"In Bread" Cats

We're so proud of them. :)

Closet Haters

We added some shelves to our closet  My shoes are now displayed all in their glory and off the floor.  Bryce's suits, belts, and shoes are all together which he loves.  He also now has has many pairs of brown and black shoes lined up.

We forgot when we bought them that our attic access was there so we ended up buying a Dremel so he could cut the front lip off my shoe racks.  Bryce loves a good project where he gets a toy out of it.  :)

Salads: Speciality de Blauser

Bryce and I have been going on brisk walks and eating lots of spinach salads.  They're delicious.  We used up our fried chicken and have moved onto grilled chicken and swapped out the ranch for a delicious Italian dressing.  We cut up green peppers and add a sprinkling of cheese, some real bacon bits, and the occasional egg.  Here's one of the early prototypes.  The picture doesn't make it look as tasty.  This is an evolving dinner for us.  maybe we'll add nuts down the line.  What do you put in your salads?

A little trip

It was my birthday this last Wednesday so we took a weekend trip to Key West to get 2012 started with some sun and fun and celebrate my birthday.  It's the furthest south you can get in the USA.  Just a few (whole bunch of) pictures.  I think we took over 160 pictures.

 Bahia Honda State Park between Big Pine and Marathon.  Mile Marker 37.  The broken bridge is the old railroad built down through the keys in early 1900s.   The piece on the left is actually new and built to match the old part.  It's open to the public so you can walk up there and see out over the island and the ocean.  The bridge is falling apart and there are danger signs warning boaters who go under it.

 The Keys Credit Union where Bryce can work when we move there.

 The local restaurant we ate at...

...and saw a Key Deer outside of.  There's a reserve for them a few miles down the road.  The Key Deer is an endangered species.

 Our hotel room.

Looking out our back door and off our back porch.

 Look to the right.

 Look to the left.

 Luckily our hotel was next door to a Walgreens so we picked up some snacks.  The best deal on Diet Dr. Pepper and some tropical Mike & Ikes for our tropical day.

 Our saweet street cruiser.

Found this while walking around.  I wanted to be Ariel when I was little, but maybe not this version of her.

 The pier where we watched the sun set while sharing a shrimp quesadilla.

 Just after sunrise the next morning.

 nice line up of mopeds when we left for the airport.  A lot of people rented beach comber bikes or mopeds if they were staying on Key West.  It's only 3 or 4 miles long and a couple miles across.

Back to the seriously small airport.

Peace & Joy

Merry Christmas.

A Lazy Saturday and an Early Christmas

Exactly one week ago I had the laziest day of my life - and I hated it.  Bryce loved it and it was probably by far one of his favorite days in the last month.  I guess that's a good illustration of our different personalities. :)

After being busy all the time Bryce wants to sleep in, kick back in the recliner, watch Hulu, eat, and nap occasionally.  Not once having to clean or do any sort of physical activity, and especially not having to leave the house (which means he can chill in his underwears or sweats all day) last Saturday was such a day.

After being busy you'd think a nice lazy day would be welcome.  No.  I had a free day all to myself to do whatever I wanted, to get things done around the house that had been neglected, and to waste time ripping pages from magazines and dreaming up ideas for the unpainted rooms in my house.

I did none of this.

Today was different.  I realize it's a Friday not a Saturday, but I wasn't about to let the day go by and not get things done.  I had a list in my head last night and I woke up and got out of bed at 8 this morning.  Dusted, vacuumed, swept, mopped, cleaned counters and the oven, cleaned all the bathrooms, cleared clutter and sorted clutter, completed 3 loads of laundry, loaded and unloaded the dishwasher and was done in time for lunch.  Now that's what I'm talking about.  

So, for the remainder of the day I will be lazy with my husband who was lucky and was able to work half a day today.  I will read blogs, and dream dreams of divine homes.  And I will enjoy it.  

I can't post this with out defending one part of last Saturday.  I did cook a full meal.  I received a gift box from Gullah Gourmet, Inc. out of Charleston, SC.  I received bags of mix for Gullah Gullah Gumbo and Aunt Maggie's Sweet Cornbread.  It came with Peppa Jam.  Pretty good if I say so myself.

Bryce and I were not raised on southern cuisine and neither of us have had gumbo, so we thought we'd give it a try, so I went to cookin'.  I had rice and da gumbo sauce a cookin' while I mixed da cornbread badda up good fashion and cooked dem cornbread muffins.  MMmm.  Shrimp would've been delicious had we had some, but alas, we did not.  

The packaging is super cool and I loved the directions although I had to read a sentence and translate it so I knew what to do.   :)

When husband came home early today he had with him two surprise gifts for me for an early Christmas and, as always, he did the best wrapping job.  He has some serious skills people.

 Bet you can't guess what it is!

When Bryce tells me he has a surprise for me I usually, immediately, get a little apprehensive because this one thinks he's a jokester.  But once I know it's a real, actual, good surprise I get excited after feeling bad that I don't have something for him.  I worry less now because he knows I don't like glitter and that everything should not be pink, just because I'm a girl and girls should like pink, glittery things. :)  Also, I've learned, that when he announces he is getting or has a surprise for me, not to start guessing because I ruined a couple and it makes him very sad.

Today's surprise is from Z Gallerie and the man had to literally hunt for this ceramic taxidermy.  He knew I had seen some in a store that I liked and that I told him I wanted to find some heads for our bedroom.  He couldn't remember where it was, but he googled it and eventually found his way to Z Gallerie and located 1 of the 3 stores in Georgia (luckily it was 15 minutes from his work) and braved the crowds and people to get it for me.  He also asked for the moose head, but they were out so he went with a Rhino head.  While the box said Rhino head, it was really a 19" long full rhino ceramic figure.  So, Bryce got a surprise of his own with that one.  We may return for a head or we may keep it...still debating.

Past surprises:
A purse I wanted at TJ Maxx but did not buy at the time.

similar sweet wrapping job - this my first birthday after we were married.

A Christmas Tree for our first Christmas
An iPod ready with music downloads - I guessed this one and ruined it.
A new digital camera when my other one's battery wouldn't keep a charge very long.  Let the record show that he bought it soon after he had to use my failing camera for engine pictures and it frustrated him.

There are others, but like the good wife I am, I can't remember them all right now.

He's good at wrapping and he's good with gifts.  And I like receiving his gifts.  That's why we're so good together.  :)