Sunday, October 18, 2009
Changes
When the weather gets chilly, I am reminded so much of my mom. She loved when the leaves changed, the crisp fall air, and chilly nights. She used to take us apple picking, host pumpkin decorating parties, and always insisted on "grabbing a jacket" whether we wanted one or not. One time she mailed Kyleigh pretty fall leaves in a card because I think Kyleigh's fall in Atlanta is so short. Her intent was not to be funny, but I'm glad we have those funny memories to laugh about. I've been meaning to share the slide show we created that played at my mom's memorial service--just don't laugh too hard at the embarrassing pictures of me. Click the arrows for a full screen viewing.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
A Thump In The Night
Thump is an understatement. More like what just Tarzaned (Root word: Tarzan. John made it a verb the other night.) into our house?
At 3:00 A.M. we were suddenly awoken by the loudest sound. It sounded like someone crashed through our roof, took everything down with it, then continued to thrash about for a good two minutes. At first it sounded like someone was breaking in, but then it sounded like the clumsiest break-in ever. And then I heard claws. And animal sounds. John and I sat up in bed and debated over who should check it out. As if I was going to check it out. Pssh. John slowly walked out of the bedroom and tip-toed towards the bathroom--the source of the crashing. The kitties were well on their way to check things out too. The thrashing, hissing, and snarling sounds continued loudly, so John slammed the bathroom door shut instinctively. We stood there, puzzled for a long time. Now what do we do? Neither of us were going to open the door, but what do we do? Go back to bed? Ignore the thing demolishing our bathroom? What is it? WHAT is going on? I was sleeping 30 seconds ago and now I have legitimate thoughts of an alligator flailing around in the tub. C'mon, we've all seen those home videos when gators break into people's homes. John and I discussed the possibilities: cat, raccoon, opossum...gator, ha. Whatever it was had massive claws, a nasty snarl, and a crazy hissing, breathing sound. And it was going nuts. In our house.
What do people do when this happens? I felt crazy already. What would I say to explain this to get help? We trekked outside with flashlights in hand to inspect the exterior of the house. We saw nothing. I told John that we needed to call animal control. He said not at 3 in the morning. He tried to tell me to go back to bed, but our room shares the wall with the bathroom and I could not sleep with an animal hissing, snarling, and throwing things around when it was inches from my face. I tried to convince John that the animal was dead--we hadn't heard a sound for a good 20 minutes. John said he didn't want to disturb the animal in his last moments, so we had to keep waiting. John kept acting out the possible scenarios of what would happen if he did. The animal reaching up to him with his last breaths, fighting to stay alive. I agreed that we didn't want to see that. So I waited. Then I almost had John convinced that he needed to go into the bathroom until the crazy animal started up again full force. Lots of thrashing, hissing, snarling. John looked at me and said, "Yeah right, he's dead. Let's go to sleep. We will call someone in the morning." I finally caught a little bit of sleep, but was ready to make some calls by 7 A.M. We put a call into a "Nuisance Animal Trapping Service." Sounds interesting, right?
Two guys showed up soon after, one decked out in a camouflage shirt. We knew this would be interesting. The big guy with the camo shirt, had gray hair slicked back into a ponytail, and had no fear of the situation after we explained it to him. He kind of reminded me of the bounty hunter guy. He grabbed a stick with a loop on the end of it (we've all seen them in those animal rescue shows) and asked where the bathroom was. We pointed and he opened the door and ran inside. John and I just looked at one another. What was going to happen? We heard nothing. Absolutely nothing. So this is when I started to feel a bit crazy. We heard a wild beast in there just hours ago--now not even a peep. The man exited the bathroom and said, "No critter, no hole." What. The guys decided to go outside and take a look at the house. It involved looking in two crawlspace openings and getting on the roof. John's brother-in-law, Monte, showed up to help us. We were so adamant that something was in the bathroom and had to explain to Monte that they found nothing. Once they were on the roof, they eventually started to piece it together. I stayed behind and talked to the big, bounty hunter looking man, as he chatted about his strangest finds. A 10 ft. boa constrictor last week that was as wide as a football. Monkeys and lemurs finished off the list. The guys returned from the roof and found some wire fencing was pulled back and a wooden board moved. The animal gained entry there and then traveled in the walls. It gives me the creeps just thinking about it. We figured out that it probably dropped from the attic in the wall between the bedroom and the bathroom. We heard it crashing through the wall and then when it landed it was stuck and possibly hurt. It looked like it probably spent some time under the bathtub making tons of noise, and that was what sounded like it was in the bathtub.
After a thorough search, two traps were set up outside the house where the crawlspaces lead to the outside. We sat and waited. Late last night, we heard the trap. John and I headed out and saw a decent-sized opossum in the trap. We called the animal trapping guy and he came out this morning to pick up the critter. I started to feel really bad about trapping the animal and having to call the service on him. I had second thoughts about the whole thing after I found out they have to "dispose" of them. Why can't they just release them? John and I chatted and we knew it would be crazy to try to put the trap in our car and drop the opossum off to live a new life somewhere else. I had thoughts of that scene in Tommy Boy when the deer wakes up and attacks everyone in the car. Probably not a good idea. I couldn't bare to see the little critter this morning. I definitely didn't want him back in our house, but I couldn't think about the alternative either. Maybe I will get closure on the ordeal, but for now I won't focus on that part.
Tonight I look forward to a good night's rest without the chaos of an animal in my house or outside my bedroom window in a trap. Bella is very weary of the bathroom and whenever she hears a noise in the house, she army crawls by the bathroom. I hope we all don't feel on edge for too much longer. No more animals tarzaning into the house, please!
At 3:00 A.M. we were suddenly awoken by the loudest sound. It sounded like someone crashed through our roof, took everything down with it, then continued to thrash about for a good two minutes. At first it sounded like someone was breaking in, but then it sounded like the clumsiest break-in ever. And then I heard claws. And animal sounds. John and I sat up in bed and debated over who should check it out. As if I was going to check it out. Pssh. John slowly walked out of the bedroom and tip-toed towards the bathroom--the source of the crashing. The kitties were well on their way to check things out too. The thrashing, hissing, and snarling sounds continued loudly, so John slammed the bathroom door shut instinctively. We stood there, puzzled for a long time. Now what do we do? Neither of us were going to open the door, but what do we do? Go back to bed? Ignore the thing demolishing our bathroom? What is it? WHAT is going on? I was sleeping 30 seconds ago and now I have legitimate thoughts of an alligator flailing around in the tub. C'mon, we've all seen those home videos when gators break into people's homes. John and I discussed the possibilities: cat, raccoon, opossum...gator, ha. Whatever it was had massive claws, a nasty snarl, and a crazy hissing, breathing sound. And it was going nuts. In our house.
What do people do when this happens? I felt crazy already. What would I say to explain this to get help? We trekked outside with flashlights in hand to inspect the exterior of the house. We saw nothing. I told John that we needed to call animal control. He said not at 3 in the morning. He tried to tell me to go back to bed, but our room shares the wall with the bathroom and I could not sleep with an animal hissing, snarling, and throwing things around when it was inches from my face. I tried to convince John that the animal was dead--we hadn't heard a sound for a good 20 minutes. John said he didn't want to disturb the animal in his last moments, so we had to keep waiting. John kept acting out the possible scenarios of what would happen if he did. The animal reaching up to him with his last breaths, fighting to stay alive. I agreed that we didn't want to see that. So I waited. Then I almost had John convinced that he needed to go into the bathroom until the crazy animal started up again full force. Lots of thrashing, hissing, snarling. John looked at me and said, "Yeah right, he's dead. Let's go to sleep. We will call someone in the morning." I finally caught a little bit of sleep, but was ready to make some calls by 7 A.M. We put a call into a "Nuisance Animal Trapping Service." Sounds interesting, right?
Two guys showed up soon after, one decked out in a camouflage shirt. We knew this would be interesting. The big guy with the camo shirt, had gray hair slicked back into a ponytail, and had no fear of the situation after we explained it to him. He kind of reminded me of the bounty hunter guy. He grabbed a stick with a loop on the end of it (we've all seen them in those animal rescue shows) and asked where the bathroom was. We pointed and he opened the door and ran inside. John and I just looked at one another. What was going to happen? We heard nothing. Absolutely nothing. So this is when I started to feel a bit crazy. We heard a wild beast in there just hours ago--now not even a peep. The man exited the bathroom and said, "No critter, no hole." What. The guys decided to go outside and take a look at the house. It involved looking in two crawlspace openings and getting on the roof. John's brother-in-law, Monte, showed up to help us. We were so adamant that something was in the bathroom and had to explain to Monte that they found nothing. Once they were on the roof, they eventually started to piece it together. I stayed behind and talked to the big, bounty hunter looking man, as he chatted about his strangest finds. A 10 ft. boa constrictor last week that was as wide as a football. Monkeys and lemurs finished off the list. The guys returned from the roof and found some wire fencing was pulled back and a wooden board moved. The animal gained entry there and then traveled in the walls. It gives me the creeps just thinking about it. We figured out that it probably dropped from the attic in the wall between the bedroom and the bathroom. We heard it crashing through the wall and then when it landed it was stuck and possibly hurt. It looked like it probably spent some time under the bathtub making tons of noise, and that was what sounded like it was in the bathtub.
After a thorough search, two traps were set up outside the house where the crawlspaces lead to the outside. We sat and waited. Late last night, we heard the trap. John and I headed out and saw a decent-sized opossum in the trap. We called the animal trapping guy and he came out this morning to pick up the critter. I started to feel really bad about trapping the animal and having to call the service on him. I had second thoughts about the whole thing after I found out they have to "dispose" of them. Why can't they just release them? John and I chatted and we knew it would be crazy to try to put the trap in our car and drop the opossum off to live a new life somewhere else. I had thoughts of that scene in Tommy Boy when the deer wakes up and attacks everyone in the car. Probably not a good idea. I couldn't bare to see the little critter this morning. I definitely didn't want him back in our house, but I couldn't think about the alternative either. Maybe I will get closure on the ordeal, but for now I won't focus on that part.
Tonight I look forward to a good night's rest without the chaos of an animal in my house or outside my bedroom window in a trap. Bella is very weary of the bathroom and whenever she hears a noise in the house, she army crawls by the bathroom. I hope we all don't feel on edge for too much longer. No more animals tarzaning into the house, please!
Thursday, October 01, 2009
HGTV should be calling at any moment
John and I took on a fun home project recently. I had this old, unfinished dresser from college. It was a hand-me-down from a friend who was graduating and I needed a dresser. It served it's purpose in college and then was stored at my parents' house. I knew it always had potential, but never got around to making it happen. The dresser had random writing on it, a quarter jammed into one of the handles, a screw randomly placed in the dresser that served absolutely no purpose, and other markings that made it have "character." There was no doubt it needed some love.
I did minimal research online about how to stain and finish a dresser. I only have faint memories of sanding one piece of furniture in my childhood (Ky, do you remember this? On the back deck in NJ?) and it seemed like it took 12 hours to sand. I guess it was a big project for kids. We headed to Home Depot to get our supplies and got to work on sanding the dresser. I grabbed the sandpaper, started to sand, and was completely shocked because my body was covered with goosebumps. The sanding process totally creeped me out and I did not expect that reaction at all. Total heebie-jeebies! The friction was like nails down a chalk board. I even have a hard time typing about it right now. John gave me some strange looks and continued to sand, as I continued to have a very adverse and strange reaction to the sanding process. I honestly didn't know if I could continue doing it. I definitely didn't sand as much as John did, but I was able to work up to a pace that was manageable. We stained the dresser and the following day sealed it.
Look how great it turned out! It's amazing what a little TLC can do.
The supplies
Unfinished dresser
I believe it says nice things like, "Devo", "Ratner", and "12/16/94." Then another person came along scribbled "Sucks" next to "Devo." This dresser has been around the block--all before my time.
John removing the randomly placed screw.
All sanded and ready for the stain!
Adding the stain. We went with a dark jacobean stain.
Getting every nook and cranny.
All finished! Even the cats sit and appreciate it.
Finished product.
I did minimal research online about how to stain and finish a dresser. I only have faint memories of sanding one piece of furniture in my childhood (Ky, do you remember this? On the back deck in NJ?) and it seemed like it took 12 hours to sand. I guess it was a big project for kids. We headed to Home Depot to get our supplies and got to work on sanding the dresser. I grabbed the sandpaper, started to sand, and was completely shocked because my body was covered with goosebumps. The sanding process totally creeped me out and I did not expect that reaction at all. Total heebie-jeebies! The friction was like nails down a chalk board. I even have a hard time typing about it right now. John gave me some strange looks and continued to sand, as I continued to have a very adverse and strange reaction to the sanding process. I honestly didn't know if I could continue doing it. I definitely didn't sand as much as John did, but I was able to work up to a pace that was manageable. We stained the dresser and the following day sealed it.
Look how great it turned out! It's amazing what a little TLC can do.
The supplies
Unfinished dresser
I believe it says nice things like, "Devo", "Ratner", and "12/16/94." Then another person came along scribbled "Sucks" next to "Devo." This dresser has been around the block--all before my time.
John removing the randomly placed screw.
All sanded and ready for the stain!
Adding the stain. We went with a dark jacobean stain.
Getting every nook and cranny.
All finished! Even the cats sit and appreciate it.
Finished product.
Peony-scented drawer liners.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Summer Snippets
Here is a video from earlier in the summer at Indian Rocks Beach. The water was amazing. That day we saw a HUGE fish (my mind immediately shrieked "SHARK!" and Keenan said it. It was hilarious...nothing like scaring some kids in the ocean), tons of sting rays swimming in formation, and a dolphin. What an eventful day.
Tonight we are babysitting Luke and I was reminded to upload videos from the last we babysat him recently. He is so much fun to watch and such an easy baby. I rocked him to sleep about an hour ago and he was wearing the cutest pajamas ever. I almost don't want to put him to bed because I enjoy his company so much.
Here is a video from a couple weeks ago:
Tonight we are babysitting Luke and I was reminded to upload videos from the last we babysat him recently. He is so much fun to watch and such an easy baby. I rocked him to sleep about an hour ago and he was wearing the cutest pajamas ever. I almost don't want to put him to bed because I enjoy his company so much.
Here is a video from a couple weeks ago:
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Meet Weber
John and I recently received a Weber grill from John's mother and we basically think its the greatest thing since sliced bread. John has been pining for his very own Weber for years now, so you can imagine how excited he was to finally have one. We made a delicious dinner including grilled salmon, grilled asparagus, and garlic mashed potatoes. We received the recipes for the salmon and asparagus from the Weber website. The "simple salmon" recipe was incredibly delicious and is my new favorite way to cook salmon at home. The grilled asparagus had the perfect grilled taste too--so simple, so easy. Now I have to master the Weber grill dessert recipes. Yikes!
So happy about his grill.
Getting his coals hot.
All fired up.
Letting the grill master do his thing.
Dinner is served!
So happy about his grill.
Getting his coals hot. 
All fired up.
Letting the grill master do his thing.
Dinner is served!Sunday, September 13, 2009
Leaping lizards!
I recently allowed Diego to venture out in the big backyard. I was a bit nervous about it because I knew it would probably like it. I don't want him to dart towards open doors or possibly even worse, howl at closed doors. He has already started to howl and I need to teach this demanding kitty that's not acceptable. Anyway, once he is out he is a very happy camper. At first the lizards completely bewildered him. He has never seen anything move like them. He wasn't quite sure what to do with them, but now he loves to chase them. One of the first times I brought him out I saw a beautiful blue butterfly with gray and brown accents on it. Unfortunately Diego locked eyes on it at the same time. It was like a slow motion movie with me screaming, "Noooooooooo!" Diego tackled the butterfly to the ground and I was sure we were going to have a dead butterfly on our hands...er paws. I made Diego lose his grip on the poor little thing and it flew it away. What a relief. He quickly moved on to the lizards and tackled one under his paws. I was quite surprised he was able to catch one! I think some of them move slower than others. He didn't know what to do with it once he caught it, so he kindly released the lizard into the wild.
Today he conned my aunt into bringing him outside.
It's fun watching him explore the big backyard. No whenever John does some yard work, he brings his little pal, Diego. If only we could teach Diego to pull weeds.
Along the same note, John has enjoyed spending more time with Bella and Diego. One his favorite things to do is hand-feed them treats. Yes, it’s a bit strange, but I enjoy watching him bond with them. I guess they all like it?!
Today he conned my aunt into bringing him outside.It's fun watching him explore the big backyard. No whenever John does some yard work, he brings his little pal, Diego. If only we could teach Diego to pull weeds.
Along the same note, John has enjoyed spending more time with Bella and Diego. One his favorite things to do is hand-feed them treats. Yes, it’s a bit strange, but I enjoy watching him bond with them. I guess they all like it?!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Taste from St. Louis
While living in St. Louis, John and I used to frequent the City Coffeehouse & Crêperie on weekends. It was such a treat! We absolutely loved it. We usually usually stuck to our favorites. Mine was a crêpe full of brie, slices of green apple, walnuts, and topped with sliced red grapes. Oh my goodness, my mouth is watering just thinking about it.
Yesterday morning I felt like having a little taste of St. Louis. I decided to tackle my favorite crêpe in my own kitchen. I often forget that my favorite dishes out, can be made by me. Who would have thought? But it's definitely easier said than done. I found a million crêpe recipes online and just picked one that looked easy. (Note: After reading the recipe feedback, I decided to mix all the liquid ingredients first, then added the flour).
Ingredients include:
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 2 eggs
* 1/2 cup milk
* 1/2 cup water
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 2 tablespoons butter, melted
I chopped up some green apples in thin slices, cut the brie, and sliced the red grapes. (I decided not to use walnuts because we didn't have any.) The breakfast was a success and John was a happy crêpe taste-tester. Honestly, it wasn't as great as the crepes in St. Louis, but it is a start. I can't wait to tweak the recipe and also try some new exciting crêpe fillings! We are ready for some house guests. Who wants to visit?
Yesterday morning I felt like having a little taste of St. Louis. I decided to tackle my favorite crêpe in my own kitchen. I often forget that my favorite dishes out, can be made by me. Who would have thought? But it's definitely easier said than done. I found a million crêpe recipes online and just picked one that looked easy. (Note: After reading the recipe feedback, I decided to mix all the liquid ingredients first, then added the flour).
Ingredients include:
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 2 eggs
* 1/2 cup milk
* 1/2 cup water
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 2 tablespoons butter, melted
I chopped up some green apples in thin slices, cut the brie, and sliced the red grapes. (I decided not to use walnuts because we didn't have any.) The breakfast was a success and John was a happy crêpe taste-tester. Honestly, it wasn't as great as the crepes in St. Louis, but it is a start. I can't wait to tweak the recipe and also try some new exciting crêpe fillings! We are ready for some house guests. Who wants to visit?
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
The Beach
In late July I spent a week with the Burketts and our friends Mike, Lindsay, and Grayson in the Outer Banks, North Carolina. John and I were so excited to be reunited with Mike and Lindsay, and to meet little baby Grayson. It had been about three years since we have seen one another. Lots of phone calls and emails helped to keep us in touch, but it was so nice to spend time with them.
This year was Luke's first time to OBX and Grayson's first beach trip! They had so much to experience (when they weren't napping). It was really fun to see the beach through their eyes.
During the days we relaxed under beach umbrellas, played bocce ball, and swam in the ocean. One afternoon we found a shipwreck in the sand! The ocean was pretty rough this year. Every time I came out of the ocean, I felt like I had a concussion. The waves and currents really rip you around and I consider myself a strong swimmer. In the evenings we cooked delicious dinners and crowded around the table. It was almost like camp because we all had our assigned seats at the table. Dinners included delicious fish tacos, lasagna, stir-fry, enchiladas, quiche, and spanakopita. One evening we celebrated Lindsay's birthday! How fun to have your birthday at the beach. After dinner we usually enjoyed the sunset, strolled on the beach, and relaxed indoors. At night, we played games, chased crabs (Mike caught them bare-handed!), relaxed in the hot tub, and fell asleep happy.
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