Sister Lulu_Waterfall Ruffles

This is my first apron ever and I made it.

I am naming it Waterfall Ruffles.

Sister Lulu is the name of my company (one day so don't take my name).

More styles and accessories to come.

Croquet

This weekend we had dinner at a our friends' house, Lisa & Phillip. We sat outside and enjoyed a delicious meal of ribs and corn on the cob (and other yummy stuff). Jim and Rachel brought over their croquet set (they sail too!) and we played in the backyard. Like most southerners, Chad and I have never played croquet before. I would compare it to playing putt putt in your back yard...but you only get one hit per turn. Therefore, you need to be really good or cheat. I took the latter of the two options. However it was fun and even though it got dark on us our friends had little white lights strung in their trees which was too cute. We later had a bonfire and cooked smores! Overall it was a night to remember.

Sports' Most Powerful Coach & Me

Rush to your nearest newstand and purchase the September 1 FORBES Magazine!

Our man, Nick Saban, is the only coach to ever grace the cover of this prestigious publication!

I am gearing up for the Crimson Tide Season Kickoff in one week (from tomorrow).

Let me know your kickoff traditions...and remember this is a G-rated (G-randmamas read) blog.

My Talented Brother & Frogs

I just want to take a moment and brag on my Bud (brother). He has done so much work on his back yard and patio over the past few years. He laid pavers to create a larger patio area, built the infamous firepit and he recently just topped it off with a screened in back porch. He even added a ceiling fan for those hot Alabama nights. Plus, he tiled the floor in slate. Of course, he couldn't have done it without the support and direction of his loving wife, Jennifer. Way to go Jen!

Secondly, I have found 2 frogs in my yard in the past couple of weeks. Let me remind you that I live in the desert! I am a little confused and hoping that I don't have a pond under my house. Actually, Lucy found the frog but I saw it before it became her snack. Yes, she would have eaten it. Also included are some pictures of Sampson and Lucy trying to find the frog once it jumped back into the grass. No luck for them.

Music Added

I have added some music to my blog. These are some songs that I hope you will enjoy listening to. I think my favorite is the second song, Surrender by Lincoln Brewster. He is coming to our church for a concert in October and we will be excited to go.
Just wanted to give you heads up on the sound. If you need to mute it just scroll to the bottom and hit the pause button or turn the sound off on your computer.

My Recipe of the Moment

I didn't mention this earlier because I thought it was unimportant.
But come on...look what other things I blog about...Surely a delicious recipe would make the list.
After cooking this recipe for the 4th time in one month I have decided to share it with you.

It is from Real Simple magazine August edition. I would describe it as easy, healthy and delicious. What more could you ask for?

Pot Sticker Salad with Snap Peas (serves 4)
1 1lb bag frozen pot stickers (I serve 6 per plate)
1/4 pd sugar snap peas trimmed (about 4 cups)
2 medium carrots sliced
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil (I have never used this and it doesn't mess up the recipe)
1/4 pd bean sprouts
1/4 cup roasted peanuts, chopped
2 scallions sliced

Using your steamer basket, steam the frozen pot stickers for 4 minutes (this is too long for me to type should you not have a steamer pot/basket).

Then add snap peas and carrots, cover and steam for another 4-6 minutes, until tender. (I like to dash a bit of the soy sauce over while they are steaming)

If you have the sesame oil (which I don't), combine it with the soy sauce and put to the side. Divide the bean sprouts on your plates and top with the pot stickers and vegetables. Sprinkle with peanuts and scallions and drizzle sauce over top.

I thought that the pot stickers were going to be fattening but for a portion of 6 they only have 9 fat grams. I think for dinner that is a healthy amount. Plus, you are getting your vegetables.

I am a bit of a ranker...meaning I like to grade things and put them on a mental scale of likes or dislikes. Not as bad as my brother who ranks his friends and tells them their standings! Bud, that is funny! Back to my ranking...here are the notes I wrote for this recipe-"GREAT! again please :) "

Let me know if you try this recipe and what your opinion is.

Dishwashing Gloves by Jana

I was so pumped by my pink dishwashing gloves that I decided to kick them up a notch. Last year I found a pair of embellished dishwashing gloves and thought they were so cute that I bought my Grandmama a pair for Christmas...because she is so cute!
Today, I have done it myself.

Behold the first of many Dishwashing Gloves by Jana. Let me know if you come up with any catchy names as I am sure I will be selling these to boutiques around the country:)

Things I like

This week has been all about organization. I have cleaned out all closets in my house and donated 13 bags of clothes and stuff to Goodwill. Needless to say, there hasn't been many exciting events to blog about. I really like the word "blog" blog blog blog. Its the new "blah" blah blah blah.

This lack of excitement has lowered my level of excitement expectations. Now even the little things make me happy.

Example #1 my PINK DISHWASHING GLOVES. That's right! Honey, I put these things on and I just want to take a picture they are so cute. They really make me happy and then I forget about how washing pots and pans make my lower back sore.

Example #2 Imagine Bistro Organic CUBAN BLACK BEAN BISQUE, yum. We had a small cup of this soup as an appetizer topped with a little shredded cheddar, fresh cilantro and a dallop of sour cream. I know the taste you are thinking about when you hear black bean bisque...but when you add Cuban in front of it...think Jamacain Jerk. For our main course we had Jambalaya and it was in the same taste bud family. I purchased this at Whole Foods but you could probably find it in the natural aisles at your grocery. After I took one bite I immediately grabbed the box (comes in a pourable box) to check the fat content because it was so good and creamy, but it only has 3.5 fat grams.

Also I would like to say how wonderful my mother is. She started back to school this week and this year she is a Specialty Teacher (that may not be the correct title) who teaches K-2 Math and Science. This is a wonderful promotion for her and she deserves it! She is making a difference in children's & fellow teachers' lives daily. GO MOM!

Chad's Birthday

Today has been an awesome day, Chad’s Birthday!
Since he is so passionate about the mountain I thought it was only fitting to go there. For his birthday he got a ski pass to Homewood and Alpine Meadows and so I planned for us to go to Homewood and then have lunch at a restaurant on Lake Tahoe.

We enjoyed coffee and cinnamon rolls in the back yard while talking to family and friends.

Chad was so excited about his gift certificates that we stopped by Best Buy and Cabella’s in route to Lake Tahoe. It was my first time at Cabella’s and I was amazed by the life size wildlife exhibit!


The lion on the right has his paw on the head of a zebra! AND the zebra isn’t alive…well actually none of them are alive but the zebra is playing dead.

Since this was such a special day we took our time and stopped and smelled the roses…and the kettle corn!

It was lunch time and we went to Garwood’s in north Lake Tahoe. We were thrilled to wait for a table on the deck as the view was beautiful. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the temperature was in the low 70’s.

We thoroughly enjoyed our WAIT then once we got to eat it was even better. We had a front row table to the water and we made sure both tables beside us knew that it was Chad’s birthday!

We got to Tahoe a little later than I expected so we missed the farmer’s market that was going on at Homewood ski area. We went anyways so that we could see the base village and begin our dreams of white powder.

And that was our tour of Tahoe! We came home and grilled out bratwurst and corn on the cob and cut into the Birthday Cake!

It was a day to remember!

Approach Someone

I would like to encourage anyone who is a member of a church to approach a visitor this Sunday and have a conversation. I would suggest scouting them out while you are sitting in church because us visitors like to leave quickly after the service is over. In fact, if you sit in the same location each week and know all the members around you then you need to change locations. I suggest sitting in the back.
I refer to my opinion sometimes as the "general population" and I will pass along questions that I think the general population would feel comfortable being asked (as a visitor in church).

Safe Questions:
1 - Hi my name is X. I don't believe that I have met you before. Are you visiting?
2 - How did you hear about X church?
*****This can lead into another light conversation.
If they say referral - talk about who and how they know each other.
If they say they live close talk about the area..ex: oh this is a nice area to live in. Do you to go x (park, mall, great restaurant) nearby.
If they say they looked it up online talk about how great the internet is and how online has saved you in the kitchen or how it has connected you with lost friends.
3 - Are you enjoying the summer? Have you spent much time outdoors?
4 - Well it was great meeting you. We have x class that meet x time and I would love to have you come and join us. Or we are having x event at church next x...you should come attend. I went to it last year and it was amazing. It may seem hard to believe but adult classes are not marketed well. Kid and teen classes are always in the program but not always adult classes. Share this information with a visitor. Otherwise, it may take them weeks of visiting to get the nerve to ask the visitor center about it. Sounds weird, but true...remember I am the general population.

Dead End Questions:
1 - Are you married? - If you don't see a spouse standing nearby, don't ask. A yes or no answer is awkward either way.
2 - Do you have kids? - Again, if they aren't hanging on my legs or bulging out of my tummy then don't ask.
3 - What do you do for work? - While this one is tempting...I suggest against it. It feels like you are sizing them up.

And as a visitor I will...
1 - Answer your open ended questions
2 - Try to not sit on the back row
3 - Walk slowly to give you time to stop me for a conversation
4 - Ask about adult classes at the visitor center at the second attendance


Let me know if you have any success this weekend!

Happy Birthday Kiersten

Today is Kiersten's Birthday (Chad's sis) and we want to give a BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY HUG through the computer. However, since I don't know how to work the auto camera feature I hope a hug from Chad is sufficient.

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday dear Kiersten...

Happy Birthday to you!

Yeah! Hope you enjoy cake and lots of laughter.

Running with the Pack

After returning from my vacation tour of USA & Mexico I stumbled getting back into my workout routine of going to the gym. I found it more motivating to go for a walk with Lucy. Then I started feeling guilty that Sampson wasn't getting exercise too...after all he might need it even more than Lucy. This week I have started taking them both for a run at the same time! I was a little nervous envisioning my arms splitting at the seams but it only took about 25 yards for them to figure out the pace and that they were to stay at either side of me. Besides a couple complete halts for bathroom breaks, they have behaved way better than I expected. Plus all three of us are getting our exercise in at one time. Actually, Sampson can only run one mile so we drop him off at the car and Lucy and I run another. Us girls are in better shape:)

Here they are today in complete exhaustion. Trust me...my tongue was hanging out too!

Spa Night

I have been personally effected by the recession and my feet have felt the brunt of it. My heels are dry and cracked with dirt stuck in the cracks (yes I shower). Point is...they haven't seen a pedicure in a while! So I decided that Chad and I would have a relaxing Spa Night at home, recessionista style!


We started the evening with a delicious yet light spa-ish meal. Peel and Eat Shrimp with a Baked Potato, yum! Chad enjoyed the works first...steam the face, wash the face, mask on face. Then he received a refreshing dessert while he soaked his feet in a bath of warm water. Dessert was vanilla bean ice cream (sugar free, yet it even passes Chad's taste test) topped with strawberries and cool whip. Then it was my turn. Ahhh, I am happy to report that my feet are now smooth, moisturized and clean.



The fun thing about having a blog is that I feel like taking more pictures of my daily events. So I am including a picture of me in my face mask. Cute right!

Hot August Nights

There is an event that happens in Reno every year in August called Hot August Nights. This is where people bring out their old timey cars and show off how shiny they are. I have never gotten into this tradition because I am really not that into cars. However, this weekend I helped my friend who was hosting an event at her shopping center and it was a lot of fun. It was neat to see how these contestants took sooo much pride in their cars. At one point, I saw an old man shinning his car, a police officer wiping down his motor cycle and a restaurant vendor wiping down their display sign. I was immediately motivated to clean something...so I grabbed my cell phone and wiped off the screen (job done)!

Here are some of the cars I thought were cool.

I also want to tell you about my recent cooking adventure. Chad and I love to have Breakfast for Dinner one night a week. That consists of Bacon, Eggs and Biscuits. And to me biscuits come out of a can. Well Breakfast night came around and I didn't have any canned biscuits so I thought we would have toast. Now, I love toast in the morning but it just does not make the cut for a Breakfast Dinner. Therefore, I was kinda bummed thinking this meal was going to be less than perfect. That is when I saw some flour on my kitchen shelf and I thought... maybe I could make homemade biscuits (not something I do). So I googled a recipe (google has changed the world) and realized I had all of the ingredients. Great! Plus, I remembered the cute flower cookie cutters I have...and that is how we get to the picture below. I am happy to say they turned out CUTE and DELICIOUS!