1st of the Month

..... And you know what that means! New Desktop!

I've been pretty upset about not getting a real beach vacation (or real vacation for that matter) this summer so to cheer myself up I thought I'd use fond memories of our 1st Anniversary trip last February to Jamaica and the Cayman Islands for this month's calendar.

Remember, get your free desktop calendar at Shabby Princess Scrapbooking!

Thursday's Picnic in the Park

Lucas and I decided to have lunch together today at Big Spring Park. I got to use my picnic basket! While we were having lunch and enjoying our time, we talked about how we should do this every week. Thus, our Picnic in the Park tradition has begun. Hopefully we'll be able to get together for a picnic every Thursday! Unfortunately, Lucas has a crazy work schedule and is always going out of town so we may not make it every Thursday but it's just a goal to work towards.

As we arrived at the picnic table Lucas said, "Okay. Hand me the camera and open up the basket. I know you want a picture for you blog." Isn't he sweet! Ha! He's getting the hang of it now.



For lunch today we had chicken salad sandwiches, pasta salad, and watermelon all served with lemonade (or bottled water with those little packets of flavor)! Delicious!

Rafas Got Style

When I went home Tuesday night, Mom surprised me with some gifts for Rafa. I think this one was more for Lucas than Rafa. Take a look at how cute Rafa is in his Colombian bandana.

I really hate how dogs' eyes always look like this in pics if they are looking at the camera. Any photographer out there know how to get rid of this? I guess I could photoshop the pictures but is there some trick to dog photography I don't know about? Probably.

She also made him these.

A black, manly bandana. One with cute, little puppy paws. And one to take camping, to the lake, or to the beach with little sailboats.

Thanks, mom! Rafa thanks you, too (even though he isn't quite as fond of them as we are)!

Babies Make Me Smile

I went to visit baby Karson after work last night. He is so precious and I got to do all sorts of baby things while I was there! I got spit up on, I got to feed him, burp him, change his diaper. What fun! Kristina kept saying, "See. Still want one?" I most emphatically can say yes! How wonderful babies are! I still want one!!! But there is plenty, plenty, plenty of time. I still have to get my European vacation in!

Barcelona, Spain! Si!


and

Paris, France! Wi! (Is that how you spell it?)

Next Summer?

While I was in Hartselle I also got to visit with my mom (thanks for dinner, mom) and my grandparents.

On the subject of babies, I'll give an official 'CONGRATULATIONS!' to my friend Brooke who just recently announced she's pregnant. Yay, Brooke! Congratulations Baileys!

Lucas is coming home tonight. Finally! We're going on a date! Hopefully it will involve Mexican food and a margarita (or two)!

Computer Problems Lead to Decorating Problems

(By the way, I have a huge black framed mirror to hang over the couch but the husband hasn't helped me hang it yet. Notice Rafa sitting so nicely on the chair!)

As I mentioned earlier, we are in the middle of a computer crisis. In the past, we have used our laptop at home and kept it stored away underneath a side table in our family room. That has worked fine for us because we really only use the computer to check important stuff like email and facebook. ;) But now, our laptop isn't working (we're working on getting it fixed) so we decided to break out my old college computer. It has a few kwirks of its own but it works so that is an improvement. Saturday we spent the day cleaning out the computer and saving all of my old files. Then, we re-formatted the whole thing and started fresh. It actually seems to be working alright now. But then comes the challenge of finding some place to put it.

Our 'office' that we never used has now become my workout room since I got my elliptical machine! The desk that was against this wall was moved to our living room (another room we never used much). I put it against the back wall figuring I would just place some big arrangement in the center and we'd eventually find a purpose for it.

But before I could even get an arrangement together I found a purpose for the table. Now we actually use the living room! How about that! It is a work in progress but I actually kind of like it.

The 'computer chair' we're using actually belongs to our breakfast nook but I have sort of a new plan for chairs there. I haven't told Lucas about this though. I guess this is as good of a way as any. So I saw these chairs in the Pottery Barn catalog and I would like to imitate on a much cheaper scale. Perhaps my grandparents have 2 old chairs I could use for this and then I'll just recover with the zebra print of my choice. Love it!!


And just because... cute pictures of Rafa sitting on the chair while I'm trying to decide what to do.

Yumm!

Yesterday afternoon Lucas had his first soccer practice of the Fall season. While he was away I played in the kitchen! Mom had sent me a recipe last week for Sesame Chicken. I decided to surprise Lucas with a new dish for dinner. So here it is! Sesame chicken with terriyaki noodles and an eggroll. It was so good!

Mom's Sesame Chicken
"I took one pack of boneless chicken breast and cut up the chicken into small chunks. Next, you put it in an egg/milk wash for a few seconds and dust it in flour....then fry. (you could always do that part earlier or the day before if you were having company) Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix equal parts (I used 3-4 tablespoons) of honey, ketchup, soy or terriyaki sauce, sesame oil. Add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes (optional), tablespoon or two of sugar and a little salt and pepper. When the chicken is done, wipe out your skillet and put the chicken back in it. Add sauce, let it sit until warm. Sprinkle on some sesame seeds (found in spice section of grocery store) and serve." - Mom

Also, I made a big bowl of Lucas's favorite pasta salad. Guess what I'm having for lunch?!?

This one is easy. I just threw some red onions, green bell peppers, and cheese crumbles into some rotini and mixed with zesty Italian dressing. You can mix whatever you like though.

We also bought a watermelon from the nice farmer who sells fruits and vegetables at the end of our road. $5 for a fresh, homegrown watermelon. You can't beat that! (At least not until my dad's garden starts yielding some fresh, homegrown watermelons for free! Right dad?)

And, as a finale I made brownies last night. How awful of me!!

Movie in the Park

Tonight is Movie in the Park. Lucas has been waiting for this flick all summer. I myself have never seen it. I know you'll be shocked when you find out what it is....


Hopefully we'll have a few people tag along with us tonight. I get so excited about movies in the park because I just love the atmosphere and communal bonding. I'll be sure to take some photos!