Day 197

Today was one of those 'chore' days again.  While I took care of business inside the house, Rob took on the outside.  After he mowed the grass, he washed down the house, the patio and all the patio furniture...again.  Seems like he just did that, but boy the dust, dirt and especially those cobwebs sure build up fast.  I caught him in the act here, hosing down the windows.

I sure do love how everything looks after a fresh wash down!!

Day 196

Today I put away all of the 4th of July decorations.  It kind of made me sad...I love filling the house with those little displays of patriotism...and summer.

It is nice to get the house back to {normal} though.  And as I put away the decorations, I realized I had a little room for a few new, fresh additions to our decor.  Like this picture frame we received as a wedding gift from Craig and Wendy. 

It's a very cool wood frame, etched with our names and wedding date on it.  I found a wedding photo to fit inside it, and now it sits on top of the DVD rack for display.  Perfect.

Day 195

Since doing all of my Thank You cards, I've had the itch to get back in the {very messy} craft room and really start some scrapbooking and card making.  But, I do still feel so rusty.

I tried my hand today at a shape card, using my Gypsy.  I don't think I've done a shape card with the Gypsy before.  If I could just get the hang of using it, I think that handy little device really does make things so much easier...not to mention the portability of it!!  After a few tries at resizing and welding, the finished product was this little pineapple drink card for Christy's birthday.

Happy 40th Birthday Christy!

Day 194

OK...so do you give up?  Wonder what this is?  It's nothing gross or obscene.  It's not the wrinkled end of a cigarette...it's just the butt end of a Walla Walla Sweet Onion!

It's been awhile since I've looked at the prompts I use for daily photo ideas.  Over at Fat Mum Slims, on her July List for today was 'texture'.  I thought the end of this onion had some interesting texture, so I took a couple photos of it, and like the way it looked. 

Then I took the onion and proceeded to make homemade onion rings out of it, to go with the beer battered fish and french fries.  The fridge and cupboards were bare, so the best I could do was cook up a big ol' mess of fried food...yum and yuck, all at the same time!!

Day 193

It has been HOT for several days now, and it doesn't look like it's going to cool off anytime soon!

Tonight as I was leaving work, I took this picture of Chelsea the Charger's thermometer...a {cool} 102!  I actually don't mind the heat too much, and really do like driving around with the sunroof open and the windows down on days like this.  Reminds me of the good old days when I was a kid!  When summers where for sleeping in, swimming all day and playing with friends...ahhhh...remember when!?!

Day 192

Boring!  It ain't much, I know.  It's a lamp.  A new paper shade lamp we bought at Ikea.  I really like it though, and the warm glow it gives off in the corner of the living room. 

As you can guess, I really had nothing to photograph tonight, and nothing exciting happened like the storm last night...so here it is...our new 'floor' lamp.  Rob and I think now that we put it in this particular corner, it really needs some sort of pedestal to elevate off the floor it a bit.  You know like on a small stool or trunk or something. 

Guess we'll have to work on that.

Day 191

It's not the picture I had hoped for...the fierce lightening bolt jetting from the sky...but it's still a pretty cool photo.

Tonight, Rob and I were both at our computers as it got dark outside.  I thought I was seeing flashes outside, but it was hard to make out until it became dark...then you could see the flashes light up the entire sky!  They were pretty impressive, I must say...along with the amazing thundering booms right over the house!

We both went outside to watch the storm as it traveled overhead.  Try as I might, I could not seem to point my camera in the direction of the lightening as it happened!  This is something I need to work on, because I would really like to be able to capture one of those rare shots.  I was pointing my camera in anticipation of the next bolt when it happened just to the left {if you look close, all the way to the left, you can just see the tail}...but I managed to get this shot off of it lighting up the sky and the cloud cover.

I may be getting some more practice soon...I think this just may be the first of some good old fashioned summer storms brewing!

Day 190

Here they are again...the little girls.  I haven't had too many photos of them on here lately.  I guess I never really get tired of taking their picture though.

It's been a full week now since Baylee hurt her other leg, and she's clearly on the mend.  She's getting around much better now, but still with a limp...poor girl.  She spends a lot of time on this old folded comforter...a makeshift bed for her that she can stretch out on. 

And poor little Lucy...she wants so much to cuddle up with cranky old Baylee, but she really doesn't even try.  Tonight, she just cuddled up next to the 'bed' to be near to her, both of them at my feet...sawing little puppy logs.

Day 189

Tonight Rob and I did dinner and a movie.

Last night Rob got some disappointing news about a new job he had applied and interviewed for, and was feeling a bit down in the dumps.  I was feeling a little helpless about how to make cheer him up.  I didn't know what to do to make him feel better, but just thought if we got out of the house, surely that would help.

So, we headed down to Magill's for a quick bite, and then to the movie theater to see Savages.  It was a pretty good movie...not as violent or gory as I was afraid it would be.

I'm not sure if the evening did the trick entirely...but I think at the very least it got Rob's mind of things for awhile, and hopefully lifted his spirits a bit.

Day 188

Today is my mom and dad's anniversary.  Today, they would have celebrated their 38th anniversary in fact.  Today, just three weeks into my marriage, it really made me think about my mom and dad and what they made marriage look like for me.

One thing that has always stuck with me; my mom always says marriage is a partnership...neither individual is better than or less than the other.  And I think my parent's marriage was an example of that. 

That doesn't mean the road was always rosy...of course there were tough times, or frustrating times, or differences of opinion.  But the overall message held true...they were equals, they were partners, for better or worse.

I pray that when the road isn't exactly rosy for Rob and I, or when we're frustrated, or struggling with differences of opinion as I'm sure we will, that we too will always treat each other with respect, and treat each other as equal partners in our relationship. 

I don't think there's just one 'key' to a happy marriage, but I do think this one is a keeper!

Day 187

So, exactly how many photos do you have to endure of my wrinkly hands and wedding rings??  Well, I think this will be the last!

Last Wednesday I posted that I had lost my wedding band.  But LOOK!!  It has been found.  I just KNEW it had to turn up somewhere, and it did.  And it was in one of the four places I knew it had to be...the parking lot at work.  Can you believe it?  A week later and it was still there!

This morning Shauna came in to my office to ask how much I loved her.  Kind of an odd question, I thought...until she handed me my wedding band!  She had been in the ladies' room when a women from the office next door asked if anyone in our office lost a...before she could finish Shauna blurted out how I had lost my wedding band.  The woman, Marcy, told her she never parks in the spot she did, but today she drove her husband's vehicle, so she parked his big truck out at the end of the parking lot.  When she got out of the truck she spotted something shiny...my ring!  YAY!!  It's a miracle!!  It's just a little scuffed but I don't care, I got it back, that's the most important thing!

I immediately put that ring back on my finger, and then snapped this photo with my phone to send to Rob to tell him the good news!

I think tomorrow I will take over a thank you card along with a Starbucks card to Marcy, to thank her for her kindness!

Day 186

Happy Birthday America!  Happy 4th everyone!  Today was a great day...a busy day, full of all kinds of things, so I have a few photos to share (for once!).

First, I started my morning by getting up early to bake a chocolate cake for the cake pops, and then getting the cupcakes in the oven.  I managed to get the two dozen vanilla cupcakes frosted with a chocolate cream cheese frosting and decorated with red, white and blue sprinkles before Rob and I headed out the door to the parade.

 The parade was kind of a bust, like I suspected.  Many people turned out to see it; the streets were lined with families...especially the kids waiting for candy to be thrown.  But it seems that when the holiday falls in the middle of the week like it did, not as many folks turn out to be IN the parade...like bands and floats.  But there was great represetation from Pasco - the one and only float, and the one and only band!

After the parade Rob and I headed back home, and I promptly went back to work...this time on the cake pops.  When I read the directions, they seemed pretty straight forward and actually pretty easy.  But they ended up being a little more of a pain than I had anticipated.  I did learn a few things for next time though.  I guess I had to get the first time done and under my belt. 

I started by making them a little too big, which meant they were too heavy to stay on the stick.  I'm don't think I froze and/or refrigerated them long enough.  I think my candy melts could have been hotter/thinner for a more even coating.  And most importantly, I needed to leave them alone until completely dry!!  I kept pealing them up too soon and leaving coating and cake on the plate!!  With all that said, here's the kicker...they were DELICIOUS!!  I mean seriously...who knew??  I guess I anticipated them tasting like a cupcake, but I think they were better...way better.  And so did everyone at the BBQ.  They were a major hit!

After I completely destroyed the kitchen with my cake pop assembly line, I actually took a quick little nap to rest and regroup  Then Rob and I headed over to Melanie and Jordan's for their annual BBQ.  They had a bit of a rib cookoff...one guy made pork ribs, while the other made beef.  I'm not sure what or whose I had...but they were all so good!  And there was food o'plenty...lots of ribs, salads and beans...YUM!  While all of us grown ups yacked it up, all the kids kept busy in the pool.  It was a great way to end the 4th...thanks Mel and Jordan for the invite!

Because tomorrow is a work day, and because we're old I guess (hehe) Rob and I opted out of the fireworks, and just called it a day and headed home to feed and check on the pups. 

We hope you all had a wonderful 4th...full of fun, food, friends and family too!!

Day 185

So, the self-proclaimed Cupcake Queen is going to try her hand at something new, well and something old.  But feast your eyes on these!

I did a little running around after work and grabbed some lollipop sticks and some candy melts, along with a new pastry bag.  After I make one batch of cupcakes for tomorrow's BBQ, I am going to try my hand at some cake pops.  They are all the rage these days...all over Pinterest, and you can even buy them at Starbucks.  So, it only seems natural that I would give these mini cakes a try.  I've been wanting to do it for sometime, and figured the 4th seems like a good occasion! 

Here's hoping they turn out beautiful and delicious!!

Day 184

Finally...we're ready for the 4th...not a moment too soon.

I've had the house decorated for the 4th since Memorial Day.  But for some reason I just could not get my butt outside and get the bunting on the banister.  With another 'gentle reminder' from Rob tonight, I took off outside to get the job done.  I got the bunting put out, a couple of these larger flags stuck in the ground, and 8 little flags lining the driveway.

Bring on the 4th!

Day 183

Here it is...the finished product.  My Thank You card 'prototype'.

It has been so very long since I have completed anything in my craft room.  Months and months and months.  With the exception of the few cutouts for my brother's birthday, I have done no paper crafting really for a year now...and boy am I rusty!  But this felt really good to get in there and get the juices flowing again. 

I'm not 100% satisfied with this...I'm sure a few tweaks here and there are in order.  But here's the first one knocked out, now only 29 more to go!!