Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Wednesday-Hump Day!

Today, I was required to leave the bay house and head to the local library (20M away) to do some work. Boo! :) Seriously, I have not missed even the tv. Although, we did turn it on to watch a movie yesterday.

We are having a nice time and are trying to catch up on our rest. With Sydney and Nathan that can be tough. :) If only I could absorb a bit of their energy.

We were supposed to leave today, but I couldn't resist. We are staying until Saturday. Then, it will be back to reality. We've eaten in every meal. We aren't suffering by any means!

Saturday: Steamed shrimp, baked potato and salad
Sunday: BBQ, coleslaw and baked beans
Monday: Mexican Fiesta-Take 2 (Enchiladas, Beans, Homemade Salsa)
Tuesday: Beer can chicken, 7-cheese Macaroni (Don't laugh! The beer can chicken was AWESOME!)
Wednesday: I have no idea.

I cooked all the desserts. I've tried all except the cake. From what I've tried, they all turned out well and the brownies were way awesome. I've actually got to leave to eat one now. YUMMM!

Have a great rest of the week! I'll be offline til Sunday.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day! It has been a nice weekend so far. We've had a few glitches, but that is standard. :)

I have no real desire to leave the porch. :). I could sit here all week. Eat, sleep, lounge, nap, stretch, sleep, eat, etc. That isn't possible with two munchkins running around, but we are close. :)

It is hard to believe that Monday is here already. :( Slow Down!

Friday, May 22, 2009

Tick Tock

I'm one of three people left in our office right now. I'm bored and I'm ready to leave to start my vacation.

Tonight, I'm heading to Toni's. I'll be working on operation wall paper. I don't know how much help I will be, but I'm going anyway. Tadlock support on the way!

Tomorrow morning, I'll get up, pack and hit the road. We're headed to Reedville. I haven't been in forever. I'm looking forward to seeing the place again and enjoying the quiet. Hopefully, the snakes stay away. It is right on the bay and they like to come out this time of year, so I am told.

I am in charge of desserts this long weekend. I will be making, or attempting to make:

Pecan Pie
Coconut Cake
Blueberry Scones
Outrageous Brownies
Sopapillas (We are having a Mom's Day rerun!)

I received a new book on professional cooking last week. I'm looking forward to reading it while I'm on vaca. I find it facsinating. Doubt my cooking will improve, but I could tell you what is supposed to happen. Ha! Ha!

Best wishes for a safe and happy holiday weekend!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

A Month of Sundays

So, I got an email reminder from Jess that I haven't blogged in a month, which I knew. :) I've been meaning to get around to it for days, weeks and now, a month. I could just never find the time to sit still. So much has happened over the last month and I'll try to summarize.

First, we yanked the Contract on our house in Aldie. Yep. Decided we weren't in love with it and we were just anxious to get out of our pit rental. We decided it wasn't worth it to overlook flaws in the new house and neighborhood. So, we'll just sit back and keep our eyes open.

We went to a co-worker's wedding at the end of April. It was lovely. Marc and I left the babes at our house with Grandma and Grandpa for the night and we stayed at the lovely Queenstown Inn. We ate, danced and then had a late night dinner at Crackerbarrel. YUM! I had french toast and the waiter was astounded at the amount of food I ordered. I woke up the next morning with a yucky sore throat. It was unusually warm that weekend and when my parents went to turn on the AC in our rental, it didn't work. SURPRISE! After two weeks, it was fixed. Thankfully, the heat relented after a day or two so we didn't mind it so much.

We were shocked to the core shortly after our return. We found out that our friend, Brian Paap, had passed away from a severe heart attack while playing indoor soccer. He was survived by his wife, Toni, and his three girls, Madison, Morgan and Taylor. He was 35, full of life and was loved by many. Marc had worked with Brian when he first moved to Northern Virginia. He, Brian, Brandon and FJ started played soccer together and then the girlfriends stepped in. We were together nearly every week for years. We witnessed dating, marriages and births. We separated mostly after our children were born and some moved away. It just happened as it so often does. It was bittersweet to see everyone again for the first time in two or three years. In many ways, we've grown up together. I suppose I didn't anticipate adding death to our list so soon.

Toni, who is linked on my blog, but no longer active, has a wonderful attitude. She always has. Honestly, that is the one thing that makes me like them so much. They have a "take me as I am" attitude and that is so rare to find, especially here. Such an attitude will surely help her during this extremely difficult time. My heart goes out to her and her family. There truly are no words.

Events such as Brian's death, always causes us to stop and think about how we are living our lives and do we have our priorities in order (i.e. family, marriage, health, etc.). We are taking steps to ensure that we keep ourselves in line. We started reaching out to friends and family we haven't seen in quite some time. Who knows what tomorrow brings?

Mother's Day was the perfect time for us to show our mom how much we lover her. Mother's Day was a smashing success. My sister and I headed to the 'Burg to cook for our mum. Actually she and Shenan already live there. :) We had a mexican fiesta feast (nachos, homemade salsas, enchiladas, grilled shrimp, rice and beans, flan and margaritas). We made sooo much that we have enough leftover for our vacation this upcoming week. :) I LOVE freezers!

Sydney is well. She's quite funny these days. I got pulled aside by a teacher in school because she's been questioning the teacher's authority and then calling her a "silly donkey." Um, no, she doesn't watch HK. She loves to paint her nails and dress up. We have, at Rachael's suggestion, labeled nearly everything in the house (chair, light, lamp, etc.) and a new 'I Can Read' series to help her out.

Nathan is growing leaps and bounds and talking more every day. He was cutting three molars at the same time last week, which was no fun for anyone. Thankfully, he's through that. He loves to give kisses and hugs. He is finally showing an interest in books, so unlike Syd. He is a climber! I have to watch him like a hawk.

Camping season is rapidly approaching and I cannot wait. This weekend, we'll spend a few days in Reedville, VA. I haven't been in a while. In fact, I cannot remember the last time. We are looking forward to it. I'm in charge of desserts during the trip. Any suggestions?

I miss you all and think of you often. I really do.

Hugs! BIG HUGS! Now, go kiss someone you love!