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!

YAY!!!

They're here!!

Guess What I'm Getting Today?!?

Yes! My Pantone guides are arriving today! I'm so excited. I know this is a very basic thing but I've worked without it for 2 years (with a few interesting surprises along the way). Now, I'll know exactly what colors to use and can even present these to our clients for them to help me choose their colors. So exciting!!!

Salon de Linares

Computer is still not working. I'll need to see if our computer guy at work can fix it or else I think we'll be buying a new computer (laptop p.c. ... boo) during the tax free holiday in a week or two.

You know I was trying to think of ways to raise money for my new Mac and I found it. Behold, my masterpieces!





Only kidding. Not long after we were married Lucas started asking me to cut his hair. I was totally against it but finally we bought the clippers and away I went. I made Lucas sign a contract stating he could not divorce me if I screwed up his hair! Ha! Well some time has passed and we have certainly saved tons of money with these hair cuts. And their aren't too bad if I do say so myself. So my dad has been after me for a long time to cut his hair but we just never found the time. Well, this weekend he and granddaddy came over to help us put up crown molding in the family room / kitchen area. After all the work, we went to the back porch and I gave dad and Lucas hair cuts. Haha! What a sight to see for our neighbors I'm sure!

So as I mentioned, we worked on the house on Saturday. We got all the base molding put up around the top. Yesterday, Lucas and I sanded, taped, and painted all of our work. Today when we get home we'll take the tape off and unveil our work. I'll post pictures then. Next we will put crown molding on top of the base molding. Then, we'll fix the windows. Then, we'll install our new mantle. Then, the room will be complete (for a while.. until we build in the bookshelves on both sides of the mantle). I am also interested in fixing up the kitchen a bit. Plans I'd love for the kitchen: paint cabinets, change hardware, add marble countertops, add tile backsplash, and install under cabinet lighting. We don't have a very large kitchen so this shouldn't be too hard... no doubt the marble will be expensive though. More extensive kitchen renovations were initially planned which included extending the kitchen into the eat-in area and adding simply bar stools and counter instead of the table we have now. I doubt that will happen but we'll see.

A special thanks to my mom who brought us over a few goodies since Belks was having a sale. Lucas and I went back yesterday and bought him two shirts and me this fabulous jacket.


Not a great picture, I realize, but you get the idea. Short-sleeved, cropped zebra jacket. Awesome!! Mom bought me a cute suit that we have to tailor a bit. Once that is finished I'll have to show you!

Blue Screen of Death!!!!

Apparently I won't be blogging this weekend. Last night Lucas was flashed what we fondly call the "blue screen of death," and our computer no longer works. Guess it's time for that Mac, huh, honey? Well, I'll try anyways. I'm going to see if one of our computer guys from work can fix it but if not... it's adios old computer and hello my new Mac (I must give her a name). Although, the tax-free season is coming up and Lucas says we should buy a computer then (has to be under $750.... no Mac.... poooo). I don't know why I'm obsessing over this anyways. We don't have the money for a Mac, or a pc for that matter. Well, we aren't going to be spending it on that anyways. I should come up with a creative way to buy a new computer, like The Nester. Only I'm not that creative. Oh, well. I honestly don't know what I'm hoping for: the computer be easily fixed or we get a new Mac. If only it were so easy.

Jib Jab is at it again!

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Who Knew a Tuesday Night Could be so Much FUN!

I found a great new bar! Well, it isn't that new but it's new to me. LeeAnn's in downtown Huntsville. After our tennis match last night (which we lost), both teams went out for a few drinks. I didn't really know if I wanted to go or not and figured I would have one drink then leave. I ended up staying pretty late (sorry Lucas). We had a few drinks and had a great time dancing to live music. Apparently they have live music Tuesday through Saturday. What a great place to have a drink after work or later in the evening! The atmosphere was really neat because it is outside and really laid back. I had a wonderful time! Thanks to my team for dragging me out!


Photo of some our group (now I realize I'm looking a little rough in this photo but I just played tennis... give me a break)

So Cute!

I finally remembered to look up our race pics from the 5 mile run. Let's just say, if I wasn't inspired to work out before seeing that picture I surely am now. What an awful picture! But Lucas looks so cute in his! I had to post!

Happy Birthday to Me!

What a great birthday! I am totally inspired for my fitness craze. Yesterday was my birthday and we put together my new elliptical machine! This morning I had my first workout. 30 minutes on the elliptical then 20 minutes on Lucas's exercise ball that we haven't been putting to good use. I even had a yogurt for breakfast and have my healthy choice waiting on me in the freezer for lunch. I don't care to be super skinny, I just hope I can drop a size or two and make all my clothes (some of which are beginning to be a bit tight) baggy and cute. Wish me luck!

We did most celebrations for my birthday on Saturday. We met my grandparents, mom, and cousin (we stole him away from the hospital for a few minutes) at Big Bob Gibsons. I had the best bbq salad around! So good! I also got to open presents! I got several pairs of shoes, a dress, and a nice watch from my parents. I got a beautiful vase/urn, an outfit, and a pair of pj's from my grandparents. Thank you! I love it all! I'm actually wearing one pair of shoes from my parents and the shirt from my grandparents today!

Saturday night, Chris, Aida, Chris (Lucas's boss), Brittany, and Brandon came over for dinner and drinks. We had burgers, hot dogs, and chips. Then we played beer pong, our bean bag game, and 99 (a card game). We also played my new electronic Catch Phrase that Chris and Aida got me for my birthday! It was so much fun! Thank you!!! Unfortunately my camera ran out of battery so I didn't get shots from the night but we had a great time!

I had a wonderful birthday! Thank you to everyone!

And a big thank you to Lucas. I love my elliptical! I know you didn't want a big piece of exercise equipment in the house but now you'll have a hot, skinny wife! Ha! Maybe I'll let you use it, too!

I Want One!

Congratulations Tommy and Kristina!

Karson Thomas Boger was born Thursday, July 10th at 9:10 p.m., weighing in at 7 pounds 15 ounces. He is the cutest thing ever! We visited on Saturday. I held him and held him and didn't want to let go. I am now telling Lucas "I Want One!" but we are still sticking to our regularly planned schedule, which doesn't include children at this point.

And just so you get the picture, here I am.


As you can see, I was very happy! :)

I relinquished Karson for a few minutes so that Lucas could hold him. See!


I hope to be doing a lot of babysitting in the future!

Hey! I Know Her!

Haha! My friend Candice sent me a text message yesterday telling me she would be behind Barack at his speech in Virginia. Low and behold, I pull CNN up online and there she is! I'm sorry I didn't get a better shot than this. I was working on it when I was pulled aside for work, but I still think this is pretty awesome! I miss you, Candice!

Baby Karson is Here

Karson was born last night around 9 ~ 9:30 ish. Sorry I don't have the exact time. Anyway, he was 7 pounds 15 ounces. I'm so excited that he is a healthy baby boy! Unfortunately, it was too late for us to stay and see him. Apparently the parents only get about 10 minutes with the baby then they send him out to get all of his measurements and vitals taken, which takes about 2 hours. So it will probably be around midnight before Tommy and Kristina got to see him. Then, they want to spend time with him and their parents and closer relatives want to visit with him. I thought it was best for us to leave them be on their first night with him.

I'm hoping we can go visit him tonight but we'll see. Other relatives are here for the exciting times but we are here always, when they need us most. It seems like every day I realize how lucky I am to have the loving family that I do. I see more and more that others aren't so fortunate. I hope baby Karson is lucky enough to experience this through his life. I'll try to do my part, at least. Mini rant over, I hope to have pictures soon!

By the way, we swapped vehicles with my granddad while there so that we could take his truck to Dicks on the way home. And now I'm the proud new owner of an elliptical machine! Happy Birthday to me! I don't get to use it until my birthday but I have lots of stuff to do in between then. We have no groceries in the house, I desperately need to do laundry, and our house is still a total mess from our weekend warrior projects. I did clean the kitchen last night but still have lots to do.

It looks like my camping trip is going to be canceled as the forecast is calling for rain. :( I need to think of some fun way to celebrate my birthday. My guess is that it will end up being game night with the Ratleys but that will be okay. Maybe I'll get to spend some quality time with my good friend Rocky (the Ratley's dog)!

And the winner is...

this beauty from Dicks Sporting Goods.

Yesterday after work I taught Lucas's Tuesday group lesson. I think it went really well. Hopefully they weren't too disappointed that they got me instead. I think I did well. It has been so long since I've taught, and I was a little nervous teaching adults but once I got started it all came back. Hopefully Lucas will be back for them next week. The good news is that I earned a little more money to put towards my elliptical machine! Yay!

After the lesson I went to Dicks and found this machine. I got on and really liked it. It seemed very sturdy and smooth. Next, I went to Sears to look at comparable models and they weren't even close. I'm sticking with my first choice from Dicks. After researching many, many ellipticals within my price range I've come to realize that no matter which model I get I'm definitely going to be purchasing an extended warranty.

I'm so excited to get on my new elliptical and start shedding pounds! Hopefully when I go see baby Karson on Thursday I can swap my car for my parents' or grandparents' truck so that we can actually go buy it!

The Return of Coach Ashley

Since Lucas is leaving for Indiana after work, I am taking over his new Tuesday group tennis lesson. And guess where this money is going.... my new elliptical machine! This will postpone my shopping for the elliptical but hopefully I can make a quick run after the lesson.

Job Opp

A few years ago I would have jumped at this opportunity. I'm more domestic now but this really seems appealing. If I didn't have a job, a house, a husband, a puppy, responsibilities..... I would just pack up and take this job for sure.


Russ Feingold is hiring campaign workers for the 2008 Patriot Corps. He needs workers to help progressive candidates in close races across the country. They send you where they need you, provide your housing, and pay you $500 a week. Not bad! One of those great opportunities that most times you must volunteer for (which counts me out b/c I can't not work for 6 months). Anyway, this is a great opportunity. Wish I knew about it a few years ago. If you're flexible and interested, I'd check it out!

Uhm, There's A Hole in Our Wall

We did lots of work over the weekend. Originally our plan was to go camping or canoeing this weekend because we were going to go the New Orleans for my birthday next week but since that didn't work out we are going to go camping or canoeing next weekend. So this weekend we got to do a lot of work on the house. Granddaddy came over Saturday and he and Lucas finished putting up the last bit of base boards and trim and the quarter round. After a long day of work, granddaddy and Lucas cut a hole in the wall by the doorway that we planned on widening. They ended up just taking down the entire wall and preparing the doorway that night. So we went to Home Depot and got all of the supplies we needed for the next day of work.



That night, Lucas and I started taking doors down to sand, prime and paint so that they would match the trim. I used a Benjamin Moore color called "Navajo White" which is a little more creamier than a true white. It is just a much more rich color than white. But with white, cream, and brown, there were just too many colors. What a world of difference. I didn't get a picture of this but I did get some of Lucas and I working.

Here he is sanding the door.


And here is Rafa helping me touch up the trim.


Now on Sunday, grandmother and granddaddy came over to help. Grandmother helped touch up the trim while Lucas and granddaddy worked on the wall. Almost all day while we were working we were watching the Wimbledon finals. It was a long match. But Rafa pulled it out, beating Roger on his run for his 6th straight Wimbledon title. Wow! Go Rafa! I seriously would have been happy with either winner. They are both my favorites. But grandmother really wanted Rafa to win and kept stressing out everytime Rafa got close, just knowing that Roger would pull it out. She couldn't even watch! Oh, well. By the end of the day the boys had accomplished a lot. We still aren't done. Still to go: door facings, trim work, base boards, patching the floor, etc. Many more things to do but you can already tell what a difference it is going to make. These pictures really don't do it justice but in person this 7 inches is amazing. Trust me.

Before


After
(not the final after, of course, but the after as of now)


Still lots more to go on the house but it is coming together nicely.

Speaking of houses, we went with Brandon Sunday late afternoon to look at our prospective lot at Lake Forest. I think Lucas wants to put an offer on the lot this week. What a birthday present! I better not say that b/c then it will actually be my birthday present and I really want an elliptical machine.

P.S. I have talked Lucas into buying an elliptical machine for my birthday. We found a great deal online at Sears and bought it then got an email saying "oops! sorry! we don't have it!" What a let down. I'm very disappointed in you, Sears. I'm going to Dicks, Sears, and Wal-Mart after work today to look (Lucas is leaving yet again for another business trip to Indiana). Lucas said if I found a good deal on one I like that I can go ahead and buy it but I can't open or use it until my birthday. We'll just see about that. ;)

4th Festivities

Lucas and I had a pretty good 4th of July. Thursday night I stayed up late cooking for our activities on the 4th. And wouldn't you know it, the first major cooking I've done since blogging and I take no picture. Well let me just tell you. For lunch, I took green bean casserole, pizza pasta salad, chicken chile cheese cups, and the crispy cheese stars I mentioned earlier. Every thing turned out great except for the crispy cheese stars. They were down right horrible. Oh, well... live and learn.

We went over to Amy's parents' house that evening and I took some more of the pasta salad and these cake balls. I did manage to get a picture of these.



These were absolutely delicious! However, I didn't follow the recipe exactly. I had some left over butter cake mix and some vanilla icing from the baby shower so I mixed these together then dipped them in the chocolate bark. I didn't want to mess with drizzling other flavors over them so I just sprinkled some confectioners sugar over them. I think they turned out great! I will definitely be making these again BUT only for special occasions b/c these are very dangerous.

At the river we ate lunch then a storm blew in so we didn't really have time to enjoy the day or take any pictures so I had to get a family pic when we got home. Rafa looked so cute in his American bandanna!




Later that night we went to hang out with Amy and family. We had some great food and fun. Their neighbors shot loads of fireworks which would rival at least the Stars game fireworks. We got to watch from the backyard.... didn't even have to go anywhere! Amy and Dan brought over their beer pong table. Lucas and I played together but we were made to throw the ball, not bounce as we normally do. We got off to a rough start but ended up doing pretty well together! I still prefer to bounce though. Later in the night, Amy's parents actually played! Wow! It was fun! Lucas got her mom to play with him and later Amy played with her dad. Here are a few pics.




The night ended (for us anyways) with Amy's mom challenging Dan and he ended up having to take a shot of some pretty rough alcohol. Great pic!



It was a great 4th! Next year I hope rain is not a factor so we can enjoy the river with Rafa a little more. I was so looking forward to watching Rafa attempt to swim. Ha!

News Worthy Day

Today has been a news worthy day and I couldn't let the day end without sharing all the great news!

First of all, I found out that my cousin Tommy and his wife Kristina will have their baby on Thursday, July 10th. They are going to induce Thursday morning so Karson Thomas will be here soon!

Also, Lucas's boss Chris proposed to his girlfriend during their vacation to Canada over the last week. Congratulations you two! One of Lucas's friends, Melissa, also got engaged over the holiday weekend.

This morning Amy let me know that she got the job she has been interviewing for with the Girl Scouts. Yay! She was in desperate need of a way out of her current job so this couldn't come at a better time. And this has to be their lucky day. Dan, her husband, just got offered a job offer that will further his career along. Good job Welches! I see that Huntsville is really liking ya'll! I think it's about time ya'll move on over here from Athens.

Wow! What a day! Congratulations to everyone on all the great news!

New Blog Design

I hope everyone likes the new blog design. I was getting tired of the plain old white. If I had the formatting knowledge for Blogger I would have designed a better page that I have in my mind but I'm just not capable of producing it. Blogger is a little trickier than straight html so my Dreamweaver skills don't help me much. Just a little Illustrator/Photoshop work for this one.

I used the Olivia Collection from The Shabby Shoppe. I really wish I had more time to mess around with digital scrapbooking because it is just so awesome. One day I'm going to get really into it, but not today.

More posts are soon to come with all the info from this weekend's festivities and work.

4th of July - Food Options

So after looking around for a little while I have found a few options for the 4th.



Texas Blackberry and Strawberry Empanadas looks delicious! May be a bit challenging but I might actually be up for that challenge!



This Red, White, and Blue Tart is beautiful. I'm not sure if I'd actually like it but it is so pretty.



These
Watermelon, Lemonade, and Blueberry Ice Pops look tempting but might be a strategic nightmare on a hot July picnic.



These Crispy Cheese Stars look quick and easy. I might have to do these along with whatever else I decide to cook.

Also, some old standbys are cornbread or the best food ever... green bean casserole!

I'm off to the Patio Party now!