Lucky? in Kentucky

He's Famous!

2011-05-06T20:52:00.000-05:00

See that hot guy in the background on CNN? Yup. That's my boyfriend. He's famous ;) Howard works for the USGS and has spent the last week out in Missouri measuring the water flow on the farmland that was flooded when they blasted the levee.

At first glance this picture looks just like a normal river, but if you look closely, you will see two silos and a barn nearly covered by water. The man that owns this property called the USGS and asked them to go by and take pictures to see what state his land was in. Unfortunately, his house has been washed off it's foundation and is actually pressed up against the trees on the left. After they sent him the pictures of his property, he responded, "Looks like I've got a lot of work to do". So freaking sad.

We Have a Garden!

2011-04-08T11:08:00.000-05:00

Howard and I were adamant that this year we were going to have a real garden. One that wasn't overrun with weeds. One where you could actually distinguish vegetables plants from wild plants. One that might actually produce something edible.

Yesterday afternoon, we finally made a real attempt. We dusted off the shovels and hoes and spent three backbreaking hours digging away. There were a few times we thought about giving up and making due with a smaller garden but we kept at it. Here is our progress:

BEFORE

AFTER

Hard work really pays off sometimes!

What? Why don't you believe me? Because you know me and know there isn't a freaking chance I did this?

Fiiiine. In reality I was in the living room watching Top Chef Masters and Howard was peeking out the guest room window marveling at the site of a man on a tractor tilling the garden in less than 30 minutes.

What can I say? Paying for hard work to be done is more our style.

Thx Manda =)

2011-04-04T18:01:00.000-05:00

Have I mentioned that I love getting care packages in the mail? Because I so do! Today I came home to find a package from one of my best friends, Amanda. Inside was two different kinds of cookies, a loaf of banana bread and a bottle of sweet chili sauce I can't find around here. I LOVE her!

YUM!

Winner Winner!

2011-02-11T11:27:00.000-06:00

Thanks to everyone who entered the CSN giveaway! The winner is.......

KellFire said...

Warm & mostly sunny Southern California!!! We're actually looking into going there this year for Marshman's sabbatical. Sounds AWESOME! Wish I could go right now!!!

Congrats KellFire!!

I'll be emailing the gift code to you shortly =)

GIVEAWAY! Cure Your Winter Blues!

2011-02-07T18:50:00.000-06:00

Today's ordeal makes me want to start searching luggage stores for some cute new bags to pack up and take with me somewhere warm and sunny. Somewhere without ice and snow. Don't get me wrong, I love the snow but there is something about the visual of sliding backwards down an icy hill to my death into a deep, rocky creek bed that makes me scream BEACH PLEASE!

My parents have been soaking up the sun since early January down in Cape Coral, Florida. They decided another Virginia winter wasn't in the cards and rented a house down there until April. Do you know how awesome it is to call my mom on my way home in the snow to find out she's laying out on the deck in her bathing suit? Or out on the boat fishing? Or grilling up the 10 fish they caught that day for dinner? SO AWESOME! I'm hoping to make my way down there in early March for a bit of cold weather relief but it's up in the air with my job right now (Oh how I wish I could blog about my job...).

Anyhow, the kind folks at CSN Stores have offered up a $40 gift card to take away one lucky winner's winter blues. All you need to do to enter is leave a comment below answering the following question:

If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would you go?

That's it. One comment per person please. The giveaway will end Friday, February 11th at 11 am CST. One winner will be chosen by a random number generator after the giveaway closes.

Good luck!!

PS. I just watched the local news and we are getting more snow tomorrow through Wednesday night. I sooo just came down with the chicken pox!

The Wrong Kind of Snow

2011-02-07T18:03:00.000-06:00

What's the old saying? Be careful what you wish for? Well I've been wishing and hoping and praying for snow and we finally got it. But I was hoping more for the kind of snow that keeps me out of work. Snow that lets me sleep in. Snow that I could watch out the window from my comfy, cozy bed. Snow that lets me crack a beer at noon. That kind of snow.

The problem with this snow was I was already at work since all they were calling for was a light dusting. Instead about 7 inches fell in about 4 hours. I finally decided to leave work around 11:15. I drove really slow on the untreated roads. Cars were stranded in ditches all along the streets. I kept sliding but I managed to stay on the road. The main roads weren't as bad but they still weren't plowed or salted. Then I got to my back country road. Of course it was a mess. I could barely see where the road was and when I finally felt like I was home free, I slid backwards down the hill right before my driveway. 7 times! Did I mention there is a long drop off into a creek at the bottom of the hill? Because that's all I could think about each time I slid back down. But I made it! To my driveway where I proceeded to get stuck halfway on the road and halfway in my driveway.

At least I was home though. I got the shovel and the salt and tried for an hour to get my car out of the road. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why my car wasn't moving. I felt like I had shoveled out all the ice and snow around the tires, but it just wouldn't move.

(So here's the part I debated revealing. I left this minor detail out when telling both Howard and Leslie the story immediately after it happened. But I've come to terms with what an idiot I can sometimes be so here goes.)

When I first got stuck and left the car in the road to grab the shovel and the salt, I pulled the emergency break up so my car wouldn't slide backwards into the ravine on the other side of the road. And then? Yep, I never put it back down. That's why my car wasn't moving. Genius, right? Luckily when a bus came up the hill and I went to try one more time so they could pass by, I noticed. I was able to get my car far enough up the driveway so the bus could get by. But that was it. I was finished. So here she sits. She looks happy there, right?

Matt =)

2011-01-20T21:05:00.001-06:00

When my friend Matt and his girlfriend Katie were visiting for Thanksgiving, Matt commented on our DVD collection. He had noticed that although I had Saw I, II, V and VI, I was missing III and IV.

See, back in 2006, I made Matt go see Saw III with me in the theater. He had no desire to see it but being a good friend and knowing I wouldn't go alone and couldn't talk anyone else into it, he sucked it up. Despite the fact he hadn't seen the first two, he liked it. And so he started back at the beginning by renting the movies and has followed the series ever since.

After a particularly emotional day (due to being overwhelmed about career making decisions that will affect the rest of my life...nothing big or anything), I arrived home from work and found a package from Matt. I wasn't expecting anything so it took me by surprise. Inside I found the following...

No idea why but I just lost it. I could barely see my phone as I tried to text him. The tears would not stop coming. He just made my day. He wanted to make sure I had all the movies for a Saw marathon. Guy best friends can be so awesome and thoughtful. I suggest you go out and get yourself one. But don't steal mine!

Thank you Matt. You are the bestest and I love you.

I'm Back! (For Now)

2011-01-20T20:07:00.000-06:00

Sooo...hi! It's apparently been over a month since I've last posted. My bad. I'll make it up to you all with a brand new giveaway starting tomorrow! Am I forgiven?

I'd love to tell you all what's been pretty much keeping me from writing the past month or so but as Ashley explains here, there are things regarding your employment that just can't be put out there if you still want to have a job the next day. I'll sum it up by telling you the following:

I had another job offer.
I really considered it.
I went back and forth for weeks.
I made the decision to stay with my current job (my wonderful, awesome, amazing current job - just in case anyone from corporate is reading this...HI!).

It would have been nice to discuss it all here and maybe get some input from you all but I know I made the right decision for me in the end. Now hopefully I can get back to my regularly scheduled blogging. HA! Like that will ever happen.

Well, Hello World

2010-12-03T14:15:00.000-06:00

How've you been? Good to see you, my old friend (name that song).

Soooo yeah, it's been forever since I've come on to update here. I could come up with a million excuses but I'll just stick to I suck lately. Plain and simple.

Moving on...

***

Early in November one night, I was watching tv in the family room. Howard comes running in from the garage asking if I heard a loud crash. He swore something happened outside. He takes the flashlight and goes out onto the porch to look for the source of the noise but we can't see anything with the measly flashlight beam in the pitch black. Then we see highbeams light up the field across the street from us. Except these highbeams are coming from the middle of the field themselves. A place they do not belong. Howard calls out to the driver to ask if he's alright and the man yells rather incoherently back about having a driver on the way to get him. Not 10 seconds later, a car comes speeding down the road and stops to pick him up.

Obviously we decided to go investigate what happened once he was gone. It seems he missed the curve in the road and drove straight off the 5 foot ledge into our neighbor's field. His front right tire was bent sideways and the front part of his truck was completely smashed in where he had hit the ground nose first. It was obvious he left in a rush as all the windows were down and doors unlocked. All of the items that were once in his truck bed were scattered throughout the field. The truck still had not been moved the following morning so I was able to snap a pic from our porch.

***

The day before the local elections were held, I was driving down our road on my way to work. I was going through the 25 mph residential zone when I saw a truck coming towards me. It suddenly stopped in the road. I proceeded towards the truck when all of a sudden the police lights came on and I realized it was the sheriff (the only police officer in our entire town). He drove slowly at me then stopped with the radar gun pointed in my face.

Officer: 34 in a 25mph zone...
Me: *cringe face*
Officer: I know you're late. Slow down and have a good day.
Me: THANK YOU OFFICER!

Guess who had my vote for sheriff the next day?

***

I know I've written before about my office mice, but now we have house mice. This I am NOT cool with. Howard has set some traps and has caught a few here and there. For all I know, he's caught a ton but I ask him not to tell me about them because I just don't want to know.

I came home from work one afternoon and walked into the kitchen. I went to toss some trash into the trash can under the sink but noticed Howard had taken the trash out and not replaced the bag. So I grabbed a new bag from under the sink and pulled the trash can out to replace it. And something jumped at my hand. I was so startled, I flung the trash can across the floor where it, thankfully, landed upright. It took me forever to catch my breath and find the courage to pick the trash can back up and take it outside to let it go. And then I'm sure he came right back in.

***

We weren't able to make it home for Thanksgiving this year but our friends, Matt & Katie, decided to come out to KY and join us. Which means I had to do more than get Chinese take-out and sit around in my pajamas all day watching football. It was worth it though. We had a lot of fun. We even introduced them to Spice Jenga! Don't let them try and tell you it's not fun. Thanks for visiting guys =) Here is proof I cooked. So what if half of it came from a box or can?

***

And just because, here's a picture of the sunset from last night. Forgive the picture quality, I was driving but it was just too amazing not to get this on film.

Check Yes or No

2010-10-29T15:04:00.000-05:00

When Howard and I got back from Nashville and picked up the dogs at the boarder's, we were told Copper is a tad chick crazy. As in she had to separate her female dog Winnie from Copper all weekend long because he was mounting her every chance he got. Howard and I decided it might be a good time to get him neutered.

I called the vet that was recommended to us and asked about pricing. The assistant told me it would be $82.50 for the surgery and anethesia so I made the appointment for Thursday morning. I arrived at the vet yesterday morning all set to fork over the agreed upon sum and Copper. The assistant handed me a form I had to sign first. Included on that form were several add-on options. And all those options cost additional money. But of course! She explained that they are all very highly recommended to ensure my pet's utmost safety.

If you don't want your dog to be in pain, check here! $10.50

If you want take home medication so he's not in pain later, check here! $16.95

If you want a catheter already in place in case medication needs to be issued in an emergency, check here! $26.70

If you want an EKG performed before surgery to ensure there won't be any complications, check here! $55.10

If you don't check every box above, you are a cold, heartless, indecent bitch.

I began envisioning getting a call later on in the day.

Dana? We have some very bad news. Copper has passed away during surgery. That EKG you checked no for could have prevented it. But since you're a heartless bitch, you probably don't care anyway.

The end total was somewhere around $250. I checked every one of those boxes. Because I love that damn dog.

I Spy...

2010-10-26T18:19:00.000-05:00

A horse tied to a hitching post at Walmart. What? Your Walmart doesn't have a hitching post?

A cow wandering down the road to our house.

Hey there Bessie!

A little dog unaware he's having his "boys" removed on Thursday. Sorry buddy!

Procrastination At It's Finest

2010-10-20T15:08:00.000-05:00

When the NFL schedules came out back in April, I immediately checked the Titans website to see if they were hosting the Eagles at home. When I saw they were, I did a little happy dance and called up my brother to see if he wanted to drive up from Atlanta to meet Howard and I for the game. He of course, being a die hard fan, said yes.

And that was that.

Days passed.

Months passed.

The game is this weekend. What can I say? I'm lacking in the planning department. Thanks to Howard, we at least have tickets already. Though they were a complete ripoff. BUT at least we have them.

Last night I decided it was finally time to get the ball rolling and plan out the rest of this trip. I called my dog boarder first. I was ready to explain it was a spur of the moment trip (what? she wouldn't know any better!) and I am sososo sorry but PLEASE! I didn't even get to beg and plead because the line was disconnected. Cue insta-panic. There is no one else in KY that I would trust with my dogs. Not.A.One. I called again. And again. Hoping each time that it would magically go through. I scoured the internet looking for additional numbers, land lines, websites, etc. Anything. I came across her business website which had a contact form. I was able to get my begging and pleading done that way. Then I crossed my fingers.

Next I moved on to booking a hotel for Saturday and Sunday night. We wanted a hotel right next to the stadium downtown so we could walk our drunk asses back to the room after celebrating the Eagles win with a night out on the town partying. Every website I searched came back with SOLD OUT. Cue 2nd insta-panic of the night. Turns out, there is some big country music thing going on this Saturday. And unless we were willing to spend upwards of $300 per night in a hotel I will not even remember being in, we were going to have to change our entire plan.

Late last night, I got an email back from the dog boarder stating she was, in fact, still boarding and could keep the dogs this weekend and that no, she didn't hate me or my dogs, it was a problem with AT&T. So there's that.

But our plan of getting a hotel downtown, walking to the stadium, tailgating, cheering on the Eagles, drinking too much and stumbling back to the hotel is no more.

Now our plan is getting a hotel 12 miles away, finding a parking pass somehow, driving to the stadium, assigning Howard as designated driver, tailgating, cheering on the Eagles, drinking too much and having Howard drive us back to the hotel.

I see no problem with this.

$40 CSN Stores Winner

2010-10-19T13:04:00.000-05:00

Thanks to everyone who entered! The winner, according to Random.org is Ashley with her oh so very sweet comment:

ashley said...

i'm commenting so i can get the stool and then destroy it to crush your beautiful dreams

Enjoy crushing my dreams! Luckily I know she's kidding...I think. I hope.

An email will be sent to you with your gift certificate from CSN Stores soon!

People Love Me!

2010-10-18T17:00:00.000-05:00

I know I've said it before but it needs repeating every so often. I have the most thoughtful and amazing friends. I received two packages in the mail in one week!

Back in early October, Heather organized a 5K run complete with shirts. She mentioned possibly sending me a shirt if there were any left over after the race. She had purchased some navy blue volunteer shirts as well as white participant shirts. I told her I'd love a navy one if she could make it happen but I'd be happy with a white one as well. The week following the race, she told me all she had left were white ones. I was pleasantly surprised when I opened my package Thursday afternoon to find this:

She tricked me! And she sent me a cute little hippo as well =)

And then today I found another package waiting for me. Amanda and I talk about food and recipes a lot. Probably more than normal. She knows I can't find quinoa or tahini in grocery stores around here so she took it upon herself to send me some. I had mentioned that I would like to try quinoa and make my own hummus. On top of that she sent me a bunch of cd's and a Sookie Stackhouse novel that she's been wanting me to read. Love!!

Thanks for making me feel so special ladies!! XOXO

Giveaway Reminder

2010-10-18T12:35:00.000-05:00

Just a little reminder that the $40 CSN Stores giveaway ends tomorrow at 1 PM! Click HERE to enter!

Oh and look what showed up on my doorstep Saturday. Full-size Ziploc freebies!

$40 CSN Stores Giveaway!

2010-10-14T12:58:00.000-05:00

The lovely folks at CSN stores are (yet again) sponsoring a giveaway! One lucky winner will receive a $40 gift certificate to be used at any one of CSN's many stores. The possibilities are endless!

If I could win my own giveaway, I would use the certificate towards a counter stool for our kitchen. We've been looking for the right one since we moved in to our house back in January. None of the ones we've looked at work for us. In addition, I absolutely hate our current kitchen and table and chairs and didn't want to waste money trying to buy a stool to match them. I've had them since Jack was a puppy and the legs on the chairs are almost completely chewed through. Thanks little buddy!

My parents recently told me they would be getting rid of several pieces of furniture and I was welcome to them as long as I could get them from Virginia to Kentucky. One of those items is the kitchen table and chairs I grew up with. I just found the perfect counter stool to match the set! And on top of that, the entire set and this stool match our cabinets. I love it when things just work themselves out.

All you need to do to enter is become a follower of my blog (if you aren't already) and leave a comment (one comment per person).

Let me know what you would buy. Or what the weather is like where you are. Or just say "hi". Anything goes =)

Giveaway will end Tuesday, October 19th at 1 PM CST. Winner will be chosen by random generator.

Open to U.S. residents only.

Good luck!!

The Bird

2010-10-07T20:41:00.000-05:00

Yeah, yeah. I know, I suck. But here is someone who doesn't suck. My niece. Just a few months old and already taking after me. Love her!

Randomness

2010-09-27T14:24:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, Howard and I left the house to head into town to attend BBQ on the River. Before even leaving our small town of Wingo, we came across a gathering in the middle of the town ~~square~~ parking lot. I'm not sure what was going on. There were some booths with cotton candy and hot dogs and popcorn. There were some games for kids to play. And then there were long tables filled with clothes and people were just rummaging through them picking out what they wanted. I am still extremely confused as to what was really going down. All I know is I couldn't pass up snapping a picture of this true Kentucky redneck game.

Toilet Paper Toss!

We lasted maybe 2 minutes before deciding this was too much for us to handle. We promptly left and headed out to BBQ on the River, a huge BBQ competition downtown on the waterfront. We walked around and nothing sounded appetizing to either of us. Howard asked if I'd rather eat at the little deli downtown and that sounded much better than BBQ so I agreed.

We began walking towards Kirchoff's when I realized it closed at 2 pm and went to check the time on my phone (It was 1:53 in case you are wondering). This isn't such a great idea while walking down a cobblestone street in flip flops. My right flip flop caught the lip of an upraised stone and I began to fall forward. I swear it happened in slow motion and my brain was going, "hahaha, you tripped, you silly girl, now catch yourself with your left foot". But then my left flip flop caught another stone and my brain was like, "hmmm....this isn't good". And down I went. HARD. Did I mention there is a BBQ fest going on and only like a gazillion people around to witness my epic fail? I landed first on my left knee and I swear I heard it shatter. Somehow, I managed to avoid any other injuries. Not even a scrape on my hand. Howard was trying really hard not to laugh at me considering everyone else around was very concerned about me and he didn't want to look like a total asshole. I was able to pick myself up and hobble off attempting to laugh away the pain. I guess it wasn't my knee that shattered, just my pride. Also, I would like to state for the record, that I did not have an ounce of alcohol in me at this time. I would never have fallen if I had.

The rest of the weekend was pretty uneventful. Just a lot of football and booze ;)

And just because, here are a couple pictures of Friday night's sunset taken from our front porch.

Stop Your Janglin'

2010-09-21T14:03:00.000-05:00

Last night, Howard's favorite team, the San Francisco 49ers were playing last year's Super Bowl Champs, the New Orleans Saints. Howard didn't have much hope for this game so his game plan was to get really drunk in hopes that he wouldn't remember how badly they got beat in the morning. Much to his surprise, they played well and had a chance to win up until the end. However, Howard's plan was already set in motion and there was no turning back. Needless to say, he was pretty wasted when the game ended and it was time for bed. Like normal, I took the dogs' collars off so we wouldn't be woken up by their incessant jangling. All was quiet in our room until I went to turn over and my necklace made the slightest jingle.

Howard: (muttering) Take their collars off.
Me: I did. It wasn't them.
Howard: Then who was it?
Me: It was me.
Howard: (bolting upright in bed) DANA, TAKE YOUR COLLAR OFF!

He immediately put his head back down and was fast asleep. I, on the other hand, couldn't stop laughing. And of course, he has no recollection of this.

I Heart Truck Drivers

2010-09-20T15:33:00.000-05:00

Today has been insane. Absolutely nothing has gone right. I haven't had a day like today since I first started. Don't get me wrong, I like to stay busy. It makes the day go by faster. But when you are busy because everything is spiralling out of control, well, that just plain sucks. Thankfully, I got a call a little while ago that made everything right again.

Me: Thanks for calling ***. How may I help you?
Caller: OK, where are you?
Me: Um, I'm in the office.
Caller: No, where is your business?
Me: Off of Route 1241.
Caller: Well, I'm on Canal Street like you told me.
Me: No, I didn't tell you anything about Canal Street.
Caller: Well, the broker did. So how do I get to you?
Me: I don't know. I don't know where you are.
Caller: I came in from 41 to 60.
Me: I'm sorry sir, I don't know where either of those roads are.
Caller: OK, well then how do I get there?
Me: I really don't know. I need to know where you are.
Caller: I'm on Canal Street in Henderson!
Me: I'm not sure where Henderson is.
Caller: YOU ARE LOCATED IN HENDERSON! HOW CAN YOU NOT KNOW WHERE IT IS?
Me: Because I'm not located in Henderson. I'm located in Hickory.
Caller: Oh......... Is this WSI?
Me: No, this is ***.
Caller: [Click]

Thank you random truck driver. You made my day.

I'm a Fantasy Ninja!

2010-09-15T18:29:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I was informed by my best friend, Ashley, that a surprise was on it's way for me. I really think she was making up for forgetting my birthday altogether last year but that's cool because I'm all for surprises. I came home to find a package from CafePress.com on my front porch. Upon opening it, I found a sweatshirt. But not just any sweatshirt. The BEST.SWEATSHIRT.EVER.

Ashley knows a lot about me, almost everything. She knows I love hoodies. She knows I live and breathe fantasy football during football season. She knows I'm messy and bought me a darker grey color to hide stains. She even knows of my secret ninja skills. Apparently what she doesn't know is that though I haven't seen her since Christmas, I haven't plumped up to a men's XL. When I tried the sweatshirt on, it was down to my knees. In her defense, she was just trying to make sure it was roomy since she also knows I like my hoodies that way.

Not willing to just hand this gift over to Howard, I decided to see what I could do about exchanging it for a smaller size. I figured I'd have to pay shipping to send it back and possibly even to get a new one sent to me but it was worth it. I mean, can you see the mini-ninja star in place of the "u" up there?

I found an online form on their website and simply filled out the form saying I would like to exchange the size from an XL to a Medium. I received an automated response back in seconds with a tracking number for further correspondence and a message stating I would receive an email within 24 hours regarding my inquiry. I wasn't feeling very optimistic.

Less than 10 minutes later, I received the following email:

Dear Dana,

Thank you for contacting CafePress.com!

I am sorry the item you received does not fit perfectly. I want you to be 100% satisfied with everything you purchase at CafePress.com. I am ordering you a replacement right away in the new size at no additional charge. You should receive the replacement by September 29th.

There is no need for a return! I do not want you to incur any additional shipping charges. Please keep the original as our way of saying thanks for shopping at CafePress.com.

If there is anything else I can do for you please let me know.

Best Regards,

Crystal V.
CafePress.com Support Representative

I'm sorry.

WHAT?!

Talk about customer service. I was beyond stunned.

They just won themselves a new loyal customer.

You know what this means, right? Howard and I going to look super dope in our matching football ninja sweatshirts.

Thanks Ashley!

I'm Old

2010-09-14T14:45:00.000-05:00

Sooo...yeah, I'm still alive. I just haven't had much to write about and I really don't want to bore you into unfollowing me. See that? I haven't been writing for your sake!

Today is my birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME. I love celebrating getting old. You know what I asked my parents for? A sewing machine. Just call me Grandma. A while back my friend Kere posted about finding herself sitting at home crafting on a Friday night. Kere is married with two beautiful little girls so it made sense. But me? I thought to myself, HA!, that will never be me. But alas, it is. I emailed Leslie this picture last Friday with the caption, "OMG, I'm old. This is my Friday night!"

I felt a little better when Leslie responded that she was already in bed at 9:44 pm though.

Then today as I'm browsing around facebook waiting on more happy birthday messages to come in making me feel popular and loved by people who haven't seen me in years and could probably care less but feel like it's their mandatory duty to wish me a happy birthday because they see my name staring them in the face (hint, hint), I came across a friend suggestion. It was a name I haven't heard in 15 years. Since I babysat him when he was 3 years old. He's married. I babysat the kid when he was 3. THREE. Thank you, kid, for making me feel every one of my 29 21 years old.

And the Winner is...

2010-09-03T11:01:00.000-05:00

Jennifer! Congratulations =) I'll be emailing you shortly.

jennifer said...

Orange please! GO HOKIESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Giveaway Reminder =)

2010-09-02T11:45:00.000-05:00

Don't forget to comment on my giveaway post for a chance to win!

August Freebies

2010-09-01T10:07:00.000-05:00

Make fun of me all you want but I love getting freebies in the mail. On vacation last week, I used a bunch of my free sample packs of lotions, shampoos and conditioners as well as a few other things. I was able to pack much lighter. So there.

New Giveaway!

2010-08-31T15:07:00.001-05:00

I'm addicted to online shopping. Ever since I discovered how easy Christmas shopping was from the comfort of my couch, actual store shopping hasn't been the same. One click shopping while drinking a beer and watching old reruns of 90210? Yes ma'am, sign me up!

I've been browsing a lot more lately since deciding on redecorating room by room. As I stated in my last post, I'm starting with the office but sometimes my finger gets a bit itchy and I start looking at items for other rooms like modern duvet covers for the bedroom. Considering our current comforter is camouflage with fish on it (What? It's comfortable...), I think it's about time to update.

(Hey Mom, Christmas is right around the corner. I promise shopping from your couch with a beer in hand is more awesome than you think. In case you want to practice your online shopping skills, I'll take this one. Don't forget the cute birdie pillow! Thanks.)

I would also be content with a Philadelphia Eagles blanket. And pillows. And sheets. And curtains. And sofa. And recliner. Is it weird that I'm nearing 29 and would be perfectly happy with a decked out Eagles room? Don't answer that. I love football. It's another addiction of mine.

To get into the upcoming football season (that I have been oh so patiently waiting FOREVER for), CSN Stores is once again sponsoring a giveaway!

This basket would be perfect to take tailgating! It would be perfect to take many places but I've got football on the mind.

Just leave a comment (one per person) stating which color you would prefer if you were to win. Make sure to include your email address if I don't already have it. I will pick the winner using a random generator on Friday at 11 AM CST. Unfortunately, this is only open to US Residents at this time.

Good luck!

File Cabinet Transformation

2010-08-30T11:00:00.003-05:00

We moved into our house back in the middle of January. I swore to everyone that I would post pictures as soon as I had finished decorating. Do you know how expensive decorating is? We were moving from a small 2 bedroom apartment into a rather large rancher. I also never decorated the apartment since we were only supposed to be there 6 months. 6 months somehow turned into 2 years and yet, I never hung one single picture. I never even bought one single picture.

Upon moving in, I had ideas for each room in the house. Unfortunately I didn't have the money to make those ideas happen. I gave up after about 2 weeks and the house has sat nearly empty all this time. Sure, we have some furniture but that's about it. Take for example the guest room and office/guest room. The only reason those rooms have beds is because Howard's mom and grandmother visited in April and we didn't think it would be polite to ask them to pitch a tent out back or crash on the couches. I know! We are THAT nice.

So after 8 months of living in a barren house, I've decided the key is to go room by room. Attempting to decorate a whole house is intimidating and expensive. I wanted to start on a smaller scale so I chose the office/guest room. I just finished my first project so I figured I'd share.

As ugly as our filing cabinets are, we need at least one. There was nothing technically wrong with either of them. But talk about an eyesore. I chose the one I thought was less offensive and gave it a makeover. The other one will go downstairs in the basement in storage for the time being.

BEFORE

AFTER

Howard, who was at first skeptical of my creative talents, even admitted he loves it. He wants me to do the other one. It was extremely easy. I just used some spray paint and vinyl wall art panels.

Sometimes I even impress myself.

2010-08-27T11:24:00.000-05:00

This morning Howard and I ate at a diner in Greeneville, TN. I overheard a conversation between the cashier and a customer while the customer was checking out.

Cashier: Thank you. Have a great day!

Customer: I plan on it. Had a bad one back in '84. Didn't much like it so I decided not to have anymore.

Seriously. Awesome.

Olive To Sew Giveaway!

2010-08-19T11:55:00.000-05:00

My friend and sorority sister, Kere, is having a giveaway over on her blog! The best part is you get to choose the prize =) And there is so much to choose from. Just visit her website to browse around and find something you love, then head on over to her blog to enter.

Be Nice To Me Karma...Please?

2010-08-19T10:00:00.005-05:00

This past weekend, Howard and I agreed to do nothing. No adventuring into town. No grocery shopping. No leaving the house at all. On Saturday morning, he slept in. On Sunday morning, I slept in. I woke up around noon and made my way to the kitchen. Howard was standing at the fridge packing a mini-cooler with beer.

WOW! Already?

If you had my morning, you'd be doing the same.

Oh?

There was a snake in the garage.

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Why are you laughing? It's not funny.

Yes. It SO is.

I laughed as he proceeded to tell me all about finding it. I laughed as he described creeping across the garage to get the shovel. I laughed and laughed because I was imagining my experience with the already dead snake I attempted to kill. My laugh turned into more of a nervous chuckle when he began describing hosing all of the blood out of the garage.

Blood?

Yes, Dana, blood. Take a look at the picture I took to determine if it was poisonous.

Insert a ton of bleeps here and then finally... That is not a snake. That is an anaconda! What the hell is in it's mouth?

A frog. (As my face crumbles and he knows I might cry...) But don't worry, once I hit it with the shovel, the frog happily hopped away. (Shut up and let me believe what I want.)

I have put off writing this until now because Howard's been out of town. I couldn't help but believe Karma was going to leave a snake in my bed as my punishment for laughing hysterically at a situation I ~~may not~~ absolutely no freaking chance would have been able to handle. And we all know I would be on my way to ~~Northern Virginia~~ the nearest hotel for the night.

And why not Northern VA? Because of GChat conversations with people back in Nova from the past two days that start like this:

Amanda: took me 2 1/2 hours to get into work today

AND:

Kathleen: DMV since 7:30am didn't get out until 10 am

If you read my list of reasons why I like living in KY, you will find:

c. Absolutely no traffic...ever

AND:

g. No lines or taking numbers at the "DMV"

I WIN! Snakes and all.

Pour Some Sugar On...My Teeth

2010-08-10T14:40:00.000-05:00

I really hate the dentist. Not the dentist himself, but the whole idea of the dentist. I strongly believe it is a form of legal torture. Yet I submit myself to the pain every 6 months for my pearly ~~white~~ whitish teeth. Bad teeth genes kind of run in my family so it's no surprise the dentist finds at least one cavity during each visit. Once he found 14. But let's not get into that right now.

Last week I noticed what looked to be a black spot on one of my back molars. I, of course, freaked out. I figured my tooth was rotting. I called my mom near tears. I called my dad and blamed him for procreating. He, in turn, made jokes about me trying to fit in with my toothless employees. I harassed my friends over GChat with disturbing mental images of my decaying tooth. I made promises to myself to floss 4 times a day for the rest of my life. To never drink another soda. To cut sugar completely out of my diet. To never drink another beer (bahahaha). Then I called the dentist.

My appointment was set for this past Friday at 4 pm. I had a little more than 48 hours to go. I couldn't stop thinking about how much my tooth was rotting with each passing second and I made sure whoever I was talking to at the time was thinking about it too. I checked it every hour in the bathroom mirror. I received a call Friday around lunch that the dentist was very ill and had gone home for the day and she needed to reschedule me for Tuesday at 11:30 am. Cue my emotional breakdown over the phone with the receptionist. DON'T YOU GET IT? MY TOOTH WILL BE GONE BY THEN! And then I thought that maybe if my tooth did fall out, I could sue. And then I would be rich enough to get new, perfect non-rotting teeth!

Today I went to my appointment. I drove over 30 minutes to get there. I was very nervous the entire time. I kept thinking about how the dentist had told me in March to make sure to floss everyday. And how I flossed like once...in 6 months. When I checked in, the receptionist told me that my insurance wasn't covering today's appointment and that it would be $50 plus 20% of any service the dentist needed to perform. Dollar signs bounced around my head. What does a rotting tooth cost these days? I settled back in the chair and showed him the problem. It took him, oh, about 3.7 seconds to tell me that what I was seeing was just a small reflection of an old filling I had between my teeth. It was casting a small shadow on my tooth. My tooth is fine.

Huh.

He said he appreciated my proactive attitude about my oral health and said he wouldn't even tell the insurance company I was here today. Instead he will charge it to them in September when I come back for my cleaning. I'm not sure exactly what 3.7 seconds of scanning my mouth costs but I'm glad I'm not the one paying for it.

Oh, and then I went to Quiznos which made it all worth it.

In conclusion? Screw flossing. Hand me a beer. My teeth are badass.

Elrod's Fine Liquors

2010-08-06T10:56:00.000-05:00

We discovered the very last liquor store we can go to before crossing over into dry country on the way home from Paducah a couple months ago. We knew from the very instant we walked in, that this was a special liquor store. Our first hint was the man behind the counter. Long, brown mullet. A lit, Marlboro Red hanging from the left side of his mouth. A tattered, old flannel vest hanging open, no shirt underneath leaving his rotund beer belly exposed. In his hands, a wooden bat. As Howard and I approached the Bud Light cooler, I whisperered, "Where are we?" His response? "Kentucky".

When we got to the counter Howard asked what the bat was for. The guy, let's call him Elrod, said he had just chased two thieving punks out. Howard then asked to use the bathroom. Elrod says, "Sure. You're in luck, it's not in use right now." And then points over his shoulder out the window towards a clump of trees and bushes.

Howard coming back from the "bathroom".

Since then, we've been in a few more times. Each time we get a little more comfortable. After looking over his weapon collection behind the bar, Howard asked him where his shotgun was. Elrod didn't waste any time explaining to us that the police took it when he was arrested back in October and charged with a felony. His court date is in late August and he has to sell the liquor store before then or it will be taken from him as it is illegal to own and operate a liquor store with a felony on your record. We haven't asked what he was arrested for yet. Maybe next time.

He has several signs hanging around the store. Most are handmade and warn of the dangers of stealing. This one is my favorite:

He obviously has no dogs on the premises. And that electric sign? It says "Y'all Come Back". Except he doesn't spell come that way. Let's just say it's a little more explicit. Needless to say, I'm going to be very sad when this fine establishment closes down or trades ownership.

On the Front Porch

2010-08-06T09:37:00.000-05:00

Meet Bella =)

2010-08-06T09:33:00.000-05:00

My newest niece, Bella! Congrats Karen & John!

Spice Jenga

2010-08-02T17:46:00.000-05:00

Howard and I usually end up standing around the kitchen island talking on weekend nights when drinking. This past weekend, Spice Jenga was born. Our spices are on the center of the island on a lazy susan. I'm not sure who started the game but it was highly entertaining. We made sure to take out all of the glass jars (after the first one fell and luckily did not break). I posted a picture on Facebook by accident. I was trying to email the picture to Howard's brother and hit the wrong button. The responses I got were varied. I think most people were wondering what Kentucky has done to us but this is nothing new. We have always made games out of the most random things in an effort to entertain ourselves. Don't judge us.

July Freebies

2010-08-02T17:34:00.000-05:00

Check out everything I received for free in the mail during the month of July!

Who said nothing in life is free ;)

PS. This is my 200th blog post. Go me!

Heaven on Earth

2010-07-29T11:30:00.000-05:00

All I need is a boat and Kentucky Lake, and my life might be complete.

Damn, I'm Old

2010-07-20T12:34:00.000-05:00

I don't know what's going on with me lately but I never feel like blogging. Maybe because my life has become less than exciting on all accounts. Or the strange things that once happened in Western KY are no longer strange to me (which is just a terrifying thought). Something interesting or funny will happen and I'll tell Howard, I have to remember to write about that later. And then later, it just doesn't seem all that interesting or funny anymore. You know, like when I'm drunk. Everything is funny then. Not so much the next day. Maybe I should try blogging while drunk...

Seriously, when did I all of a sudden get old? I watch cooking and home design shows. Regularly. I subscribe to magazines I used to make fun of my mom for. I stay home on weekends and mow the lawn and plant vegetables and water flowers. And when those flowers die (because I have no clue what I'm doing despite countless magazines and tv shows), I go to the nursery and buy new ones to replace them. I scour the internet for free samples and coupons and get excited when I find them. WHAT HAS BECOME OF ME? Dude, I'm SO boring. And I'm not even 30 yet. I don't even have kids!

Sad, right? Wrong. I'm not sad. I'm weirdly happy about this whole "settling down" thing. I like flowers and homegrown vegetables and House Hunters and Everyday with Rachel Ray and freebies. OK, so I might actually be a little too obsessed about free stuff in my mailbox everyday. I blame Shannon for turning me onto Hip2Save.com.

That all came in one week. Christmas every single day, folks!

But if I keep this boring, dull life up, I'm not going to have much to blog about. There is no possible way I can write about cooking and crafts and gardening because I am an epic failure at all of them. I think I'm gonna have to give that drunk blogging idea a shot.

Giveaway Winner

2010-07-19T13:09:00.000-05:00

I completely forgot I was posting a winner at 1 pm today so I'm a little late. The winner is commenter #1!

Leslie said...

I would use my gift certificate to buy Howard some more ducks!

Please buy something nice for yourself! Howard doesn't need any more ducks! Hope you're enjoying your vacation =) I will be emailing you your certificate shortly.

Random Pictures From My Phone

2010-07-14T15:27:00.000-05:00

On my afternoon drive home yesterday =)

Sometimes Howard's brother sends us things that aren't duck related, but bird related. He sent this with the Hooters duck back in May but we just now got a chance to hang it (<----read: we've been extremely lazy)

This is the biggest moth I've ever seen. Don't mind my dying flowers...

Have I mentioned lately that I love these guys?

My Idea of a Good Friend

2010-07-14T13:29:00.000-05:00

Last week I was discussing the keyword "vanity" for my giveaway post with Amanda J. I needed to figure out how to write something relevant to this blog and mention the keyword CSN Stores had given me. I was chatting with Amanda on Gchat so I asked her. Her response:

Amanda: hmmmmmmm
no idea
you're not vain at all
i am
you can talk trash about me if you want

Now that is a good friend. Sacrificing herself for the sake of my blog. If I didn't love her so much, I might have taken her up on it ;)

Howard the Duck + a New Giveaway

2010-07-13T15:10:00.000-05:00

If you read to the end of my long story, I promise to make it worth your while =)

My boyfriend's name is Howard. Remember the AWFUL movie, "Howard the Duck"? Well, of course, he coined that nickname when the movie was released. And then Howard "the Duck" decided to go off to college at the University of Oregon. The mascot there? A duck. Once upon a time I thought this was a very cute and funny story. Then I moved to Kentucky and in with Howard "the Duck". And so it began. It started slowly at first. Here a duck. There a duck. But as time progressed, I began finding them everywhere.

I have no idea where this one came from. It miraculously appeared on a bookcase one day.

His mom sent us this one last week.

I believe this came from China where Howard's brother's girlfriend visited this past year. We seriously get so many ducks in the mail, I lose track of where they came from.

A duck shotglass. He refuses to let me use it.

We even have ducks on our bathroom vanity. Howard's brother gave them to him for Christmas. He even included a duck bath mat but that's where I put my foot down. I told Howard that I was only allowing them to stay out until his brother visited and then I was putting them away. That was a month ago and I have yet to make good on that promise. Something tells me they would magically reappear anyway.

Duck magnets!

A Hooters rubber duckie. This came in the mail back in May. Also from Howard's brother. Of course.

And this one? In April when Howard's mom was visiting, we found this in a large brush pile. It's broken but he insisted on cleaning it up and keeping it anyway.

I was shopping last week killing some time while Howard was at a doctor's appointment. I was in the pool section when I came across a couple holding this duck chlorinator. The husband was telling his wife he wanted it but his wife wasn't paying attention. He put it down. It was the only one. I grabbed it and ran when they weren't looking. It was then I decided, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

I bought my first duck for Howard.

Are you still with me? Good, on to the reward!

It's time for another giveaway courtesy of CSN Stores. And this time, I'm not going to be picking the prize, you are! I'll be giving away a $40 gift certificate to any one of CSN's 200+ stores. Trust me, they sell EVERYTHING.

To enter, just make sure you are a follower of this blog and leave a comment on what you would use the gift certificate to purchase =)

I'll close the giveaway Monday July 19th at 1 PM CST and pick a winner via random online generator.

Good luck!

(Open to US Residents only. Sorry!)

My Promise

2010-07-08T10:41:00.000-05:00

Howard called me yesterday afternoon to tell me he was finished working and was going to eat Mexican food, drink margaritas and watch the World Cup Semi-Finals. It was 1:15 pm. I was jealous. Not about the Mexican part but the rest sounded awesome. So what do you do when you're jealous?

Me: Hey, so what do you think about me leaving early, say...right now, to go drink margaritas and watch soccer?
Boss: I say get the hell out of here!

Done. I promise to never complain about my job again.

Fireworks!

2010-07-06T12:12:00.000-05:00

Howard and I decided to drive out to Missouri on Saturday to visit Boomland where they sell amazing fireworks that are illegal in Kentucky. It took about an hour driving on backroads avoiding the highways. It was well worth it Sunday night when Howard put on my very own, personal fireworks show.

Happy 4th =)

2010-07-01T09:12:00.000-05:00

After 6 months of living in Graves County, I finally decided to go get my driver's license and registration changed over on Tuesday morning. I was told to go to the County Courthouse in Mayfield to get this done. I walked in and several people were sitting on benches in the hallway. I had no idea what I was doing so I asked the nearest stranger where to go to change my driver's license and he pointed down the hall. I walked down the hall passing courtrooms until I came to a little nook that said, "Driver's License". I was the only one there. There were only 2 chairs in the entire "waiting room". Although she wasn't very friendly and didn't tell me when she was taking my picture so I ended up with a license with what looks like a mugshot, I was still done in less than 10 minutes. I asked her where to go to get my registration done and she pointed to the elevator and told me to go down a floor. Again, when I walked in, I was the only one there and was helped immediately. One more reason to love KY. No actual DMVs!

***

Sunday night, we brought the dogs in from their nightly walk and let them off their leashes. They both darted through the kitchen to a corner where their food is stored. At first we thought they were both very hungry but then we noticed they weren't looking at the food but underneath the rolling drawer. Howard pulled the cabinet out and a tiny little mouse ran out from underneath and darted down the hallway and under the closed spare bedroom door with Copper and Jack on its heels. Howard set a mousetrap in the room and we went to bed.

On Monday, I was sitting on the couch and Howard was standing to my left telling me a story. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the mouse enter the living room behind Howard. He could tell something was wrong so he turned quickly and saw it dart back into the kitchen. Copper had seen it too so he was now on the chase. He cornered it near the garage door but it escaped and ran down the stairs under the closed basement door. Howard moved the trap from the spare bedroom to the basement.

On Tuesday, I had just gotten in from taking the dogs out after work and was standing at the kitchen island going through the mail. Copper and Jack were back in the corner near the garage door sniffing. I turned my head to watch just as the mouse ran for the closed basement door again. Except this time, Copper was faster. All of a sudden, half the mouse was hanging out of Copper's mouth. I screamed and Copper dropped the mouse and ran behind me along with Jack. There on the floor, is a poor little Fievel, half-dead struggling to make it to the basement door. I knew I couldn't leave it there because Copper wasn't ready to be done with it. So I took two red solo cups and scooped the mouse up and tossed everything into a plastic bag. And yes, I may have been crying the whole time.

***

I hope everyone has a happy and safe 4th of July! We have decided to make it pretty low-key this year. Me, Howard, the dogs, the grill, the pool, some beer and fireworks. It doesn't get much better than that!

I'm a Slacker

2010-06-24T14:28:00.000-05:00

I've been slacking on blogging lately. My B.

This is normally what happens every morning on my way to work. I get stuck behind the Amish. You would think I would adjust my timing a little and leave before the Amish go to do whatever it is they do. But no. That's just not how I roll.

****

Last week I called a guy advertising on Vci.net for bushhogging. He came out Monday morning to cut the tall grass in our field since our lawn mower can't handle it. I was backing down the driveway when Howard met him on the road to show him where to go. I noticed he was on a bright blue tractor and figured he couldn't live very far since he had driven the tractor to our house. Later that afternoon on my way home from work, I noticed the very same tractor parked in a yard on our road about 2.5 miles away. It just happened to be the sexual offender's yard. Awesome. Definitely not the same guy since the picture posted online is of an older man and the guy who helped us was much younger. A son? A nephew? Does it run in the family? All questions I hope I never get an answer to.

Read Me!

2010-06-23T12:41:00.000-05:00

Every morning when my alarm on my phone goes off, I lay around for a few minutes checking Facebook or Google Reader. Then I slowly make my way to the bathroom with phone in hand. I place my phone on the window ledge because it's the dryest part of the bathroom. I don't want to risk setting it in a puddle of water on the bathroom counter in fear of the little white circle near the battery turning that hideous red color that means: WARNING! WARNING! This girl is reckless with her phone! So I went about taking a shower and getting ready and I looked over at my phone on the ledge once and thought, I should put that in my pocket now, but then thought, nah, I'll remember it.

And did I? Of course not. My phone is hopefully still perched up on the bathroom window ledge. Hopefully I didn't turn into Miss Popular today and hopefully my phone isn't busy vibrating it's way off the ledge. Because did I mention said ledge is right above the toilet? No? Well it is. Directly above.

So please, for the love of God, DO NOT CALL ME. DO NOT TEXT ME. DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT ME.

Thank you in advance.

I Seriously Hate Titles

2010-06-21T13:06:00.000-05:00

Friday afternoon I got off early and headed home. We still don't have internet at home. Don't ask me why. I think I'm just afraid to hear the internet companies tell me there is no internet where we live. But I had figured out a way to link my Droid to my computer to use the internet on the actual desktop. I was staring at my real Facebook page for the 1st time in 6 months. It's definitely changed since the last time I saw it. Howard got home and announced he was going to the liquor store. I was torn between playing on Facebook and riding with him. I settled on riding along so I could look at the scenery since I'm normally the one that's driving.

On the way there, I noticed several deep ravines off the narrow road. On the way back, I was thinking about the ravines and how awful it would be to drive off the side of the road into one of them. I noticed a sanitation truck coming towards us on the road and immediately began wondering how the two vehicles would pass by each other. Howard solved this by driving with the passenger side wheels partially off the road, which in turn, petrified me. We made it by safely and I thought everything was swell until Howard looks into his rearview and exclaims, "they just flipped!" And I'm all like, na uh, no way, that didn't happen and I swivel around in my chair and what do you know, the truck was gone.

Howard slammed on his brakes and pulled into a driveway to turn around. We sped back towards where he said the truck had gone over and I'm still thinking, this couldn't have just happened. And then I see it.

The driver was climbing out a second later and we were asking him if he was ok. Amazingly, he was. And so was his passenger. The driver reinjured an old knee problem and the passenger had a small cut on his hand but besides that, they were unharmed.

Apparently they had gone onto what the driver perceived as the shoulder to avoid us and the car behind us, but hit soft dirt instead. Down they went.

Saturday, we ran errands, had lunch at Olive Garden and stopped by the bar for a few. When we got home, we decided to chlorinate the pool for the 1st time. We had bought some chlorine tablets at Walmart but didn't read the directions while we were there. We didn't know you couldn't just toss it into the pool. It needs to be in a floating device so it doesn't eat through the pool lining. So Howard took a gatorade bottle, poked some holes in it, inserted the tablet and threw it in the pool. He also decided to put some more water in the pool. Fast forward to 5 hours later when we were walking the dogs. I looked at the pool in the moonlight and yelled to Howard, "IT MELTED!". I immediately assumed it was from the chlorine tablet but then realized it had overflowed and half the pool water had drained out. So our garden got a good dose of chlorinated water. That's good for plants, right?

Saturday night we played pool for the 1st time since moving in and receiving the pool table from friends. I won the first game! More like Howard lost it by scratching on the 8 ball but I'll take the win anyway I can get it. I then proceeded to lose the next 4. Copper and Jack were lounging on their bed in the basement which is really a bunch of old ratty blankets heaped on the floor. I glanced over at them and thought I saw something small and black moving. I lifted up the blankets and this is what I found.

At least it wasn't a snake. Howard captured him with 2 red solo cups and released him back into the night. Then I most likely ran over him the next day with the lawnmower.

Celtics!!

2010-06-15T12:26:00.000-05:00

I can't wait for Game 6 tonight!!!! Go Celtics! Beat L.A!

Things I Heart

2010-06-11T13:11:00.000-05:00

1. A/C Slater. Yes I named my A/C unit. I'm cool like that. We are going to be dear, dear friends.

2. Eminem. No, his new album isn't out yet but I was able to get my hands on it anyway. I'm in love with song #9. I've played it 17 times...in a row. I've never been one to pump music at full volume with my windows down. I've always been more of a regular volume, A/C girl (no way, really?). But the last couple days, I've been trying to blow my speakers out with the volume at max, windows down, hair flying, attempting to rap along. I've even found myself driving extremely slow down my road in order to listen to one more song. It's that good.

3. The weekend. And we have no plans. None. We can do whatever we want. And if I get my way, I'll be in the pool on a float with a drink in hand...until Monday morning. Have a great weekend!

Oh Happy Day!

2010-06-11T12:15:00.000-05:00

For the last 10 days, I've had to go out of my way to get to work. I've had to travel a little back road where the speed limit is 55 but no one seems to be in any rush and 35 seems to be the max anyone will do. They closed the parkway down northbound from mile marker 14 to 21. The worst part is I wouldn't remember until I got to the road to get onto the parkway and saw the closed sign. Therefore I have been late to work the past 10 days. Southbound never closed down (knock on wood) so my ride home was always a breeze. Yesterday on my way home, I saw this:

Nothing special right? WRONG. That is a car coming northbound on the parkway. It has reopened. It was the happiest day of my life.

Until today.

Yesterday was miserable. It was 88 degrees in my office. I was cranky. And I hate being cranky. I was sweating. My clothes were sticking to me in all the wrong ways. My back was acting up. I have never dreaded coming to work but I did this morning. I didn't want a repeat of yesterday. I was telling Howard about it when he arrived home from work yesterday afternoon. His response was, "I have the exact opposite problem. My boss keeps the temperature at 67". And to him I said, "Put a freaking (<---yeah, because we all know that's the word I used) sweater on and shut it". What? I told you I was cranky. It's not like I can wear a bathing suit to work. Though I'm sure the guys would love it.

But today it all changed. I no longer have to work in the dark to reduce the temperature. I finally asked Charlie to buy me an A/C unit. And by asked, I mean convinced. I may have said things like:

...The minute I get hot today, I am leaving. And the minute I get hot on Monday, I am leaving. And so on and so on.

...My back started hurting again yesterday. Remember last June when it started hurting? I think it has to do with the heat! I am going to sue for my medical issues. Can you say WORKER'S COMP?

...I ripped my jeans yesterday. A big hole in the front. Do you know how I did that? They ripped when I tried to pry them off my sticky, sweaty leg. I am sending a bill for a replacement pair.

...GET ME A DAMN A/C UNIT!

So here I am. A/C, lights and all. And honestly, I'm a little cold now. I might turn my space heater on.

Egg Off

2010-06-08T14:25:00.001-05:00

Yesterday evening Howard and I were standing around the kitchen island discussing what to have for dinner. We couldn't come to a consensus on dinner but we did decide to make egg salad for today's lunch. He put the pot of water on the stove to boil and it dawned on me that we should have a competition. This is probably due to the fact that his brother had spent the last 3 days with us and everything had become a competition.

Who can throw a football into the pool?
Who can kick a football into the pool?
Who can kick a soccer ball into the pool?
Who can chip a golf ball into the pool?
Who can win at racketball off the barn siding?
Who can win at beer pong?
Who can take the pong ball and bounce it off 3 walls and into the cup?
Who can win at NHL '94 on Super Nintendo on the 13 inch TV in the basement?

So I said to Howard, "Let's have an EGG OFF!" And of course, he was game.

I'm a huge fan of Deviled Eggs. So I figure why not make a Deviled Egg Salad. We used a lot of the same ingredients but they came out completely different. And guess who won?

ME!

He even admitted it. And because it was really that good, it became our dinner. His became his lunch today. And for me, I could care less that I didn't get a lunch out of the deal because all that matters was I WON. And at something related to cooking.

CHAMPION!

Update:

Here is the recipe.

Deviled Egg Salad

6 hard-boiled eggs, chopped finely
1 tsp. brown spicy mustard
2 tbsp. real mayonnaise
1 tsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. all purpose seasoning salt
1/8 tsp. ground pepper
1 tsp. sweet pickle relish
1 dash Soy Sauce
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

Mix all ingredients together.
Makes about 2 cups.

Picnic Basket Winner!

2010-06-07T14:33:00.001-05:00

Forgive me for not posting this sooner, but Blogger has been down all day until now. Apparently only in isolated areas because others could get on and post with no problems. However, this did not stop me from picking a winner at 11 AM sharp.

The lucky winner is Amanda J!

Here is Amanda's comment:

I would use it for a picnic or even take it out to a Tarana winery and chill on the lake in the sun :)
And yes Dana, I would take you on a romantic pinic too (if you would hurry up and come back to visit)!

Congrats Amanda! You should receive an email confirming the item is being sent to you shortly.

1 Year Anniversary of THE List

2010-06-03T15:55:00.000-05:00

Today marks the one year anniversary of the day I started my 101 Things List. I'm actually quite impressed that I've kept up with it all this time. So far, I've managed to knock 36 items off. A lot of them were silly items that reminded me of my childhood, like making a snow angel and constructing a lego set. Others were to help me try new things, like recipes and restaurants. And some were just fun, like attending an Eagles game and a random sporting event.

When I first told Howard about my list, I'm pretty sure he rolled his eyes and asked me why I was doing something so completely useless. But he's come around. While strolling downtown looking for a restaurant to eat at, Howard pointed out one we had been to before. I told him we couldn't go there because I needed one more new restaurant to get to 10 so I could cross it off my list. He just nodded and we walked on until we came to one neither of us had eaten at. He will also randomly ask me if there is anything we can do to cross something off my list.

My friends are also very supportive. I'm pretty sure Amanda J. knows my list better than I do. If I tell her about my weekend and I mention something, she will immediately ask me if I crossed it off my list. A lot of the time it's something I've completely forgotten I even added. Leslie made it possible to help me cross of carving a pumpkin by hosting a pumpkin carving party when we went to Indy to visit her last October. Now I'm just waiting on the one person who's going to make item #15 happen. Someone has to come visit me. AND SOON!

My good friend and sorority sister, Jayme, inspired me to start my list. And in turn, Leslie, Heather, Dawn and Emily have all started lists as well. It's fun and really motivates me to do things I wouldn't normally do.

So a BIG thank you to everyone for loving my silly little list with me. Only 636 more days to go!

Your Turn!

2010-06-03T12:01:00.000-05:00

If any of you bloggers out there would like a chance to have CSN Stores host a giveaway on your site, drop me a line. The woman I worked with this last time is looking for more blogs and asked me to refer anyone who is interested.

And I want to win, so DO IT.

Lovely Day for a Pic-a-Nic, eh Boo Boo! (Giveaway)

2010-06-02T14:51:00.001-05:00

When Howard told me he was taking the entire week of Memorial Day off, I thought he was crazy. Why would he want to waste an entire week of vacation (maybe because he has something like 4 weeks a year) and not go anywhere? That's just silly talk. However, I am extremely jealous at the moment. He has called me 3 times today so far.

"Hey, guess what? I'm swimming around the pool."

"Hey, what's up? I'm doing flips in the pool"

"Hey, what are you doing? Really, that sucks, I'm on a FLOAT"

Currently, I am sitting in my office with the lights off in an effort to reduce any source of heat because I honestly feel like if it gets 1 degree hotter in here, I will melt. The A/C is broken (and has been for 2 years now) and apparently no one is in a big hurry to get it fixed. No one but me that is. Seriously, I just ran outside because I saw it was sprinkling and felt like the rain would cool me down. Now I'm just wet. And sticky.

But enough of me complaining. Let's give something away, shall we? CSN Stores has graciously offered to sponsor another giveaway here on Lucky? in Kentucky.

Here is today's giveaway prize: Picnic Time Corsica Wine & Cheese Picnic Basket

And here are the deets:

Convenient and practical, the Corsica picnic basket is perfect for wine and cheese lovers, picnics, concerts and travel. Made from willow and fully lined with canvas, this easy to carry two-bottle wine basket provides great insulation. The upright position makes it very easy to store all of your wine and cheese necessities. The cheese knife, cutting board, and a corkscrew are all included which makes this picnic basket a wonderful gift idea!

Features
•2 Compartments for wine bottles
•Stainless steel waiter-style corkscrew
•Hardwood cutting board (6" x 6")
•Stainless steel cheese knife with wood handle
•Insulated wine and cheese basket
•Adjustable shoulder strap makes it easy to carry

Specifications
•Basket materials: willow and polyester canvas accented with leather
•Color: tan / gold basket lining
•Weight: 5 lbs
•Overall dimensions: 14" H x 9.5" W x 4.5" D

I can see taking this to a concert back home at Wolf Trap. Or down to the lake for a picnic. Or grabbing a blanket and Howard and heading out to a big field to watch the twinkly lights up above us. Actually, no, I can't see doing that last one because that is far more romantic than we will ever be. But I can see YOU doing it.

Entering is simple. Just leave a comment (one comment per person) stating what you would use the wine basket for.

All comments should be in by 11 AM CST on Monday, June 7th. I will pick a winner via random online generator. Good luck!

Thank you all for reading =)

PS. A summer storm just rolled in and lowered the temperature outside by almost 20 degrees. Take that, Howard! See, complaining does work sometimes.

I Killed It!...Or Not

2010-05-25T10:06:00.000-05:00

Before taking Copper to the vet yesterday, I took both him and Jack for a quick walk. Copper was "taking care of business" when I noticed a snake a couple feet from him. I watched it closely until Copper was done and then hurriedly took both of them back in the house. That's when I realized I had to kill it. Howard was out of town and I still had to walk both dogs later that night in the dark. I put some boots on and grabbed the shovel. And my phone so I could take a picture so Howard would believe me of course.

I slammed the shovel on it and split it in half but it didn't even move. It was actually already dead. BUT. That's not the point. The point here is that I tried to kill it. I would have killed it if it weren't already dead! I'm so impressed with myself. You should be too. After beating it a couple more times (just in case), I scooped it up with the shovel and began carrying it to the woods. I kept my eyes on it (just in case) almost the entire time. The second I took my eyes away to check to make sure the path was clear of more snakes, a bee came whizzing by my head. In a moment of panic, I believed it was the snake (because clearly a snake in 4 pieces makes a buzzing noise) and involuntarily shuddered causing the snake to fly up into the air. Luckily I found all the pieces so I won't have to worry about Jack or Copper coming up with a piece in their mouth. My life is so awesome.

Screw You, Monday

2010-05-24T13:28:00.000-05:00

Where to start....

Friday afternoon, I met Howard downtown after he dropped his car off at the dealership he just bought it from. The day he bought it, the check engine light came on. He called them and they told him to bring it back in. Before he did that, he took it to the place we trust. They told him that the thermostat needed to be replaced and the serpentine belt was very worn as well. Howard took it back to the dealership and of course they told him that the only thing wrong was the thermostat needed to be reset. That's when his tricky move came in handy and he told them he had already had it looked at. Er, um, wellllll. Yeah, buddy, replace it and while you are at it, take a look at that serpentine belt. So when he left, he had an appointment for Friday to have both items replaced.

After dropping the car off, we met at a restaurant. I ordered fried shrimp with remoulade sauce. See, I don't order shrimp with remoulade sauce for the shrimp. I order it for the remoulade. I don't even particularly like fried shrimp but I LOVE remoulade. There were a couple things on the menu that looked good but my eyes kept coming back to remoulade sauce. Yummm. I told Howard that's why I was ordering it and strangely, he just nodded because he already knew that. When I get my plate, I see cocktail sauce. I asked about the remoulade and she tells me they are out of it. I know it's just a sauce but THAT IS WHY I ORDERED THE DISH. Seriously, I was angry. I didn't express it to her of course because I know what they do to your food when you are mean to them. I've seen "Waiting". But if I order something on the menu and you are out of a certain part of that dish, I think you should tell me. End rant.

While downtown, I snapped a couple pictures.

That white structure is actually Howard's gauge station. He goes in there and hooks his computer up and does things. And then he takes a boat and goes across the river measuring at different intervals. Or something.

These are pictures of the wall that runs along the river. It goes on and on and I've never really taken the time to walk it and read about the murals. Probably because Howard gets bored after one. Hence why I only have two pictures before he was dragging me away.

After lunch, we headed back to the dealership to get Howard's car. They said they had fixed the belt but their mechanic wasn't skilled enough to change out the thermostat. They wanted us to bring the car back Monday so they could take it somewhere else to get it fixed. Howard asked for the new thermostat and said he would take it somewhere to get it done Saturday he wasn't going to be taking anymore time off work. We dropped the car off at the place we trust and headed home.

Saturday, we went to pick it up and promptly headed over to the dealership to give them the receipt. They had said they would reimburse Howard for $80 only. But after discussing it, we felt like they should reimburse the entire amount of $140. We went in and handed the guy the receipt. He started arguing and between Howard and I "speaking loudly" about the reasons we believed they should pay for all of it and the customers stopping to stare at us, it didn't take long before he was agreeing with us. I'm pretty sure he just wanted us out of there.

We stopped by Walmart and bought an inflatable pool. Howard's co-worker had purchased one that morning for $79 and said it was extremely easy to set up. It was going to be 93 degrees on Sunday and we had yardwork to do so we went ahead and got it.

We set it up when we got home on what we thought was level ground. Not so much. The water was spilling out one side once it was filling up. We drained it and started over. Nothing we did worked. We even drove to the neighbors and asked them for their secrets. They didn't have any. Turns out we are just epic failures. Not sure if we are going to return it and upgrade or try and make it work again. I just know we've wasted a TON of water so far.

Sunday afternoon, I was sitting on the couch happily watching HGTV when Howard comes in and tells me not to lift a certain board up outside. He said there was a snake under it. Then he says, well I wasn't going to tell you but there are actually 2 of them. He was going back outside to attempt to kill them. When his cell phone rang 15 minutes later, I grabbed it and without thinking ran out the door without shoes to give him his phone. I ran around the corner and came upon Howard weilding a shovel and that's when it dawned on me. Oh right! Howard's killing snakes out here. He lifted the board up and there were 3. Heebie Jeebie Heebie Jeebie. I freaked and ran away. He told me he was able to get 1 but the other 2 are still out there. Yay!

The finale of Lost was on last night as I'm sure everyone is aware. I was crying within 2 minutes of the 2 hour special shown before the finale. Howard came in the room and dropped a couple tissues on my lap without even knowing I had tears running down my face. I asked him how he knew and he just said, because I know you and I know you will cry like 100 times before it's all over. And with that, he left me alone for the rest of the night to enjoy my most favorite show's ending. I enjoyed it. I know it might not have been what everyone was looking for but I'm happy with it.

And now I'm off to the vet to get Copper looked at. Late Saturday night, Howard noticed a lot of blood built up in his right ear. I used the almighty google to determine it's probably ear mites and it was nothing absolutely urgent but I'm still worried about him. My poor little guy:

Small World

2010-05-20T15:37:00.000-05:00

I received a call from a new customer this morning. He was coming in towards the end of the day and wanted a cell number in case he was going to get here after we closed. I gave him mine which still has a 703 area code. He was confused at first and said he thought he was calling the facility in Kentucky. I explained that I used to live in VA. Guess what? He did too. For 28 years. He's originally from here but moved east after high school. He came back two years ago to visit and fell in love with an old high school girlfriend so he moved back permanently.

When he got here, we got to talking. He told me the name of his company back in VA. I looked it up and it's literally less than a mile from my old townhouse. It was kind of cool to talk to someone about Sterling. He's even been to WINGS!!! which was like my second home when I lived there. Crazy!!

My Loves

2010-05-20T12:37:00.000-05:00

I just love these little ones. They make my heart melt. Some people have kids, I have dogs. They make me happy =)

Without Further Ado...

2010-05-14T14:35:00.000-05:00

Here. Now stop searching for the picture with me in it.

Top: Hot Rod, Joe Bob, Itchie, John

Bottom: Rambo, Mike, Amy's New Hire

Happy now?

Law & Order =(

2010-05-14T13:35:00.003-05:00

I just read that NBC will be canceling Law & Order after the season finale this month. This makes me very sad. I've been watching L&O since I was a kid. It started as a weekly tradition for my Mom & I. They will however, not be canceling L&O: SVU and apparently a new one based in Los Angeles is starting up. But still. Sad day.

Oh, Jack McCoy, how I will miss you. I've seriously had a lifelong crush on this man. Him and Alan Jackson. Don't judge me.

Blizzards!

2010-05-14T12:42:00.003-05:00

Wednesday morning on the way to work, I heard that you could enter your business for free blizzards from Dairy Queen simply by emailing the radio station. So I emailed them. For the record, I hate ice cream so this actually wasn't about me for once. I actually thought that blizzards on a Friday would lift the guys spirits and I believed they honestly deserved them. I can be nice sometimes. It's rare, but it happens.

Imagine my surprise while driving to work this morning and hearing the name of our company being honored. I was stunned. I mean, I just emailed them Wednesday. When I got to the office I only told Itchie and my boss because I didn't want to get the guys hopes up if the station didn't come through.

I was chatting with Amanda C. this morning and I told her that this was my reason to finally get a group picture of the crew that I could post on the blog. We were both very excited about this prospect. I mean you guys could finally see what I work with.

But then...

me: omg
it happened so fast
and they made us take a picture
and im in it
and its going on their website
im with the CRAZIES
AHHHHHHHHHHh

Amanda: YESSSSSSSSSSSSS
that's even better

me: that is sooooooo not better!

Amanda: oh no, WAY better
when will the pic be posted?

me: im not telling anyone what station it was
oh no
no no no no

No way anyone is ever seeing that picture. Well, any of you that is. EVER. End. of. Story.

PS. It's been confirmed. Ice cream is still gross. The Reeses chunks I picked out were tasty though.

Update...DAMN YOU GOOGLE! Thanks for calling it out Eve ;) I should just erase your comment but since you put the effort in, I'll leave it....for now.

PPS. Actually I lied. They didn't take a picture. So stop looking for it.

Will You Be My Guro Fren?

2010-05-11T13:50:00.000-05:00

I was watching Law & Order last night. It was really intense and I was really, really into it. Only 8 minutes left in the show when it cuts out and this pops up.

No need to call us. Don't bother us. We'll be right back. 8 minutes later, it came back on. At exactly 10 pm in time for the news. Thank you DirecTv for ruining my night. Hmph.

***

This made my day. He had these listed under Personal/Professional References on his application.

***

I just found out that the grad school I want to enroll in beginning in June has all my classes on Monday nights which is fine right now but then I realized that come September, I'll be missing MNF. NOOOO! So, which takes priority? Grad school or MNF? Hmmm.......... (I am only joking, Mom.....sort of).

Roses =)

2010-05-10T15:31:00.000-05:00

Our neighbors taking a leisurely stroll down our road...

Probably to get a look at our ROSES! And yes, Howard did actually put some in a vase for me =)

Winner!

2010-05-10T10:21:00.000-05:00

And the winner of the giveaway is....drum roll please....Amy!

Astiver said...

White. It is classy. You can stop harassing me now ;P

Congrats Amy!!

Giveaway Reminder

2010-05-07T12:14:00.000-05:00

If you haven't already done so, go here and enter for your chance to win some fancy cooking shiz.

Do it!

DO IT NOW!

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-07T12:12:00.000-05:00

Happy Mother's Day to the best Mom in the world!

MINE!

Flowers

2010-05-05T13:18:00.000-05:00

When we first moved in, I was fully intent on ripping this flower bed out and redoing it completely. It just looked like a mass of weeds to me. Howard's mom convinced us to wait to see what bloomed first before deciding to redo it. I am so happy I listened to her. Obviously this area still needs a lot of work to make it look decent but the flowers are pretty in the meantime.

A ROSEBUSH!

I obviously now expect Howard to handpick me a rose every morning...

It's GIVEAWAY Time Again!

2010-05-05T12:49:00.001-05:00

Because I'm bored and I've been slacking on blogging lately, I feel like giving something away. My laziness = your reward. Since this was such a big hit the first time I ever did a giveaway, I figured why the heck not give it away again.

BLACK

CARIBBEAN

COBALT

DIJON

KIWI

RED

WHITE

Just leave a comment stating which color you would choose if you were the winner and you will be entered. It's that simple! I'll end the contest Monday 5/10 at 10 am CST and pick a winner using a random generator.

My Happy Place

2010-05-03T12:52:00.000-05:00

The field behind our house...

More Critters

2010-05-03T11:42:00.000-05:00

We had record rainfalls this past weekend. Friday night, the beetles attacked our windows attempting, I assume, to get out of the rain. I was flicking them off the window screens when Howard got the bright idea to make it a game of baseball. He went outside onto the porch and as I flicked them, he would use his shoe as a bat. Childish? Maybe. Entertaining? Definitely. The bodies of the fallen beetles lay strewn all over our porch and we thought nothing of it.

Come Saturday afternoon, I was highly regretting our stupid antics as the flies had come to feast on the beetles. They were everywhere. Anytime you opened a door, a couple would somehow make their way in. And this would drive Jack and Copper insane as they tried to catch them. Here's Coppy after a fun day of chasing flies all over the house:

Out like a light. And snoring EXTREMELY loudly as well.

The flies brought out a new creature that night.

Frog 1 - Bud

Frog 2 - Weis

Frog 3 - Er

Frog 4 - Jeremiah

Granted I would much rather have frogs hanging around the porch over spiders anyday. I'm seeing less and less spiders but they are still hanging out in and around the house. Saturday afternoon, I went down into the basement to do laundry. I picked a couple towels off the floor to throw in the wash and a huge, furry spider fell out onto the ground. I used a pool stick to make him go splat. I found one in my boot this morning. Normally I wouldn't even check before slipping them on my feet but last night I found a beetle in my slipper and freaked out.

In other news, we have baby birdies! Howard used a stick to peek in the birdhouse we put up a while back and found a nest with newborn babies in it.

I was petrified that taking a picture of them might keep the mama bird from coming back to feed them so I made Howard promise to chew up worms and regurgitate them if it came down to it. The mama bird came back though so he's off the hook. Damn.

Durby Party

2010-04-26T14:07:00.000-05:00

My favorite bar never fails to disappoint...

Even after I pointed out that both Derby and Julep were spelled wrong, they didn't change it. But maybe I am the one in the wrong here. Maybe they aren't referring to a "KY Derby" party at all. According to UrbanDictionary.com, "durby" means the following:

to get highhhhh

to smoke durby

or:

A human's spit, diarrhea, urine, vomit, pimple pus, tears, and sweat mixed together.

After carefully pouring his diarrhea into the vial Tobias twisted the cap on. A strong feeling of pride and accomplishment filled him. Tobias finally finished making durby. He sloshed it around to make sure it was evenly mixed and then poured it into Saquasia's baseball cleats.

Either way, I want no part in it. But I might partake in a Julup:

A ghetto delicacy which consists of any flavor Kool aid placed in a styrofoam cup and then frozen. There usually sold out of someones house and they cost about a quarter. The best way to eat one is to take it of the cup and flip it over so that the bottom side is up cause its always mad juice at the bottom.
It's hot as a mugg, lets go round to Ms. Lindsay house and get a julup.

As for the word mugg, I'll leave that to you to figure out.

I'm Soooo Bored..........

2010-04-20T14:37:00.000-05:00

Seriously. Would one or more of the following please write a blog to entertain me. I don't care if it's about what you ate for lunch or the last movie you watched or the last time you freaking blinked. I'm that bored.

Amanda
Leslie
Eve
Lindsay
Rachel
Heather
Emily (um...where are your 3 posts about Oregon?? I'm still waiting...)
Kere
Jayme
Kristen
Katie
Dawn

And if you don't already have a blog like the above referenced awesome people, start one so I have something to read. OK, GO!

The Complicated Hiring Process...

2010-04-19T09:32:00.001-05:00

An actual Gchat conversation:

me: pick one
michael castro
floridan sanchez

Amy: michael
what is this for???

me: i gotta hire someone

Amy: lol
that is a real name
floridian???

me: yep
nope just floridan

Amy: thats fantastic

me: but u just hired michael

Amy: yay!

...And he starts tomorrow at 8 am. Thanks Amy!

Weekend in Review

2010-04-13T14:16:00.000-05:00

Friday:

I was able to get off work around 1 pm on Friday. Right before myself and two other guys were heading out, a woman showed up with paper to recycle. We quickly helped her and then closed shop for the day. I drove out to Mayfield to get some lunch and do some shopping and was enjoying my afternoon off when my boss called. He had been off since Thursday morning due to a fishing tournament down in Alabama. He said the woman who came in just before I closed had left her cell phone on my desk. I told him that she had not because my desk had been clear when I left. I would have noticed a cell phone. So I called the woman and she was adamant that she left it on my desk.

"I'm 100% positive it's there!"

"I went straight from your office to work and nowhere else. I KNOW it's there"

"There is no place else it could be"

Fine. I told her I would drive back to the office to check. I was trying to be nice about it since everyone else has been so nice to me out here. I know what it's like to be without your cell phone and it's not fun. So I drove the 25 miles back to work.

Of course, it wasn't on my desk. I called her back from my cell phone and told her. She still insisted that it just had to be here. I started wondering at this point if she thought I had stolen it. I asked for her cell phone number so I could call it on the office speaker phone. I dialed it up and listened to hear it ringing somewhere. But no, someone answered it instead. It was a woman and she said "Hello?" Before I could get a word out, the lady on my cell phone starts screaming in my ear, "WHO IS THAT? WHO HAS MY PHONE? ASK HER HER NAME!"

The woman who had answered proceeds to say, "This is Shannon at Cheers (gas station). Whoever owns this phone dropped it while getting gas today". I hear the woman on my cell say softly, "Ohhhh, right. I did get gas after leaving there..." I told Shannon that the owner would be by to pick up her phone shortly and hung up with her. I said to cell phone lady, "Well, case solved".

And she says, "Hmmm...guess I could have tried calling my phone first".

ARE YOU EFFING KIDDING ME? THAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU DO! Seriously, this happened Friday and I still can't get over the sheer stupidity. Almost two hours had elapsed since she "left her phone in my office" and not once did she think to call her own phone? GAH!

I got home that afternoon and noticed that the long hole lining our side of the street had been filled in with gravel. A bus traveling far too fast had driven off the road onto our lawn not too long ago and left a long muddy hole. I was out there trying to fill some of it in last weekend and our neighbor was across the street in his field and came over to talk to me. He said something about the busses not being careful but that was it. Apparently he took it upon himself to fill the entire thing in with gravel while we were at work Friday. Also, our local lawn mower guy dropped off our $100 riding mower as well as picked up our push mower to once again fix for free. I love our neighbors.

Saturday/Sunday:

We headed to town to rent a garden tiller for the weekend, then stopped at Big Lots, Lowes and had lunch at a Chinese restaurant before heading back home to get to work. We planted flowers, mowed the lawn, tilled the garden, planted a blackberry bush, two grape vines, corn and green beans and hung a hummingbird feeder. It was the busiest weekend of my life.

I was out front planting flowers in the existing bed in front of the porch and the bees and wasps were being relentless. They were out to get me. So I donned my bee suit. Keep in mind it was 80 degrees out. I put on jeans and the largest, bulkiest sweatshirt of Howard's I could find. I had the hood up and pulled taut so that only my eyes were visible but behind large sunglasses. So maybe I looked like a fool to anyone and everyone driving by but I didn't get stung. And that's what matters!

While we were planting the blackberry bush, Howard walked off to get something from the garage. I looked out into the grass and saw a snake. Strangely enough, I didn't run away screaming. I just watched it. It wasn't moving. When Howard came back, I pointed it out. He took the shovel and poked it. (Sidenote: Fievel rounded the corner just now and I jumped and screamed because I thought it was a snake.) The snake didn't move. He poked it again, this time moving it. The snake rolled over and that's when we saw it was headless. All I saw was blood and guts were it's head should have been. Howard had run over it Friday evening with the mower. Awesome.

In other news, I noticed all these trucks carrying carnival rides pulling into the park in Wingo on my way home from work yesterday. I cannot believe my tiny little town is having a fair. I'm way excited about this. Like probably more than I should be.

You're Hired!

2010-04-09T12:53:00.000-05:00

This here is winning application. I'm hiring him Monday.

Have you ever been convicted of a crime? Yes! If yes, please explain: No! Well then surely it couldn't be anything to serious. You're hired!

Reason for Leaving? Last chance? Lost change? Lost hand? Eh, who cares? You're hired!

Reason for Leaving? Stood Out? Stopped Out? Sold Out? Wait, why am I even asking, I don't care! You're hired!

Yay for Friday!

2010-04-09T11:12:00.000-05:00

I was told Monday morning that John was in jail again. The story was he missed his classes he was supposed to take after his last Public Intoxication charge so the police went to his house to pick him up. He was on his front lawn drunk so they charged him with another PI and took him in.

While talking to Mike a little while ago, I heard the real story. John was walking down the highway drunk, with a beer in one hand and a pint in his pocket. The cops didn't even get out of their car, just pulled over and told him to get in. Good stuff.

Mike told me he went to John's house yesterday to get some stuff that John didn't want stolen while he sits in jail but the place was already ransacked. I guess once the word got out John was going to be away for a while, his "friends" declared open season on his trailer.

Oh and we don't care about our employees being in jail around here. He will still have his job whenever he does get out. He called collect a couple days ago but I didn't accept. I had to dial some number to make payment arrangements. Not worth it.

In other news, I have a new little friend. His name is...Fievel (#12). Go figure. Amy and Amanda are pressuring me to change my mousey's name but I'm going to stick with Fievel. That way when this one dies and another one shows up and I name it Fievel (#13), it will be like he never left me.

The resemblance is striking. Here is my little guy in action.

I thought some Fruit Loop crumbs might make him happy.

Apparently they weren't enough because he tried to get into the trash next. See him, there between the bottom drawer and the trash can? So cute. Until he tries to crawl up my leg...

Have a great weekend!!

Bonjour Claude!

2010-04-07T11:14:00.000-05:00

I recently found out that my Great-Uncle Claude reads my blog all the way over in France! How cool is that? Thanks for reading, Claude! Avoir un grand jour! (<-- If that's wrong, blame the Internet)

Poor Camry

2010-04-07T09:43:00.000-05:00

Howard and I had all sorts of plans to work on the yard for yesterday afternoon. Over the weekend, Howard's mom helped us clear out a pile of junk the previous owner's had left behind our fence line. They had attempted to burn a bunch of metal and plastic so we sorted through it and ended up with a pile of metal in our yard. I had no idea how we were going to get rid of it. I was on vci.net (which is like a local Craigslist) at work yesterday afternoon and I happened to click on a link for Salvage Man Dan who hauls away metal for free. I called him up and he came out yesterday afternoon to pick it all up. One problem solved. Onto the next...

I was getting the mail when Howard pulled in. He was holding his side mirror up with his hand. Someone had hit him on his way home.

You can't really tell the extent of the damage in this picture but Howard was devastated. He's had this car forever. It has 190K miles on it and he was determined to drive it to well over 200K. He's just hoping it isn't totaled. This '97 Camry runs better than my '07 Mazda 3. Or at least, it used to...

We didn't get anything accomplished since Howard spent the better part of the evening on the phone with the insurance companies. Howard remarked that he would like a beer so I said we should go drive to the store to get some. His response:

"You think I want to get in a car right now after what just happened? And with you of all people?"

What? I am an AWESOME driver.

Me! <-- Idiot!

2010-04-06T10:33:00.000-05:00

I would just like to take this opportunity to let you all know that I don't learn my lessons. I have my life source back. My beautiful, wondrous phone. My life was miserable without it. But you know how many times I've brought it in the bathroom with me since the UPS lady brought it to me last Thursday? How about EVERYTIME. Sometimes I know I'm doing it and I hang on to it for dear life. Other times, it's in my sweatshirt pocket. The exact pocket it's fallen out of twice now. Yep. Maybe I'll learn after the 3rd time...

Stache Winner

2010-04-06T10:22:00.000-05:00

Apparently none of my friends have the same sense of humor as I do, nor do they think I'm awesome since only two people commented on my doggie stache toy. Well no one likes you either!

Anyhow, the winner is Ashley. Looks like Oly's gonna get himself a lil stache. Ashley - email me at danabnsn@gmail.com with your address and I will get it in the mail.

Thank you to Ashley and Amanda for appreciating my unusual sense of humor. We are now BFFs.

Bugs!

2010-04-06T10:16:00.000-05:00

This is my favorite new perfume.

We have bugs everywhere. It's no longer just spiders. Howard and I were out working on the yard yesterday afternoon and I looked down at my shirt and saw I was covered in little black bugs. I woke up on Sunday morning because I felt something crawling on my arm. It was a bug. I thought it was a tick but Howard assured me it wasn't. Then later, Jack was sleeping next to me on the couch and I happened to look down at his ear and saw a tick.

Here are two pictures of the kitchen windows from last night.

We have screens on the window but these bugs are so tiny, they fit right through the holes. Needless to say, we will be pumping the AC come the dead of summer because I am not opening any windows.

And I have no idea what this is. Howard's mom said she had never seen anything like it before.

Any ideas?

We also have wasps and bees vying for control of the shed. Yay. I'm attempting to go the entire spring and summer without getting stung. Wish me luck.

Stache Giveaway!

2010-04-01T11:41:00.000-05:00

Heather sent me a link to this dog toy last week and I knew as soon as I saw it, I MUST HAVE IT.

I received two in the mail yesterday afternoon. I opened one and let both dogs smell it, then threw it down the hallway. They both went after it and when Jack came back with Copper at his heels, I couldn't stop laughing. Playing fetch has just gotten a whole lot more fun. Unfortunately, neither dog would sit still long enough for me to get a quality picture so this picture from the site will have to suffice.

I'll be giving away one brand new Humunga Stache. Don't have a dog? Give it to someone who can appreciate it's hilariousness (<-- Is that a word?) (Yes, it is. I just looked it up).

Just leave a comment telling me how awesome this dog toy is or just how awesome I am. Either way.

Giveaway will close Tuesday, 4/6 at 11 AM CST. Winner will be chosen at random by an online generator.

Another Random Act of Kindness

2010-03-30T14:57:00.000-05:00

Our friends gave us a lawn mower they are no longer using a couple weekends ago. We got it started once but were not able to keep it running long enough to actually get any mowing done. We were contemplating buying a brand new one to avoid the hassle of finding someone to fix it for us. Friday night, Howard went up to the local grocery store to get a couple of steaks to grill out. While there, he asked the owner if he knew of anyone in the area that fixed mowers. He pointed up the road and said to try Mike and gave Howard the description of his house. Howard drove down a long, dirt road to his house but no one was home so he left a note in the door.

Later that evening, Mike called back and told Howard to bring the mower by the next morning. We dropped it off Saturday on our way to town. We met him and his wife and their granddaughter and they couldn't be nicer. He told us it would probably be Monday evening before he had it ready and since they were calling for rain, we had no problem with that. However, two hours later, he called Howard and let him know that he had it working already.

Howard went to pick it up Sunday morning and had made sure to get some cash from the ATM to pay Mike for his services. But this is Wingo and the Wingo way is free. He wouldn't accept any money for fixing the mower. He also told Howard if we had anymore problems to just bring it back by. On Howard's way out, he asked if Mike sold any riding mowers since we know we are going to need one. Mike pointed to one on his lawn and said he was just about done tuning it up and he would sell it for $100 and all work needing to be done at any point on it would be free of charge. SOLD! Compared to the brand news ones we looked at, this is quite a steal.

There is nothing quite like living in a small town. And I quite like it =)

My Phone Can't Swim

2010-03-29T13:37:00.000-05:00

I have a problem. My phone. It's my life support. I can't exist without it. So much so that I feel the need to take it into the bathroom with me. Despite flushing it down the toilet last June, I didn't learn my lesson. And so I attempted to flush it down the toilet again yesterday. How could this happen again, you ask. Well, how about the EXACT. SAME. WAY. AS. LAST. TIME. It fell from my sweatshirt pocket straight into the toilet. But this time I realized it. It was like it happened in slow motion. And I grabbed for it plunging my hand straight down into the flushing toilet of pee. And I don't care who knows it. My phone is that worth it. Unfortunately it was too late. My phone is a goner. I was a wreck yesterday. We don't have Internet at home right now so I rely on my phone to keep me connected to the outside world. I couldn't check Facebook or my Google Reader or purchase that 24-piece bedding set I was looking at right before my phone took a dive. Do you know how many times in a 8 hour period something crossed my mind that I wanted to look up and I reached for my phone only to realize again that it was dead to the world? Like 567,893,546,190 times. And I can't get the insurance to replace it for 3-7 days due to the phone being on backorder. FML.

5k Run/Walk to Support Our Troops

2010-03-25T10:31:00.001-05:00

Heather is organizing and hosting her first 5k run. I want to help her be successful so she will continue to be able to raise money for this fabulous organization. If you aren't busy on the morning May 1st, go ahead and register for this great cause =)

Neighbors Foundation is hosting our first 5k run: Operation Care Package 5K

(Runners and Walkers welcome!)

When: Saturday, May 1, 2010

Time: 9 am

Where: Fountainhead Regional Park
10875 Hampton Road
Fairfax Station, VA 22039

Register: http://www.active.com/running/fairfax-station-va/operation-care-package-5k-2010

Proceeds from this event will cover postage costs for the thousands of care packages we send to our troops serving in Afghanistan and Iraq.

This is a family event! We will have a staffed area for children to write letters to the troops while parents run.

http://nifoundation.org/

Neighbors Foundation is a 501(c)3 not for profit organization.

Tax id: 20-2738899

703-759-2102

Typical Friday Night

2010-03-25T09:30:00.000-05:00

I remember when Friday and Saturday nights in high school consisted of driving to each and every 7-11 in the Great Falls area to try and find someone who knew where a house party was. In college, it consisted of finding the best dorm or frat party. And when I turned 21, it was the best drink specials at the best bar. Even when I bought my own home, it was drinks at the bar down the street or having friends over for game nights.

Oh, how the times have changed. Last Friday night found Howard and I ~~arguing~~ discussing which device cleaned the hardwood floors better. The vacuum or the broom. I was all for the vacuum and I pulled it out and began vaccuming to show him how much better it was compared to the lousy broom. So he pulled the broom out and started following behind me showing me how much I was missing with the vaccum. Before long, every floor in the house was swept and vacuumed and that wasn't even our plan.

Speaking of hardwood floors, why, oh, why did I ever insist on needing them? Sure, I figured they would be so much easier to clean. Which they are. But we have to clean them EVERY.OTHER.DAY. to keep the dog hair from piling up. And also, they hurt my feet. I've never worn slippers in my life though I had a pair from like 8th grade in my shoe bin. I am now a slipper-wearer. I panic if I can't find them the minute I get home. And if you know me, you know I hate having anything on my feet. I wear flip-flops from March to December. And to be quite honest, it's the same pair of flip-flops every day. For two years now (going on three). Is that sad? My boyfriend has more shoes than I do. And he actually wears them all. I've worn 3 pairs of shoes in the last year. My New Balances, my flip-flops and the boots my mom gave me for Christmas. Wow. I have no idea how this went from a typical Friday night to my lack of femininity in three paragraphs. Don't judge me.

Two Amazing Friends

2010-03-24T10:18:00.002-05:00

I have some really amazing friends. It doesn't matter how far away I am, they continue to think of me daily. Distance knows no bounds with real friends...

Last week I received an email from Cooking Light Magazine. Heather had gotten me a subscription. It was such a surprise and a needed one at that! Heather and I have been close friends since I moved to Herndon in 10th grade in 1996 and I don't see that ever changing. Thanks Heather!!

Then yesterday when I got home from work, there was a package on my front porch. I opened it up to find a Chia Hippo Pet. My old roommate and friend, Erin, had come across it online and had thought about me. I haven't seen Erin in a very long time since she moved back to Florida and I moved to Kentucky but our friendship is still very strong. Howard has a Chia Homer so we are obviously going to compete to see who can grow the better Chia Pet =) Thanks Erin!!

Thank you both for thinking of me though I am so far away now. Means a lot to me to have true friends who know me so well =)

I Did It!!

2010-03-22T10:10:00.001-05:00

I finally got up the nerve to take pictures of the shack I wrote about here. She was outside and I tried to get her in the picture but apparently taking pictures from a moving car isn't all that easy. Her hand is in the bottom left hand corner of the first pic though. I told Howard that as long as I didn't make eye contact with her, she couldn't curse me for the rest of my life. Click the pictures to enlarge them and see their full glory.

Farmville

2010-03-11T14:42:00.000-06:00

One of the customers I severely dislike was in my office earlier. He was talking about his 28 year old son mooching money off him and not showing up to work. I wasn't really paying much attention until he mentioned why his son wasn't working regularly. Farmville. His son is addicted to the Facebook game, Farmville. I honestly lost it and busted out laughing.

My boss had no idea what he was talking about so we attempted to explain the concept. Although I've never (and will never) play it, I'm pretty sure I've gotten the gist of it from friends. I decided against ever checking it out when the girl at the bar left in a hurry to go water her Farmville plants after her alarm reminder went off.

Anyhow, the customer was going on and on about how his son spends hours a day monitoring his crops and feeding his animals. Then he said he was going to find a way to hack into his son's account and set fire to his barns, douse his crops with cyanide and terminate all his farmhands. He said when his son asks for money next time, he's going to tell him to go shear his sheep or sell some corn to earn it.

He is now my new favorite customer.

Snakes, Spiders and a VERY Strange Coincedence

2010-03-11T11:23:00.000-06:00

Over the weekend while I was wondering around our yard, I crept into the old, ramshackle barn and was looking around in the creepy horse stalls. I peered into the dark stall on the right and saw a snake. A huge slimy, slithery, scaly, fanged, venomous snake. Then I realized it was only a snake skin but that didn't stop me from hightailing it out of there while screaming, "SNAKE! SNAKE! SNAKE!". I mean, a snake skin just means that a snake was in there at some point and that some point could have been 2.5 seconds ago and it could have been wrapping around my legs at that very moment.

So obviously I will never set foot in the barn again. EVER. But what I found in my kitchen last night is just not right. It's just not fair. There were two very large spiders crawling around the kitchen floor. I didn't get any pictures because I was frantically running around the kitchen screaming profanity while looking for something to kill them with. I settled on the battery to Howard's drill. I'm sure he'll thank me later.

I thought that was the end of it. Until I walked out my front door later and saw this:

I was attempting to get close enough to this spider to get a good picture and had no idea that another one was just inches from my shin:

This picture was taken right outside my front door. And there were more. They were EVERYWHERE. I went on a fun, little killing spree with a shoe (Howard's of course) and a bottle of Raid. But it didn't ease my mind. As I lay in bed trying to fall asleep later, I couldn't stop imagining them crawling across my pillow.

Before bed though, I took Jack and Copper on their nightly walk. I had barely taken two steps out the door when both of their leash cords broke at the EXACT.SAME.TIME. One second they were pulling me forward, and the next they were across the yard and I was in the same spot. I stood there extremely perplexed at what had just happened. I mean I can understand one breaking but both? At the same time? Could someone please explain this to me?? Then it dawned on me the dogs were out roaming on their own and as strange as my night had been, I wouldn't doubt a coyote was lurking nearby. I tracked them down and proceeded to walk them with their leash strings wrapped around my hands. My hands felt shredded by the end of it.

To top it all off, a violent hailstorm started up around 2 am. It sounded like large boulders were falling on the roof and slamming into the window panes. The thunder was booming and the lightning so bright, it was constantly lighting up the entire bedroom. I really appreciated the extra hour to imagine the spiders crawling all over my bed though.

PS. It's time to come home from your work training, Howard. You are seriously needed at home. I'm not cut out for this!

PPS. Can't wait to see some of you this weekend up in Nova :) Bring on Game Night!!

Hosemobile = Devil

2010-03-08T12:31:00.001-06:00

Since it was nearly 65 degrees yesterday, we decided to spend the day outside working around the yard. And by working I mean, I walked around the yard with a beer saying things like "I bet ya can't fix that..." and Howard would proceed to fix it while I watched. I like to call it motivation. Things were moving along just fine. "We" had reattached some loose boards to the shed, hung a motion light, capped and caulked the ends of the clothesline and hung some bird feeders. "We" moved on to setting up the Hosemobile aka "The Devil".

It might look easy but let me tell you that's clearly not the case. We (and I really mean we now) went about trying to figure out the Hosemobile without instructions because none were provided. We just couldn't figure out how to attach the hose. And then we saw the opening on the side we were missing and we were all like, "HAHAHA! We are so dumb! How could we not see that! This will go so much smoother now! YAY! HIGH FIVE!"

So we set it up and turned the water on and aimed the hose and...NOTHING. The water would not come out the hose. We tried and tried again. Detached the whole thing and started over. Still N.O.T.H.I.N.G. We were very angry at this point. I tried googling instructions on setting it up (ya know, since none were provided). I was sitting on the steps in the garage when I noticed something sticking out of the trashcan. I walked over and pulled it out. It happened to be the instructions that came with the cart that Howard hadn't remembered tearing off the night before and tossing in the trash (possibly due to some alcohol intake).

I handed the instructions over to Howard with a smirk on my face like, "HAHAHA! You are so dumb! How could you not remember it had instructions!! This will go so much smoother NOW! YAY! HIGH FIVE!" Except NO. The instructions didn't help one bit. They made it worse actually.

Howard decides the problem is inside the mechanism and tries to pry it open. A couple bloody knuckles later and he succeeds. That's right, this innocent Hosemobile made him bleed. Howard - 0, Hosemobile/Devil - 5.

Fast forward to three hours into this whole debacle and we are at our wits' end. We spent THREE HOURS attempting to attach a garden hose to a reel cart. WTF? Howard had resorted to kicking and throwing it around the yard in attempt to make himself feel better.

We finally just gave up. And that's not easy for us to do. The Hosemobile defeated us. I still have a hard time admitting it.

Not So Normal

2010-03-04T11:19:00.000-06:00

So I was just thinking about how I've had nothing to write about regarding the work peeps lately. They've been rather boring. Or have they? I think I'm just so accustomed to it now that I don't think much of it anymore. That's sorta scary.

Employee #1: He's in jail. He actually hasn't worked since January. He was off due to some health issues and was due back at the beginning of the week. However, he was thrown in the slammer two weeks ago for neglecting to pay his child support.

Employee #2: He just got out of jail. Once again, John was picked up for public intoxication. He was using the bathroom at Burger King when he passed out at the urinal. Employee #3 was with him but couldn't figure out where he went so he left him there. Apparently, a Burger King worker found him there and attempted to wake him up to no avail. Enter police.

Employee #3: He was off for a while due to "a boil on his ass". No, for real. His exact words. When my boss questioned him about needing to go home for it, he went into explicit detail. He cried. He had his mom call to verify. He asked for my boss to feel it. FEEL.THE.BOIL.ON.HIS.ASS.

Dear God. I need to get out of this place. THIS IS SO NOT NORMAL.

Employee #4's Cousin (who happens to work for one of our customers): His name in Contack. Well that's his nickname anyway because I'm pretty sure his given name is something like Mortimer. He's also in jail. He tried to steal a woman's purse at Walmart. The purse wasn't sitting in the cart unattended or anything. It was slung over the woman's shoulder. I really would like to have seen the gears shifting in his stupid, little head. Hey! I have a bright idea. I'm gonna steal that woman's purse right off her arm in the middle of Walmart. This is bound to work! Pure genius I tell you.

I think that's enough for now.

Pure Bliss

2010-03-04T10:43:00.000-06:00

5:09 PM, Monday, March 1, 2010 - I-24 Westbound at Cadiz, KY - 70 MPH = Another reason why I love KY. No rush hour 'round these parts =)

Wally the Bassador

2010-02-25T13:55:00.003-06:00

I arrived home yesterday to find a package addressed to Howard. We are expecting a motion light in the mail so I figured that's what was in the package. When Howard opened it, I was even more excited to find this:

It's a magnet board featuring Howard's favorite dog, a Bassador. Well, it's more likely a ~~Basset Hound~~ Dachshund (see below for update) but for our purposes, we will call it Wally the Bassador, the dog who resides with Howard's parents back in NoVa. He misses Wally so much...he's even known to sleep with Wally on the dog bed on the floor on occasion when we return home to visit. Anyhow, it was an awesome gift from his brother Dave and his girlfriend Jenn.

And here is my rather poor attempt at capturing an amazing sunset from the front porch. I SERIOUSLY need help with my photography skills. This picture doesn't do the sunset any sort of justice...I should really just remove it now but we all know I'm too lazy for that.

*Update - Apparently I'm also too lazy to check what kind of dog I'm even posting about. Thanks to Ashley for clarifying the picture on the board is actually a Dachshund. BUT! I'm still calling it Wally the Bassador ;)

I WON!

2010-02-24T13:26:00.000-06:00

I won a giveaway a little while back and just received my photos in the mail last week. Shannon hosted a giveaway for her friend, Carrie's Etsy shop and I won =) I was only supposed to receive one photo but due to a understandble delay (getting engaged and moving across the entire country) in sending them out, I received three instead! The first picture is an 8 x 10 and the next two are 11 x 14. I cannot wait to get some frames and hang them.

From the Front Porch

2010-02-24T13:04:00.000-06:00

I see this almost nightly. I know the picture quality isn't great - in fact it's downright terrible but I'm still learning how to use the new camera I received for Christmas. Patience, dear friends. If you look really, really close, you can see some more deer in the background. There were 17 this night.

Poor Hippo...

2010-02-24T09:14:00.000-06:00

Apparently my dogs don't share the same love for hippos as I do. Such a shame. At least they left his head alone.

Weekend Update

2010-02-23T14:04:00.000-06:00

I was all set to post some pictures but I just realized my camera battery is dead. So words will have to suffice for now.

This past weekend was beautiful. It was over 65 both days! We slept in a bit on Saturday which was nice. Howard has finally figured out that if he allows the dogs to sleep with us, they won't be up at 7:30 in the morning whining at the door to be let out. Instead, they are perfectly content sleeping the day away with us.

We made our way to Paducah and powered through stops at Kohl's, Lowe's (my new most favorite store in the world...for realz), the car wash, the shop for an oil change and then finally made it to Outback to celebrate Valentine's Day since we were too lazy to go out last weekend. I love me some Outback. When the waiter came by for our drink orders, he asked if we wanted an appetizer. Howard took the liberty to shake his head while continuing to stare down at the menu. I let it go thinking to myself, he's right, we definitely don't need the Bloomin' Onion (key word: need, because I most certainly wanted one). The waiter came back and took our orders and the menus and walked off and that's when I couldn't hold my tongue any longer.

Me: Soooooooo, no appetizer huh?
Howard: Do we need one?
Me: Well, noooo, but it's Outback...
Howard: You mean you want a Bloomin' Onion?
Me: Sorta, I don't know, I guess...Yes.I.Want.One.
Howard: Oh good! I want one too but I just didn't want to be the one that said it.

And the waiter just happened to walk by at that exact moment and ask if we needed anything. Why yes we do actually, a giant heart attack in the form of a Bloomin' Onion please. The week after V-Day only happens once a year people. You gotta celebrate the right way. With a massive coronary.

Sunday, we slept in again and then I made my weekly trip to Wally World. I know I've said it before, but I really miss Wegmans. I would go over there after work when I was only feeding myself and pick something out to make myself for dinner. This was one of my go-to's.

So imagine my delight when I saw them in the fresh seafood section at Wal-mart. No, seriously, imagine it. And then quadruple it. Because that's how excited I was. I was heading towards the checkout counters when Howard called requesting the following items: hot dogs, buns, baked beans, graham crackers, Hershey's chocolate bars and marshmallows. I didn't know what he had planned but I knew camping really wasn't on the agenda for a Sunday. I nixed the S'mores makings (because I hate s'mores - that's right Rach, another food I despise, just add it to the list) and he said he didn't really care about them either. When I got home, he was in the backyard with piles of sticks and branches he had collected from the fence line. He was planning a bonfire =) Man, I love the country.

I went inside to make lunch and unpack the groceries. And then I got hooked on Ocean's Thirteen (which is the only movie where I find Brad Pitt attractive...FYI) and ended up staying inside for a while. When the movie was over, I headed outside and couldn't believe all Howard had done. Then I felt really guilty about sitting on the couch for the past couple of hours. We had bought clothesline to hang on the existing clothesline poles so figured the least (and easiest) thing I could do would be to hang the lines. What I wasn't expecting was the wasp nests inside the poles. I spent the next hour with my trusty stick I snagged from one of the numerous piles and the hose trying to flush the nests out. Oh the fun! All the while, Howard was just enjoying his hard day's work feeding wood to the fire, laughing at the apparently hilarious faces I was making while concentrating so intently.

While clearing out some of the brush/trash on the tree line, Howard found an old birdhouse. I bet in it's hay day, it looked something like this:

But it looks nothing like that now. However, it's still been attached to our shed. It matches the shed since they are both in about the same condition - weathered, worn and beat to hell. Just the way I like 'em.

We never did get around to roasting hot dogs because it began raining. They will have to wait for this Sunday's bonfire :)