tin can flowers

For the cookout, I decided to do some flowers. In a recent Southern Living I had seen flowers being held (whether it was temporary or not, I'm not sure) in tin cans. Like the ones your canned veggies or in my case Gena's dog food comes in.



Anyway, aside from the fact that these containers are free, the way the color popped against them in the magazine spread (they had bright pinks, reds, etc) was really amazing. So simple but really striking to me. And for an everyday fix that is also green (reuse, reduce, recycle), the tin can container was perfect.

After cleaning out the cans (thank you Gena!), I put daisies and gerber daisies that I bought at the Publix in the containers. The only thing about the cans is that I think it works better as a lower arrangement. The flowers did not exactly want to stand up if I cut them too tall. However, when I added a lot of the plain daisies, they could go taller. When I cut the lemon thyme thinking I needed it for my recipe, I realized that it might add a whimsical touch to the arrangements. It was such a pretty herb with a really wonderful smell.

Here is the line-up:




And up close:



These just make me happy:




{and thanks to my renewed love of Southern Living, I have rediscovered all of the great recipes they have and even tried one! Hoppin John Salad! yum!}

a twist on the usual ho-hum cookout

We are hoping to have cookout soon...and as I am making my grocery list today, I thought I would try to roughly plan out this cookout. Hamburgers, chicken, salad, etc. Once I got down to the side dishes, I realized I was just sick of the usual baked beans/chips/potato salad that goes along with cookouts. Not that they aren't great, but I want to try something new and unusual and maybe unexpected.

Maybe it is the fact I have an inordinate amount of free time (that is regulated somewhat by the whims of a 3 year old) that is influencing me or perhaps the cover of the recent Southern Living that features watermelons used to keep drinks cool is inspiring...



...but all I know is I'm on the hunt for a new addition to the ho-hum cookout. (Thanks to Mom for sharing your latest Southern Livings with me!) So, let's see what we can find for an affordable, fun, and different cookout!


{suggestions, recipes, etc. are appreciated...}

walk down the aisle

amazing. in case you haven't seen it, you HAVE to see it!
{if you are at work, you are going to need volume}

Wedding Dance VIdeo

spotted: tacky tennessee yard art

really? i don't even have to say anything else. this speaks for itself.





{thanks allyebug for the drive by photo shoot}

nashville

while we are on the subject of cities, yet another stop on my summer travel circuit was the fabulous city of nashville to reunite with precious friends from wake. (the 2 months we had been apart was too much).

first of all, the friends were amazing and wonderful and i love it that we can just start back where we left off.

second of all, i love nashville. like maybe my 2nd favorite city in the southeast (to b'ham, obviously, and with winston in a close 3rd)



what is not to love about a city with a building that looks like batman?

so, let's run a few highlights from this eventful weekend. thanks for the pics, carrie!

we went to a beautiful park, percy warner perhaps? where we hiked, i mean walked, a nice little trail. we looked like the girls in madeline walking in two straight lines.



we saw the parthenon (exact replica, built in 1896, i believe, which blew us all away)


we went to some classy bars like: tootsie's (dance on stage, check), paradise park (mingle with bachelor party of 30 year olds, watch married man in party almost swallow wedding ring, chastise him for said action, then be asked if i am preggo, big check), and finally lonnies (watch funny karaoke, be harassed by bartender to order drinks, and watch twins try to sing rascal flatts butchering it so much that it sounded more nasally and twangy that rascal flatts themselves, ew, check again)




i'm sorry, are you as hung up on what that guy asked me as i was? let me repeat it, "what is going on down there, pointing to my stomach?" this is after i said "i've been married almost 4 years and i have a 3 year old" hoping to shock the guy just a bit.
i indignantly replied nothing and he proceeded to tell me he has a baby due in october (good for you, you should be taking care of her instead of hitting on us at a bar) which i think he was trying to recover with. i didn't let him off the hook, and proceeded to tell him that you NEVER ask a woman that. EVER.

(clause: for those saying, well if he thinks you look like you are pregnant, then maybe you need to suck it in or slim it down, i agree whole-heartedly. i don't want to appear that i don't know why he would ask that...that being said, the issue is in the process of being taken care of thanks to a lack of sweets, chips, and foods that are too many points on WW. :-). i think i will blame it on the delicious meals and desserts at MH Ranch! haha)

dear men- out- there- who- haven't- got- a- clue,

unless it is totally obvious that she is pregnant (as in she is 8 or 9 months and there is no mistaking it), she has told you she is pregnant, or you are at a function celebrating the upcoming birth of the baby she is so obviously carrying, DON'T SAY ANYTHING. if you feel you must, just go ahead and start bringing your foot up towards your mouth. we will let you know if we are pregnant by shouting it on the rooftops, but don't take it on your self to become a sleuth and determine prematurely who has a baby in their belly and who does not. it won't turn out in your favor.

sincerely,
all- women- who- are- not- pregnant- and- don't- want- to- be- told-they- look- like- they-are.

now that my rant is complete. the weekend was unseasonably cool for the south which felt so good. (70's and we are freezing in the south during the summer).

on sunday, we attended christ presbyterian church with maddie and her dad, and we heard some fabulous music and an even better sermon about worry which really hits home with me. (It was on I Peter 5:1-11 "Leading and Living Humbly on the Way to Glory" by Dr. Niel Nielson. Check out the link and you can listen or download!)
Of course, i promptly began worrying and being anxious, oh about 5 minutes after leaving that church, but thankfully, as the song, Before the Throne, says (and that maddie wrote about in her blog):

When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free.
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.

now, there is some encouragement for this worrier and despair-er. thanks be to Him for loving me despite me and thanks be to Him for the most wonderful group of girl friends. amen.

birmingham

I don't need this article to tell me how great the city is that I love! But in case you need some encouragement, or some affirmation like myself, or perhaps even some enlightenment, check out this article from Garden and Gun Magazine.

The Big Heart of Birmingham by Charles Gaines

Sweet Home Alabama.

Amen?

Amen.

We're going on a bike ride

Yesterday, we ambitiously set out on a bike ride to Jenny Lake. It was 8 miles each way from Dornan's in Moose. I was hauling Wiley behind me in a trailer. Brooke and mom were on their own bikes with dad coming to meet us later in the car. When we approached the first hill (the only big one) I knew we were in trouble. Luckily, Wiley has the BEST aunt and she offered to pull an extra 30 something pounds up the hill. She and I took turns getting there (again, the BEST aunt), and my knee and legs were aching when we FINALLY arrived. We rode right along by the Tetons--a truly magnificent view! Jenny Lake was beautiful and we walked around a bit before going back. We even saw an antelope (we think) on the way back!






The way back was SO much easier (more downhill) that I pulled Wiley the whole time. He had a couple fits, then Brooke and I had a bet that he would fall asleep. Sure enough, by the time we arrived back at Dornan's, he was out like a light. We woke him up for pizza, and came back to the ranch to rest up for dinner (ha!). It was such a fun day, and it just added to an already memorable trip.

Out West

Out west we like to...

Help lead songs at the cookout and play in the band.


See old friends.


Roast marshmallows.


Watch the rain come in over the Tetons.

Ride Em Cowboy!

Yesterday was such a wonderful day! So wonderful that I took 500 pictures. From about 4:15 to 9. That is absurd. But there was so much to capture!

This trip has been so fun for Wiley. He went to Antelope Flats Road to look for buffalo with BaBa; he rode a horse around the corral; and he helped lead songs and played the kazoo in the cookout band. Aunt B, the actual song leader, may have lost her job last night. Wiley was quite the entertainer! I was able to go to a beautiful church yesterday, The Church of the Transfiguration, a part of the St.John's Episcopal Church in Jackson. You announce where you are from after the passing of the peace. There were quite a few of us representing from Alabama!



Wiley riding the horse, Sugar.



Here is Wiley leading the group in Twinkle Twinkle. The man playing the guitar was supposed to sing a solo. Wiley interrupted him to say "I think we should sing Twinkle Twinkle." So they did. It was hilarious.

Now, I'm off to fly fish for the day with my dad! Wiley has an exciting day ahead with Baba! Thanks Baba!!

Hello from the Ranch!

We are just regular ole cowgirls and cowboys out here at Moose Head Ranch!

After our flight, we were met with a surprise for Wiley from Aunt B. She had new cowboy boots for him, a hat, gun and holster, and bandanna complete with a sheriff tie. After we convinced him that the big cowboys (wranglers) wear the cowboy hats, he agreed to wear it.



Watching the horses being let out at the end of the day was so much fun. And he even got to pet a couple!



We had a relaxing afternoon with picnic lunches, rest time for Wiley, and a walk with Lucy, Brooke, and Ellen to the MH entrance. The scenery here is amazing. I will get some Teton pictures today, I hope! And the cookout is also tonight, which is sure to be a lot of fun...especially since Aunt B is a song leader!

(Pictures are really slow to upload, and I got some really good ones. I'll have to camp out in the Lodge and do some major uploading, but these are a few of my favorites from day one at Moose Head!)

4th (or 10th) of July

We had a wonderful time at the lake, relaxing, swimming, skiing, reading, looking at birds, and being with family. Here are a few (or a lot) of memories from the 4th of July 2009!

this is pretty

Just in case you are looking to give me something special...haha...these are so neat. My friend's roommate (the one who "sat" on Oranguton) had the sideways cross necklace.
It is so simple but a little funky. And I'm pretty simple, and think that this might make me a little funky....

a heart



or a star



I think my favorite is the sideways cross, but I can't find a picture. I also like the initial one. I could get a "W" for my two boys. (hint, hint, Wil, if you ever read this).

But why don't you just go ahead and check this out! There is a lot more pretty stuff! And you can see the cross necklace, and the initial one, and there is an order form there too!



Check out Liz Henry Jewelry

Passy-free

We are pacifier-free now. It seemed to have gone effortlessly when we gave them to Helen a couple weeks ago. Did fine in the car. He even has handed over passys that he has found since giving away a bulk of them (we had them hidden all over the car).

But I think it is taking its toll on our sleep habits. ALWAYS a good sleeper, Wiley suddenly fights naps and bedtime. We have tried doing the routine of brushing teeth, bathroom, and reading but he is still awake after having been put down at 12:30 (it is 2 now). Today, we had to have an early nap so we'd be ready for swimming, but 30 mins earlier should not make that much difference? I think that when he had the passy to sleep it really helped him soothe and quiet down.

I am still making him rest on his bed even if he is not sleeping, but it really bothers me that he is not sleeping like normal since he has been such a solid sleeper in the past. Plus this mommy needs some quiet time herself.

Any suggestions?

riding our trike...trying to get worn out for naptime!

Fishy

Today, we explored the Georgia Aquarium! We have been here before (W. was not quite 2), but going at 3 was all the more exciting for him. Not to mention, we were so lucky to have our friend Weston with us. We saw the whale sharks (huge, massive, whoa) being fed plankton (you would think they would eat something more substantial). We laughed at the beluga whales ("if atlanta can have a beluga, birmingham can have a beluga"-larry langford) and decided they would make an excellent pixar film (copyright WWJ) in the role of a principal of a school of fish. We also saw the Titanic exhibit which was not so neat to Wiley but really cool to us. Here are some pictures of the fun we had!

And note to the Aquarium, making you walk through the gift shop on a path lined with plush, overpriced sea creatures is really unneccesary. A smart business ploy to attack tired moms and dads who might give in to a whiney child if that is what it takes to get outside on your side, but really a cruel joke to us. I felt like Nemo and Dorie going through the jelly fish hoping we wouldn't get stung by a case of the whines. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming.

Oranguton

So, we have a new addition that has been hanging around for a couple weeks. No, we did not get another fish, or multiple fish. Instead, Wiley invited an orangutan into our family.

An imaginary orangutan.

The affection and interest in orangutan came from Brian who says that word in a funny dialect. Wiley imitates. He also enjoys the orangutan card in his stack of animal cards.

His name is OranguaTON (pronounced or-a-nga-tawn) the orangutang (that isn’t the right spelling, but we like to pronounce it with a "g" on the end.) Oranguaton has stuck around for awhile. While he is sometimes ignored, he has a tendency to mess up my car while we are driving places. He went to the zoo with us, and Wiley carried him in the back of his tricycle that we push and he pedals. He asked when we showed him and Oranguaton the real oranguatangs (confused yet?) how we would get the baby oranguatang (reference to Oranguaton…imaginary friend) into the cage. I’m not sure if he was trying to get rid of the oranguatang or what. Either way, I hope we don’t have to call DHR to report monkey neglect.

In other news, Oranguaton also is being potty trained. I told Wiley to go potty, he said Oranguaton needed to go, proceeded to hold Oranguaton over the toilet (lid up), then Wiley stuck out his finger from his hand, toward toilet. I think that means Oranguaton the Oranguatang is a boy. Don’t all jump at the chance to put a blue ribbon on my nonexistent mailbox.

Oranguaton also showed up unexpectedly in Winston-Salem. As our new friend Ann who we had just met sat down in her chair at dinner, Wiley exclaimed "You sat on my monkey!" Ann handled it well and I hope she doesn't hold it against us that we have imaginary monkeys that follow us around.

We don't know what Oranguaton looks like but I think maybe something like this:



I'm not sure if that is cute or scary. I guess it doesn't matter since he is imaginary.