" pottery. I inquired about the color this year and it is called cobalt green. Of course it is. It is hard to see the blue in the photos but the glaze has an undertone of the most wonderful blue and I don't like blue so that says a lot.

Two of my other favorites were missing this year, Larry Stepheson a painter, and a photographer who's name escapes me at the moment..... I wish they would come back. I also wish they would get rid of the photoshop photography, good grief, enough already and also while I am critiquing them how about getting rid of the photographers who frame their vacation photos and call it art, as well as all the mask photos from Venice and the same photos that everyone takes when they go to Paris. Please! Snapshots are not art! Oh and the painted bags & purses. Not Art People!

They block off Park ave. so the restaurants get to expand their outdoor seating. Wish Heidi was not afraid to fly we could have made a day of it with lunch and people watching..... It is a great place to people watch, a really great place.

Heidi this photo is for you. The hat guy was there and the hats were even more fabulous than the past years!

I will take photos in the next few days and show you my new vase and pitcher. Have a great weekend.

Do they know?

2009-03-15T23:15:00.010-05:00

I went to a plant sale today, it was a little like a farmers market except for plants, trees and flowers. I was in heaven. I found a rosemary topiary that made me so happy. I have been without one since we moved from Nebraska and just love them in the house. I saw a mango tree that I thought about but was not sure if I really needed one. Then I asked if anyone had maiden hair ferns and I was directed to the "Fern Lady" I was just a twitter, I love ferns even if I can not seem to keep them alive very long... I bought several, yes several and then a begonia as well, I have such a week spot for begonias and so does the Fern Lady. I got a lovely Nautilus variety, I have been calling them snail begonias but was corrected today... Then on the way back to the car I also picked up the mango tree. I talked to the "Mango Man" and think that I could handle a dwarf variety. We will see.

Then I got home and when I took them into the sun room, Pearl looked at me as if to say

"Really?" "Do they know?... Do they know they are going to die?" "Really, you have not given up on ferns yet?"
"Thank God I am not a fern!"

Thanks Heidi

2009-03-12T16:41:00.003-05:00

Just a note to say thanks Heidi. I finally got the pot planted and love the color, shape and size. You can send me all the pots you want anytime! Thanks again I love it!

Backyard Bandit

2009-03-09T17:30:00.004-05:00

We had a visitor yesterday who was camped out in the back yard and did not seem to want to leave. I made a lot of racket and tried to get him to go but he would not have any of that and took a nap curled up behind the tree all day.

I even tossed some tennis balls at him to encourage him to leave but he thought I was playing ball and would take the balls back to his napping place and go back to sleep. He was gone this morning and now we miss him. He must be a baby and he had no fear which is not good for him. He came up to our doors in sun room and looked in even though Pearl was barking and right in his face next to the glass. I hope he finds a better home and keeps away from people and dogs. Good luck little guy!

Saturday and Sunny 80°

2009-03-07T20:06:00.005-06:00

Not a bad day to spend outside. race season is upon us and the weather is warm. I guess I would have a lot to complain about but spending the day outside and together is a good day.

This race was up in Jacksonville on the Ortega river.

This gives you a little prospective on how long their boat is. Paige says it compares to a semi trailer, around 52 feet.

Paige and her boys took second in both races.

Must... Have... Food...

2009-02-27T17:00:00.004-06:00

You do not need a clock in our house to tell when it is close to 5:00 PM. Pearl will let you know and if you do not pay attention to her pacing around and trying to herd you into the sun room to feed her, this is what happens. Must have food... I am fading away here... Sustenance.... Please...

Piece of Pie

2009-02-26T20:53:00.007-06:00

The one thing I loved about having my friend Leisa come and stay for awhile is the time we spend in the kitchen cooking great food or I should say, I prep the ingredients so Leisa can make great food. I do believe next to my Aunt Sandy she is the best cook I know. I could say she is a better cook than my Aunt Sandy if it was not for the German chocolate cake that qualifies my Aunt for the all time best cook in the world award.

While Leisa was here she made the best pizza I have ever had, yep it is true, sorry Sam & Louie's you have been demoted. She made jim lahey’s potato pizza, I know that sounds odd I was very skeptical but open minded and willing to try something different because I have never had anything that was not excellent that came from her kitchen. This recipe came from SmittenKitchen.com and you can find it here. It is a wonderful food blog that is worth checking out. Leisa put her spin on the recipe and has found a way to make it just a little better than the original recipe with the addition of mushrooms and goat cheese but I would have expected nothing less of her.

I tried my best tonight to make it because I loved it so much and I did a good first time job. Stacy even thought it was good. I think I will make it a regular thing here and maybe even start a Friday night tradition. We will see.

All Squirrels Must Die!

2009-02-22T15:03:00.007-06:00

I usually have a soft spot for these furry little animals but they have forced me to hate them. This was my new plant from a week ago and look what those little *@#*s did. I now hate them as much as KC Tom and would like them to all die. I have difended them for years but now, like my Friend Lesia has always said, "They are just rats with fluffy tails." I need Dan to come and dispose of them all for me. I am sure he has room in his varment grave.

Canal 54

2009-02-21T14:59:00.001-06:00

Yes it is official race season has started here at canal 54 it is nothing more than a ditch in the middle of the swamp. Life as we know it is now over and the weekends from now until the end of the school will be full of regattas and traveling to races. If you want to save yourself from endless photos of rowing and Paige with her team just stop checking out my blog until the first of June. I will however have a few photos of Mr. Hygiene from time to time like this lovely photo of him catching me taking photos of him and looking at me as if to say... What are you going to blog about now, I did not sign up to be your blogging target. Poor Stacy.

Here is a photo of Paige in the rif-raf boat. One of the rowers stared rowing last week and had only been in a boat 3 times but they thought it would be good for him to get in one race right off the bat.

Breakfast anyone?

2009-02-16T05:54:00.000-06:00

Fresh blueberry crumble scones... I could put on a pot of coffee...

Doris on a good day...

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I think the photo says it all. Such a nice kitty.

Another Saturday at Turkey lake

2009-02-14T16:11:00.009-06:00

This Saturday at Turkey lake park was a little bit different than last week. The sun was very hot and the park was full. Today was the novice regatta which starts the spring rowing season. The park was packed and the lake was busy. Stacy was Dock Master again this year with Bob. They enjoy doing this job and are good at it as well as patient with the new rowers.

Mr. Hygiene also takes it into part of his job description to be lake sanitizer living up to his well deserved name. Not a water bottle, sock or headband got past him today.

Paige was one of the race timers at the finish line. It was a long and hot day for them both. I bet they will sleep like babies tonight.

On the way home I stopped at Harry's. I have wanted to stop there for awhile now and today was the day. I met Harry he is a 93 year old man who has a beautiful plant nursery. Well kept and weed free. It reminded me of the nurseries up north that were so clean and organized. I learned more from Harry in the ten to fifteen minutes I was there than I have since I moved to Florida.

I saw a Florida Dogwood tree that I will be back for in a few weeks. Great healthy plants for a fair price. I bought this plant today. I have a different variety of it from a few years ago, smaller leave and single flowers.

This one sounds like it will have flowers like a butterfly bush I am excited to see. I will keep you updated when it blooms.

Sunday at the beach

2009-02-08T07:39:00.001-06:00

We started out our day leaving the house at 6 am to take Paige to Erg Sprints in Melbourne, way too early for us all to be up but we mad the best of it. I packed our lunches and loaded up the beach chairs the night before. Leisa and I spend the day exploring then at the beach while Paige with her rowing team.

This is the second year Leisa was here during the erg sprints and we seem to have a great time in Melbourne and also driving up the shore line to Cocoa Beach and other towns along the way. We stopped here at I dream of Jeanie lane to take a photo and ended up staying to enjoy the lovely beach there.

By the looks of the trail behind this sign I don't think people can read.

The weather was nice but the small wind on the beach was a little cool so we did our quick rigging of the wind screen that we have worked on trying to prefect for two years now. This year I think we got it. We made it really simple and that seemed to work the best. I will tweak it over the next few weeks and it will be ready to go for the next windy day. Once it was up it felt nice and hot when we sat down in our chairs. It felt so gooood!!!

Then there was these guys... I have to say that I am so grateful for the steady supply of entertainment that I am given. It was really hard for me to behave. I really wanted to join in.

I ended up being good and staying in my chair. I did however have to make a few karate noises and sing the great song by Carl Douglas-Kunf Fu Fighting. I have to admit we have had this song in our music collection for years, it always leads to great laughter and conversation.

We had a great day. Wish we could have spent more time with Paige the beach would have been so much more entertaining because I know Paige would have joined in the Kung Fu and made us pass out from laughter.

Saturday in the Park

2009-02-07T22:10:00.004-06:00

What a day! I have wanted to go to a state park close to my house but for some reason we have never gotten around to it, well today Leisa, my Holiday friend and I made it a point to make it there.

We had quite the adventure that included a large unidentified creature in the swamp brush, some rustling leaves and a snake. Some running and a girlie scream as well but there was not a witness around to see so I guess we are okay.

Then after we walked the trail we were off to pick up Paige from her CPR class we decided to go to Turkey lake park for a bike ride and another adventure.

We all had a great time, Leisa got bit by an ant and Paige crashed her bike into a building. Nothing really exciting.

We stopped lake side for lunch with our little basket.

Just a few of our favorite things to eat we made it simple and tasty. All in all it was a great day.