We chose to celebrate our Memorial Day yesterday by sending out thank you e-mails and texts to veteran (and active) friends of ours, and then we decided we needed to take Grimm swimming.
Last August Grimm surprised us. After seeing his precious "Ball-ee" (squeaky tennis ball) float farther into the pond at our rental cabin, he focused in on it, and in he went - swimming as if he had always known how to (though never did before!) It was at that moment that Grimm, our now 99 lbs. German Shepherd, realized he LOOOOOOVES to swim! Throughout our vacation at the cabin, we had to enlist the assistance of a firm recall when he would approach the pond before we headed out to eat in town. We had to keep the doggie door closed so he couldn't escape for a quick dip. If Grimm had his way, he would have spent the night swimming laps.
Memorial Day + Lake = Bad Idea.
At least we realized the above mentioned equation before we set out on our adventure. After packing the towels, slathering sunscreen on me, filling water bottles, and all of the other items, we loaded up and headed north to Lake Allatoona. Of course as soon as we approached the park to where we were headed, and we saw the cars parked along the road (versus the plethora of parking areas,) we made a U-turn and listened to the whines of an impatient German Shepherd from the back seat.
Andrew had remembered another spot to try, and onward north we went. We drove all the way back to that recreation area, and we saw that the beach had been "permanently closed." *sigh* Just when we were about to lose all hope, a kind older man flagged us down and told us where to go to get some swim time in. Following his directions, we found a small hidden spot leading out to the lake. Unfortunately........he had told everyone else, too, and there were no beachy places for us. THAT IS UNTIL..........
Through the trees about 30 feet away from where we were was a small 5 ft. wide by 3 ft. deep "beach" with a gentle slope into the water. Deciding against the onslaught of poison ivy, we maneuvered our way through briers and tree limbs and voila! "beach"
Grimm immediately went in the water followed by Andrew and me wading. Grimm was ecstatic until two events occurred:
1. The wake of a large speedboat came rolling in our direction, and it caught Grimm off-guard. He popped up, ears flattened to the sides, turned around, and swam back to shore.
2. "You can't stop swimming, bud!" Out Grimm went (towards Andrew who was acting as a doggie lifeguard) to get his ball when his legs hit a tree trunk submerged under the water. As soon as he felt the trunk, he stopped swimming. His horizontal body went vertical, and then he started to sink. Once Andrew realized what was going on, he grabbed him, turned him around, and sent him back to shore.
When a disheveled Grimm came back to shore, I told him, "You can't stop swimming, bud!"
Even though it wasn't the best swimming spot, we had a good time. It was a much needed relaxing and cooling break.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
EASY Summer pie :)
You can substitute the Jell-O for sugar free, and the Cool Whip for Lite or Free. You can also use whatever Jell-O flavor (exclude the lime juice though.)
1 x 3 oz. box of lime Jell-O
16 oz. Cool Whip
1 x 10.5" graham cracker crust
2/3 c. boiling water
2 TB. lime juice
Pour 2/3 c boiling water over Jell-O in a bowl, and whisk for two minutes. Add ice to water in a measuring cup to equal 1 cup. Pour ice/water into bowl, and mix until cubes are dissolved. Add in lime juice and Cool Whip, and stir until smooth. Put mixture into the refrigerator for twenty minutes or until the mixture is REALLY thick and can be mounded into the pie crust.
After putting the mixture into the pie crust, refrigerate 4+ hours. We put ours in the freezer to make a frozen pie :)
1 x 3 oz. box of lime Jell-O
16 oz. Cool Whip
1 x 10.5" graham cracker crust
2/3 c. boiling water
2 TB. lime juice
Pour 2/3 c boiling water over Jell-O in a bowl, and whisk for two minutes. Add ice to water in a measuring cup to equal 1 cup. Pour ice/water into bowl, and mix until cubes are dissolved. Add in lime juice and Cool Whip, and stir until smooth. Put mixture into the refrigerator for twenty minutes or until the mixture is REALLY thick and can be mounded into the pie crust.
After putting the mixture into the pie crust, refrigerate 4+ hours. We put ours in the freezer to make a frozen pie :)
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
It's alive!
Maybe not, but our tomatoes have grown as if we were injecting them with steroids (we're not!)
Our Bush Goliath has a cluster of five tomatoes growing together, but our Better Boys are alive and kickin', too.
We had our first pest run in: whiteflies. Gross little paper-thin suckers that covered our tomato plants. I went to buy Elementals Insecticidal Soap, but the store was sold out. Instead, a Bayer representative introduced me to a replacement insecticide safe for fruits and veggies. It took quite a bit of time to ensure my plants were thoroughly covered. Now the plants are covered in whitefly carcasses. I'm keeping an eye on things though to make sure I got them all.
All in all, the City Picker Patio Garden Kit is a great buy!
A picture progress report? Okay!
Our Bush Goliath has a cluster of five tomatoes growing together, but our Better Boys are alive and kickin', too.
We had our first pest run in: whiteflies. Gross little paper-thin suckers that covered our tomato plants. I went to buy Elementals Insecticidal Soap, but the store was sold out. Instead, a Bayer representative introduced me to a replacement insecticide safe for fruits and veggies. It took quite a bit of time to ensure my plants were thoroughly covered. Now the plants are covered in whitefly carcasses. I'm keeping an eye on things though to make sure I got them all.
All in all, the City Picker Patio Garden Kit is a great buy!
A picture progress report? Okay!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Huzzah, Ren-Fest!
I can now post about the Georgia Renaissance Festival (well...now that I have the pictures uploaded!)
First of all, here is a link to all of the photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/59643475@N03/sets/72157626756607812/
We met with friends of ours at the Georgia Renaissance Festival on Sunday, May 15th. It was Highland Fling weekend, and since the other couple was Scottish, it seemed like a great time to go. An additional perk was that a friend of ours from Charlotte, NC (whom we met at Amanda and Robert's wedding) was also coming down to the Renaissance Festival. Yep - we saw Sarah...twice....and met her sister, brother-in-law, and Sarah's adorable niece all dressed up to meet the fairy queen.
I would have to guess that The Tortuga Twins and Aerial Acrobats ("Jayna Lee" - Jana Colgin) were the two highlights of the festival :) The weather held out nicely so we had mostly cloudy skies in the beginning, and then cold wind settled in (BOOOOOOO!)
Here are some lovely shots from the festival:
First of all, here is a link to all of the photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/59643475@N03/sets/72157626756607812/
We met with friends of ours at the Georgia Renaissance Festival on Sunday, May 15th. It was Highland Fling weekend, and since the other couple was Scottish, it seemed like a great time to go. An additional perk was that a friend of ours from Charlotte, NC (whom we met at Amanda and Robert's wedding) was also coming down to the Renaissance Festival. Yep - we saw Sarah...twice....and met her sister, brother-in-law, and Sarah's adorable niece all dressed up to meet the fairy queen.
I would have to guess that The Tortuga Twins and Aerial Acrobats ("Jayna Lee" - Jana Colgin) were the two highlights of the festival :) The weather held out nicely so we had mostly cloudy skies in the beginning, and then cold wind settled in (BOOOOOOO!)
Here are some lovely shots from the festival:
The Atholl Highlanders Pipes & Drums based out of Stone Mountain, Georgia
Us...being goofy
The phenomenal Jayna Lee ("Aerial Acrobats"!)
The hilarious Tortuga Twins (their last show of the day is R-rated - va-va-voom!)
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
So you think you're getting an AWESOME deal
You see them on Facebook. You see them on other websites. 75% off! 90% off! 95% off! They're supposedly "great deals" on various services or restaurants in your area. They go by several names: Groupon, LivingSocial, and more, but ARE you getting a great deal?
I saw an advertisement recently from Groupon. It went something like this: 80% off horseback riding lessons! I immediately recognized the stable, and I laughed:
Special through Groupon - BUY NOW! 80% horseback riding lessons at Suckers R' U Riding Stable! Regularly priced at $150 per 1/2 hour now only $70 per 1/2 hour! Only fifteen certificates left!
Wait a minute. I just saw Suckers R' U Riding Stable's website a few weeks ago. I pop on over, and sure enough...very clearly...it says "$50 per 1/2 hour lesson." You'd actually be paying MORE through Groupon. Of course, the write-up is so intoxicating that you'd think, "oh yes! I must get it now!" (Great marketing, guys) However, you're getting screwed!
How about this? Another coupon for $20 ... Buy One Get One Free dinner from Chain Italian Restaurant (with the purchase of a $30+ entrée in teeny tiny print.) On Chain Italian Restaurant's website...there's a FREE coupon for Buy One Get One Free dinner entrée (with no purchase amount.)
I'm not certain how the coupon sites work, but I would imagine that these websites offer ad space of sorts - put your deal here for this much money (and hey - jack up the prices and get an additional kickback!)
But when it comes to these "awesome" secret coupon sites, remember the saying, "if it's too good to be true, it probably is."
I saw an advertisement recently from Groupon. It went something like this: 80% off horseback riding lessons! I immediately recognized the stable, and I laughed:
Special through Groupon - BUY NOW! 80% horseback riding lessons at Suckers R' U Riding Stable! Regularly priced at $150 per 1/2 hour now only $70 per 1/2 hour! Only fifteen certificates left!
Wait a minute. I just saw Suckers R' U Riding Stable's website a few weeks ago. I pop on over, and sure enough...very clearly...it says "$50 per 1/2 hour lesson." You'd actually be paying MORE through Groupon. Of course, the write-up is so intoxicating that you'd think, "oh yes! I must get it now!" (Great marketing, guys) However, you're getting screwed!
How about this? Another coupon for $20 ... Buy One Get One Free dinner from Chain Italian Restaurant (with the purchase of a $30+ entrée in teeny tiny print.) On Chain Italian Restaurant's website...there's a FREE coupon for Buy One Get One Free dinner entrée (with no purchase amount.)
I'm not certain how the coupon sites work, but I would imagine that these websites offer ad space of sorts - put your deal here for this much money (and hey - jack up the prices and get an additional kickback!)
But when it comes to these "awesome" secret coupon sites, remember the saying, "if it's too good to be true, it probably is."
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Dear female driver in the grey Buick....
Dear female driver in the dark grey Buick sedan,
Good Morning. I hope that your drive in was much less annoying than mine, but seeing as you chose to do an entire makeup regiment while driving, I would venture to guess your morning isn't annoying. I don't know where you learned to drive, and I don't know if anyone has told you, but applying a full face of makeup while driving is a "no no." Some things I noticed are as follows:
1. You almost rear-ended my car several times. We were only moving at approximately 10 miles per hour. There's no reason to zoom up on my rear bumper to the extent that I couldn't see your windshield wipers. I had to constantly check my rear view mirror to ensure you weren't going to hit me which only made my drive "awesome."
2. Foundation, pressed powder, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, eyelash curler, lipliner, lipstick, moisturizer, and then starting at oneself in your mirror is supposed to be performed at home or when you get into your office...in the restroom.
3. You cut off two people to the extent that they had to slam on their brakes to avoid you and prevent you from clipping their front right fenders when you darted over to the fast lane. I don't know if you noticed the gentleman in the SUV flip you off as you did so as you were too busy putting finishing touches on your lipstick.
While I would have loved to obtain your tag number and report you for reckless driving, the drive out tag your vehicle had was so old that the dealer name and information was faded, and the adhesive residue was dried and brown. Something tells me you were supposed to have gotten a tag many months ago.
Leave your cosmetic application and home, and DRIVE!
Sincerely,
The [accident-free] female driver ashamed to be lumped into the same sex as you.
Good Morning. I hope that your drive in was much less annoying than mine, but seeing as you chose to do an entire makeup regiment while driving, I would venture to guess your morning isn't annoying. I don't know where you learned to drive, and I don't know if anyone has told you, but applying a full face of makeup while driving is a "no no." Some things I noticed are as follows:
1. You almost rear-ended my car several times. We were only moving at approximately 10 miles per hour. There's no reason to zoom up on my rear bumper to the extent that I couldn't see your windshield wipers. I had to constantly check my rear view mirror to ensure you weren't going to hit me which only made my drive "awesome."
2. Foundation, pressed powder, eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, eyelash curler, lipliner, lipstick, moisturizer, and then starting at oneself in your mirror is supposed to be performed at home or when you get into your office...in the restroom.
3. You cut off two people to the extent that they had to slam on their brakes to avoid you and prevent you from clipping their front right fenders when you darted over to the fast lane. I don't know if you noticed the gentleman in the SUV flip you off as you did so as you were too busy putting finishing touches on your lipstick.
While I would have loved to obtain your tag number and report you for reckless driving, the drive out tag your vehicle had was so old that the dealer name and information was faded, and the adhesive residue was dried and brown. Something tells me you were supposed to have gotten a tag many months ago.
Leave your cosmetic application and home, and DRIVE!
Sincerely,
The [accident-free] female driver ashamed to be lumped into the same sex as you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)