Getting to Know You.

I can’t believe how quickly the weeks go by. Every time I turn around it is Sunday again and that means GTKY.

1. If you were to win an award today, what would it be for? Being a good wife & mother.

2. What is your shoe style? Flip Flops all the way!

3. Does your car reflect your personality? Yes, I think so. I drive a Toyota Highlander.

4. If you could take over someone's body for a day..whose would you choose? A food critic so I could eat at a lot of fancy restaurants.

5. Love or be loved? Both:)

6. If you were on death row, what last meal would you choose? Steak, baked potato all the way, and a large sweet tea. Chocolate Chip Cookies for dessert.

7. Have you been on vacation this Summer, if so where? We just got back for San Francisco, Yosemite, and Lake Tahoe. I can’t wait to blog about it.

8. What is your favorite food related guilty pleasure? I love cookies. I also like drinks with sugar in them. Tea & coke are my favorite things to drink. I guess that is why I am 5 lbs. up right now:(

Head over to Keely's and see who else linked up and answered questions.

Happy Sunday,

Melanie

Playing catch up.

Hello blog friends. We made it home from California on Monday night at 8 pm and I haven’t stopped yet.

{you can see Alcatraz in the photo on the right}

This boy had mouth surgery on Wednesday so that has kept me busy too. Gary had to go right back to work on Tuesday morning and that has been hard. We are all on west coast time still so we are wanting to stay up late and sleep in.

There has been no sleeping in except for Caden;-) I went to the grocery store, picked Bit Bit up from the boarding place, got Caden’s prescriptions filled, and then headed home to start laundry. That was all on Tuesday.

Then Wednesday I took Caden to have his surgery. He had his first mouth surgery last June and it didn’t go so well. I will spare you the details but it was rough.

Here we are a year later and they needed to graft skin to grow some gum to keep a tooth in place. He has been in braces for over two years and he wants them off. We can’t do that until this tooth is stable.

So, I am playing catch up. I have finished up all the laundry, played nursemaid to Caden, and now I am trying to catch up on all my blog reading. I have missed all my blog friends but catching up with every one is proving to be a challenge. I thought that I could go and read EVERYTHING that has been written since I left, but that is not going to happen. I am having to just check in with every one and let that be my update.

Maybe I follow way to many blogs but I would miss each and every one of you if I didn’t stop by every day for a visit:)

Hope everyone has a great weekend and I will be caught up and raring to go next week. I have much to tell you about our vacation.

Happy weekend,

Melanie

Charlie Joseph’s

This place has the best hot dogs that I have ever tasted. The place has been around for decades and they have even been in Southern Living Magazine.

It is a ‘must eat’ place every time we head to Georgia. This year we all got to go together.

Plotting going on or Caden telling Dylan that I never quit taking pictures;-) Take your pick.

Old timey counters with cute bar stools. (Karen Russell would ask me did I learn anything in her class….look at the two different colors in the photos…UGH!)

A very cute Coca-Cola napkin holder.

Caden is really happy to be eating his favorite hot dog. Notice that he has three.

This picture might just be the reason that Caden wants me to quit taking pictures all the time:)

My yummy lunch. (I think that Karen would be proud:)

This is Austin. He is turning 10 years old but he thinks that he can keep up with the older boys and I’ll give it to him….he sure tries hard.

If you are every in LaGrange Georgia, stop by Charlie Joseph’s and get a hot dog.

Or two.

Melanie

Next week we will be back on our Pioneer Woman recipe schedule.

Getting to know you!

Well, I might just be running out of time to get this post up but through the last 10 days, I have not been online…..or should I say that I haven’t been able to connect at any place that we stayed at.

Of course that would just have been MY computer and not Caden’s or Gary’s.

Anyhoo, I am back in the land of technology and I am going to be catching up with all of you next week. Caden is having mouth surgery on Wednesday so I will be busy with that but I am hoping to find the time at night to sit down and read all of your blogs.

So off I go with this weeks questions.

1. Thong or Granny Panties? No more thongs for me but no granny panties for me either;-)

2. If you see a guy with his fly down, do you tell him? If I knew him, I think that I would.

3.Spanx or no Spanx? Spanx with certain dresses. UGH!

4. Do you sleep in your sheets? Yes

5. What is your favorite Disney character? Winnie the Pooh:)

6. Dream vacation spot? Hawaii although I just got back from a pretty fabulous trip that I will be telling you about shortly.

7. What is your dream job? What I do now….being a stay at home mom and wife and taking care of my family.

8. Who is your hero and why? My hubby because he is the most honest person I know, has the most integrity of anyone I know, takes a lot of pride in his job, and really knows how to treat a lady. I am adding smart to that list too:)

Thanks to everyone who commented on my parents 50th wedding anniversary and my other post. With my internet service being lousy, I tried to answer every one but I know that I missed a few people.

Now, just head over to Keely's and see what others had to say.

Melanie

Kindle, I love you!

Look what I got!

Yes, I couldn’t stand it. I told you about it on a Tuesday and by Friday, it was at my front door:)

I have wanted one since they first came out but I was waiting on them to drop the price. When I saw that it was now $189.00, I just couldn’t pass it up. I thought about it for a couple of days and I woke up one morning and hit enter.

I {heart} one click shopping.

Had I have known how great the Kindle was going to be, I probably wouldn’t have waited for the price to go down.

It came in a cute little box with some cute little instructions. It was already set up when I cut it on and it is very easy to learn how to navigate.

You can even put PDF files on it. I already have my photography lessons ready to read whenever I want to. That sold me:)

They say that it takes less than 60 seconds to download a book but it has only taken about 10 or 15 seconds. I love that you can read the first chapter of a book before you buy it and the best thing is that I can make the font bigger. My 42 yr. old eyes have had to resort to reading glasses now so that is a big plus for me.

I will never give up books but I will enjoy taking this on vacation and I will always have it in my purse when I leave the house.

This is my new favorite toy. I love gadgets. I would have them all if I could afford them. I told Gary that I don’t really like to buy clothes but I make up for it in expensive gadgets. Give me a new lens, an IPod Touch, and now the Kindle. I will take those things over clothes any day. I think he is happy that I don’t care about clothes that much. I might have to get a job if I did.

I think that my Kindle needs a name. Caden thinks that I am crazy but I think I have to name him. I don’t normally name my things but I’m thinking this new toy needs one.

Any thoughts?

Melanie

50 Years Together.

Today my parents are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.

50 years!

Just saying it seems so big.

That’s 50 birthdays.

That’s 50 Christmases.

50 years means a marriage that has seen the death of parents.

The birth of a child.

The birth of a grandson.

Multiple vacations. Multiple moves. Multiple jobs.

A marriage filled with sickness, tears, laughter, and love.

Congratulations to my mom and dad for 50 years of marriage.

We love you,

Gary, Melanie, and Caden

Vacation.

Yes, as most of you know, we are on vacation. If I was cool like Kasey, I would have had a giveaway and had y’all guess where we were going. But since I’m not cool and all, I will just show you a few pictures.

We are in my favorite city. Okay, maybe we are not in the city right now but we were. It was just as beautiful as the last time we were there but this time we had Caden with us. I can’t wait to tell you all about it when I get back home.

We are also visiting here.

Yosemite is just as beautiful as we have always heard it was. There has been a lot of walking and it has been extra hard to do because of this.

I broke my toe back in January. It took it about six months to heal and what did I go and do? Hit it again the day before we left! It is all swollen up again and now the third toe has joined in on the fun. It didn’t want to be left out so it went and turned purple and got big too.

I told y’all I was a walking accident:(

So we are off to hike some more tomorrow and then head up to Lake Tahoe. We are having fun and enjoying the beautiful state of California.

We have been without cell phone coverage or much internet access so I truly am on vacation. Don’t think though that I haven’t been wondering what all of you are up to. I will have plenty of reading to do when I get back home.

So until I ‘see’ you all again, have a great week and I will be stopping at every bakery between here and Lake Tahoe:)

Melanie

Getting To Know You.

It’s Sunday and I am participating in Keely's GTKY Sunday.

1. If you had to choose a country to live in besides USA (or the country you live in), which would it be? Italy or France

2. Which would be worse, wearing flip flops in the snow or wearing gloves in the summer? I love flip flops so I would say that it is worse to wear gloves in the summer.

3. Fried or Bake and why? Depends of what it is. I love both.

4. If you were an entertainment reporter, which celeb would you love to interview and why? Vincent D’Onofrio

5. What was your favorite book as a preteen/teenager? I don’t remember. I didn’t read that much as a teen. I am making up for it now:)

6. List your top 3 guilty pleasure television shows. The Housewives of NY, NJ, & the OC.

7. What bumper sticker slogan best describes you/your attitude/your life? Ditto head.

8. If you were to join a circus - what performer would you be? None. Don’t do the circus:)

Thanks to everyone that has left comments. I want to answer everyone’s but some don’t have email addresses attached. I just wanted to say thanks. I appreciated them all!

Melanie

Potbelly’s.

I had to take Caden to get a haircut & get a photo id so we went to his favorite sandwich shop Potbelly’s.

We discovered this restaurant when we moved up here. I have never seen this sandwich shop before. Believe me, it is delicious.

It has nice warm decor along with a touch of old fashion-ness.

A potbelly stove.

The decorative tin roof.

I got a roast beef on wheat (I asked for white bread but being a southerner, I chatted up the guy and he gave me the wrong bread:)

Caden got a smoked ham & cheese. Plain just like his daddy.

He actually didn’t tell me to stop taking pictures. I guess he was just happy to be eating Potbelly;-)

He then decided that he wanted a milkshake. Oh to be 16 yrs. old again:)

Can you tell that he loves ice cream?

He always has to take the lid off to see what the ice cream looks like.

If you are in Cincy, stop by and enjoy a nice fattening sandwich. It’s worth the calories:)

Melanie

Just some blog love.

(sorry, don’t remember where I found this pic)

I just wanted to tell every one that reads my blog that I appreciated all of you. To all those that comment, I have replied to each and every one of you but I just recently found out that some of the replies haven’t been going through. Just know that I read each and every comment and reply where there is an email.

I am going to be away from the computer for about 10 days or so. I will only have limited access so I will be reading your blogs and trying to comment when I can. Don’t forget about me while I am away. I will miss all of you but I do have some post set up to publish and I will be around, just not on a full time basis.

See you all soon and have a great weekend.

Melanie

Macaroni and Cheese.

There won’t be a Pioneer Woman recipe today because Denise is under the weather but she will be making a few things in the next couple of weeks that I won’t be making . They are things that our family (including me) don’t eat. I will try and post something that I cook that we love and link up to that recipe.

So this week, I made my baked mac & cheese. I don’t really have a recipe that is written down but I will tell y’all as best I can.

The cast of characters as Ree would say.

I salt the water and get it boiling for the 16 oz. of macaroni.

Boil that until almost done. Drain.

Add a stick of butter (or less if you want) to the hot noodles.

At this point I add a couple of pinches of red pepper & garlic powder. Just do this to taste. You might like it salty with a kick like we do or you might like it a little less salty. Just season to taste.

Add the beaten eggs and milk to the noodles. As you can see, I just eye it. Just make sure to cover the noodles.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes. This is more of a custard style mac & cheese so it is ready when it is set up.

After as many times as I have made this, I was in a rush and I didn’t let it set up long enough. Hungry hubby and hungry wifey and I didn’t wait long enough.

This is a really good recipe but the end result doesn’t look that good. I think that I need a photography lesson from PW on how to take pictures of food;-)

This mac & cheese heats up well too. We eat on it a few times and there is never any left over to throw away. Also, most of the time (when I am not in a rush) it sets up better. It is more ‘held’ together and not falling apart….if that makes sense.

Try it and let me know if you like it.

Melanie

Random thoughts.

1. I am really enjoying summertime. After a rough winter, I am thankful for the sunshine. My skin will hate me later but for now I am loving it.

2. Caden came home last Wednesday and he was sad to leave Texas. I think that it might take him a few days to adjust to being home.

3. I am enjoying the lazy days of summer.

4. I am reading again and enjoying it so much.

5. I wish that I could find a really good farmers market here.

6. I LOVE LOVE LOVE So You Think That You Can Dance. The dancers are amazing. So sad that Alex had to leave the show.

7. I am ready for football season to start but not for the cold weather. Football season means that cold weather is soon going to follow.

8. I miss the south. I know that y’all have heard that one before but I still do.

9. I am in love with Kasey Buick. I love her style and I love her way of writing. I want her talent.

10. I have spent $165.00 in the last two weeks for eye drops from the doctor! Not happy about that:(

11. We are waiting for some big news and I will be very happy to share it with you when I can.

And since no post is complete without a picture….

(taken in Georgia)

Hope everyone has a great week.

Melanie

Guest Blogging.

Yes, I am guest blogger today over at a Brooklyn Limestone and I couldn’t be more honored that Stefanie asked me to do it.

Most of you who read my blog have already seen the guest bedroom but that is what I submitted to her and that is what she posted.

Head over to Stefanie’s beautiful blog and see all her guest bloggers. You might just a find a new blog or two to follow.

No GTKY this week since I am over at A Brooklyn Limestone today.

Hope y’all stop by for a visit and leave a comment.

Thanks,

Melanie

Happy Birthday….

To my mom.

Today she turns 39! Again, for about the 30th time:-)

She has a great sense of humor and loves to laugh.

(these photos were from 2 yrs. ago)

She has a great big heart and would do anything for anybody.

She loves her family. Besides us, she has 5 sisters and they are very close. They love to get together and sing, laugh, and talk.

She loves coffee.

She loves sweets.

She loves The Dollar Store.

But most of all she loves the Lord.

Happy Birthday Mom.

Hope your day is great!

Love,

Melanie

Pioneer Woman’s Tomato & Pesto Pizza

This week I asked Denise if we could change our recipe from sugar cookies to pizza because I knew that I would not be able to resist eating them. I made this pizza while I was in Georgia so I actually didn’t have to make anything this week.

While I enjoyed the fresh ingredients on the pizza, I did not enjoy the crust.

The crust had no flavor and was a little bit dry and crumbly.

Verdict: I would not make this again. I follow Smitten Kitchen and she has a wonderful dough recipe. It has honey and white wine in it and I haven’t found another crust recipe that is as good as that one. Caden and Gary love that crust the best. It took me a few times to get the hang of it but I kept at it and finally got it down.

I would definitely suggest checking out Smitten Kitchen and trying some of her recipes and if you are in the mood for homemade pizza, try her crust.

You won’t regret it:)

Melanie

I LURVE my washer and dryer:)

A lot of girls emailed me and wanted me to talk about my washer and dryer. Believe me, that won’t be hard.

I have never had a nice washer and dryer. They have either been bought used, were hand me downs, or were a cheap appliance to just get me by until.

Well, until came.

When we moved up here, we had to purchase a refrigerator and so off to Best Buy we went.

Before we left Florida, I received some coupons from Best Buy. I use my reward card there a lot and I am at the top of the points reward system. They sent a list of coupons and for some reason I kept the one for the Samsung Washer & Dryer.

We spent a couple of hours there deciding what we were going to buy and on the way to checkout, I looked at the coupon.

It said buy the washer and get the dryer FREE!

Now, I had not researched the product because we were not in the market for a new washer and dryer. We had a really good sales guy that was so knowledgeable and I asked him to show us the washer & dryer.

I showed him the coupon and he said that in the two years since he had been working there, that was the best coupon he had seen.

I can not be more in love with this washer & dryer! It has many different cycles and I use them all. The tub is huge and it spins the clothes so quickly that it doesn’t take them long to dry. It knows how much water to put in the tub and it has a steam cycle and a winkle care cycle. The tub is big enough that you can put a king sized comforter in it.

The dryer is delish too. It also senses when the clothes are dry and it will stop even if the time on the cycle isn’t finished. It comes with a rack that you can dry sweaters or shoes on.

I do a lot of laundry and having a new washer and dryer makes it a little easier to go into the laundry room and do it. I have to say that if you are in the market for a new washer & dryer, I would highly recommend these.

Melanie

linking to http://www.justagirl.com

Getting to know You.

Happy 4th of July. I hope that everyone is having a great weekend and that you enjoy some pretty fireworks tonight.

Let’s see if the questions are as funny as last weeks. By the way, I got schooled in vajazzling:-)

1. What do you look forward to the most on the 4th of July? We don’t really do anything special each year because Gary is always working. The railroad doesn’t stop for a holiday.

2. Are you a hugger? With my hubby & son:)

3. What is your favorite BBQ'd food? I love potato salad.

4. Do you like to watch parades? No.

5. Who has stinkier farts..boys or girls? I would say they are probably equal in smell but definitely not in sound:-) (who is thinking up these questions?)

6. Vampires or Werewolves? Neither. Haven’t jumped on that train with the rest of the world.

7. Do you read your horoscope? No.

8. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? I don’t really eat ice cream. If I had to pick a flavor, it would be cookie dough.

Here’s a few pictures from our trip to Washington DC that we took last year while on vacation. Enjoy.

Melanie