May 24 2009
I’m sorry I haven’t been a very good blogger. Richard is home and we’ve been busy eating at all of our favorite places and packing (and packing and packing and packing). I have a lot of pictures to post of our school’s field day and of course of Olivia, too. This is going to be a very hectic week for us, but hopefully after school is out I can get back into blogging more regularly.
May 20 2009
Has anyone checked out the Fly Lady’s site? My MIL told me about it over the weekend and it sounds like a good idea. Fly Lady helps you get organized at home and helps establish a cleaning routine so that you clean a little bit each day and your house is always clean. Maybe you don’t get overwhelmed with housework like I do. My hubby is great to help, but every now and then we find ourselves getting behind and our space getting a little cluttered. I am really good about the cleaning part, but the organization of the clutter is not my strong point. I think I will add learning to fly with the Fly Lady to my list of things to do this summer.
So far this is my list:
1. Fly
2. print/organized photos in albums (This was also on last summer’s list.)
If you’re already flying, I’d love to know how it’s working for you and your family!
May 17 2009
This weekend we have had a great time celebrating Richard’s graduation with our families. Both sets of our parents and Richard’s brother were able to come. Yesterday we started our day with a convocation at the College of Public Health at UAMS. Richard received two awards!! From there we went to graduation and then to Whole Hog Cafe. Barbeque is one of the things Richard has missed most about living in the true South. Dinner wasn’t complete without a trip to Community Bakery. All of the festivities made for a very long day, but we enjoyed every moment of it! I am so proud of Richard!!!
May 14 2009
Olivia has had a big week! For the past six weeks, we’ve been going to a Puppy Kindergarten class. She has learned: sit, come, stay (with distraction!), ‘leave it’, down, stand and settle. One of the best parts of the class was that she had the chance to socialize with other dogs. Ellie (the Portie) and Juno (the Shepherd) are in the first picture.Please note how the other dogs are playing and Olivia is sitting nicely listening to the trainer. The second picture is of her with her buddy, Max. There were several other small dogs in the class, but she preferred the big dogs. I am sure it was because they were black and reminded her of her Auntie Delta.
After our last class on Wednesday, they gave all of the dogs a bandana for graduation. She looks so cute!
Olivia’s daddy is coming home tomorrow (YAY!!!) so I thought I should get her all beautified for his homecoming, so I made an appointment at the groomer for her. I took her in today and from the moment the lady opened the door, Olivia’s tail was going nuts! She was so happy! That made it very easy for me to leave her for the day. They did a great job on her. Sorry you can’t tell much from the picture, but that’s as good as it got today! After I picked her up, we came home and she played on the balcony while I cleaned the house. Then she went with me to my Junior League meeting. She’s a provisional member this year. We came home right after the meeting and she got a drink of water and has been asleep ever since (2 hours!). She has had a busy day!
May 11 2009
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The last few weeks have been very busy around here. This week tonight is the only night I don’t have something to do. Well, I have plenty to do, but I mean I don’t have a meeting or an appointment of some sort. Olivia is sitting happily on guard on the balcony, so I thought I’d take a few minutes to blog! The last two weekends have been a lot of fun! The weekend before last, I went out of town to visit some friends. I had a great time laughing with old friends and catching up! I got to visit some favorite old places (including my old dorms from college) and eat at some restaurants I miss. It was a really wonderful visit and it did my heart such good to see close friends and get to hug their necks and laugh with them!!! |
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Mother’s Day weekend brought even more fun! Friday night I met Mom and Dad for dinner. I wound up babysitting Delta. She and Olivia have really warmed up to each other. Olivia knows her limits with Delta and Delta is tolerant, so what more could I ask for? In the second picture, Delta is eating Olivia’s leftovers. I don’t think Olivia was quite sure what to think about that! Delta got scared because of the storm and climbed in bed with me around 3:30. Olivia slept right through everything. She’s tougher than Delta. (quit laughing) |
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On Saturday morning I surprised my mom and ran a 5k with her. She probably doesn’t want me announcing this to the world on my blog, |
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After the 5k we went out of donuts. We don’t run for nothing. Then us girls (Olivia, too) headed south to visit my grandmother. We also got to visit with one of my aunts which was extra special! After a fun visit, we came home and crashed! After waiting for an hour and a half (we broke up the wait with a trip to Starbucks) Mom and I enjoyed brunch. Then, we literally shopped until we dropped! I don’t know what it is about shopping but it wears me out! We had a really fun day though! I told Mom it was just the prelims for when we go to Dewey. The only thing that would have made the day any better would have been to have my M-I-L with us (and my S-I-L!!) |
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May 07 2009
I have to write this down before I forget.
My students have gotten into wanting me to read their library books aloud to the class. I want them to be excited about their library books, so I read! Yesterday I read one of my student’s library books aloud–it was a mother’s day story about a family of dinosaurs. Little T.Rex kept wanting to do something special for his mother and she kept telling him that all she wanted was a Mother’s Day hug, but T.Rex was convinced he had to do something. T.Rex kept talking to his friends about what they could do for his mother. They finally decided to decorate T.Rex’s mother’s car. Among other things, they glued ferns to it, painted racing stripes on it and painted a frowny face on the front of the car. After reading about several things they had done to the car, we got to the frowny face and I stopped and asked, “Was it a good idea for these little dinosaurs to do this to T.Rex’s mother’s car?” One of my little boys immediately said, “NO!!!! They should have drawn a HAPPY face on the front!!”
May 06 2009
I was sitting here snacking on semi-frozen berries and cool whip and remembered a de-lish treat that my sister-in-law made once. Now, something you have to understand is that anything–I do mean anything–my s-i-l whips up is fabulous–and she truly does it with such ease she could be making the most incredibly difficult recipe and it would seem like she was just “whipping it up”. She is the best cook I know. Very talented and creative in the kitchen she is.
The recipe that follows is from Barefoot Contessa and involves frozen berries and a white chocolate ganache. Very tasty. You will not be disappointed.
Frozen Berries with Hot White Chocolate
Serves 6
My British television producers introduced me to this delicious concoction; it’s hot white chocolate poured over frozen berries and it’s served at two of London’s most popular restaurants, The Ivy and J. Sheehey’s. The combination of cold and hot is amazing. You can also use frozen berries; the individually flash-frozen kind are available in the freezer section of many grocery stores.
2 half-pints fresh raspberries
2 half-pints fresh blueberries
1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced thick
1 cup heavy cream
10 ounces good white chocolate (not chips), chopped
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Early in the day, spread the berries on a sheet pan in a single layer and place them in the freezer. (This prevents them from sticking together.) Once they’re frozen, store them in a freezer bag.
In a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, heat the cream, white chocolate, and vanilla just until the chocolate melts. Don’t let the bowl touch the water. Heat the mixture until it’s warm to the touch, about 110 degrees.
Place the frozen berries in one layer on 6 dessert plates and allow them to sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes to defrost slightly. Pour the hot white chocolate evenly over the frozen berries and serve immediately.
May 05 2009
Today is the 5th day of the 5th month, so I thought I’d post 5 random things.
1. I found a unifix cube in the cuff of my pants today.
2. I think a lot about what I could paint on a canvas, but I’ve only actually done it a handful of times.
3. I haven’t run in a week.
4. I need to wash my sheets.
5. I have started polishing my fingernails an actual color instead of just clear/nude.
