Garden Update

It's been a busy couple of weeks around here!  Johnny and I planted seeds in the vegetable garden about three weeks ago. The weather promptly dropped below freezing, and despite our best efforts to keep the seeds alive by covering the ground with tarps, everything died. Well, not everything.

The snow peas made it through the inclement weather just fine, and are currently enjoying some sunshine. Yay! As for the rest of the garden, we're going to try to replant soon. We purchased a variety of seeds at Johnny's favorite store (Ace Hardware), so there are still plenty of left to try again. 

Other things we've been up to: the Rogers County Home & Garden Expo. Last Saturday we ponied up the $7 each and spent a couple of hours wandering around the (surprisingly) big Home & Garden Expo. We found a local remodeling company to help us with our bathroom adventures, purchased one last box of Thin Mints from some Girl Scouts, and bought a lemon tree.

In case you weren't aware, I have a lemon problem. I put them in my water, in lemon-lime sodas, San Pellegrino, in various foods, and have been known to eat them (rind and all). So delicious. The tree is from Pryor Creek Nursery, just up the road from us, and the gentleman that owns the nursery was very nice and gave us 10% off and a 10% off coupon for next time we visit the nursery. The tree (currently known as Mr. Tree) is living on our deck. We're trying to find a fancy pot to plant him in (maybe we will just make one at Purple Glaze). 

I also planted some herbs last week- basil, chives, and parsley- in a small container. This is my second or third attempt at growing herbs and I hope it works! Basil is ridiculously expensive in the grocery store. One of my herbs appears to be growing...we'll see what happens with the other two. 

We went on a mini shopping spree at Lowe's last weekend, too, which resulted in the acquisition of yet another living room rug (this makes 3), a steel shelving unit (trust me, it fits with the design aesthetic we're going for), and several window planters, flower seeds, and potting mix. Those bad boys are going up soon- Johnny is very excited to grow flowers. We'll keep you updated.

Finally, here is a cute Buttons picture for day. 

Just look at those ears!! Buttons has gotten quite a bit bigger over the last few weeks, but I think her ears have grown the most! They no longer flop down adorably, but stand straight up like Corgi ears. Johnny has a collection of adorable Buttons pictures; maybe he'll post them soon. 

Until next time, friends!

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2011 Goals

Not to brag or anything, but I'm pretty good at New Year's resolutions and goals. I set them, I achieve them. Granted, the last time I set them was something like 2007, when they were "exercise 3 times a week", "compete in at least one 3-day event with Moe" (my horse), and "stop moping so much". For 2011, my goal set is a bit different- Johnny and I have joint resolutions:

• Join the local rec center. Both of us are feeling pretty unhealthy and fat. We were on our way to healthier living when training for a 5K in the fall, but my passionate hatred of running sort of killed it. (That and the searing pain in my foot bones and hip joint.) The rec center has a pool, a variety of cardio and strength training equipment, and lots of classes to help us be less disgusting.
• Remodel the master bathroom. Someday I'll take some pictures; the master bathroom is nearly unlivable. The shower does this weird squishy thing in certain spots, the floor is starting to peel away at the edges, the sink wiggles and doesn't drain, the mirror and shelf weren't adhered to the wall properly, and the cabinets smell weird. Since Johnny decided he could live without a $5,000 steam shower, we should have enough to fund the project by summer. We'll be painting, installing floors, tiling the shower area, and replacing the sink. Johnny's hoping to build cabinets, too. 
• Paint and revamp the bedrooms. One of the bedrooms (currently set up as Johnny's office) is a lurid purple color. It also has a very ugly white ceiling fan and light pink carpet. The bedroom that's currently set up as a TV room is a weird beige color, features a multicolored kids' ceiling fan, and worn blue carpet. A fresh coat of paint, new carpet, and new ceiling fans/light fixtures will really make a difference in these rooms. 
• Fix the hole in the ceiling. Remember that hole I put in the ceiling a few months ago? Yeah, we still haven't fixed that.
• Plant a vegetable garden. We have a very nice plot to the side of the house that the previous owners had a small vegetable garden in. We're going to revive it and plant a variety of good things to eat!

What are your goals for 2011?

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2010 In Review, Part 1

As 2011 approaches, I've been reflecting on all that's happened in 2010. It's been an interesting and busy year for us- here's what we were up to in the first six months of the year.

January

Memphis skyline

Late in the month, we traveled to Memphis, Tennessee to see the Grizzlies play the Oklahoma City Thunder. It was a exciting game that resulted in the Grizzlies winning with a buzzer shot. 

FedEx Forum, home of the Memphis Grizzlies

We stayed at the gorgeous Peabody hotel, where a front desk clerk desperately tried to sell us on a larger room. We caught the ducks marching to the fountain in the mornings and had a lovely brunch before we left. 

The lobby fountain at the Peabody

Our nights were spent trekking around Beale Street in pursuit of a fried chicken restaurant, which we eventually found but didn't dine at. Instead, we ate barbecue at Rendezvous (best dry ribs ever) and Interstate BBQ (enormous portions) and had too many hurricanes at Rum Boogie. 

Food, drinks, and blues.

March

I returned to Tennessee to attend a Muse concert with my BFF Amy. There was a lot of debauchery, but the real highlight was when I tried to jump a security gate to get to the floor seats! Johnny remembers this trip because I drunk dialed him after the show. 

Amy (left) and I enjoying some drinks in downtown Nashville.

April

For lack of anything better to do, Johnny and I spent Easter weekend in Topeka, Kansas, visiting the state capitol, Brown vs. Board Historic Site, and pizza restaurants. We stayed at the very nice Capitol Plaza Hotel. 

View of the Capitol Building from our hotel room.

Half the building was under construction.

We also rode the kiddie train at a local park, which was both awkward and fun. Plus, we found this cool rhino there, and Johnny was able to continue his tradition of posing with weird statues wherever we go.

That's what Johnny really looks like.

May

May found us camping at El Dorado State Park in El Dorado, Kansas. The weather was beautiful, our campsite on the lake was serene, and the hot dogs we roasted on the campfire were great. The only problem was a really sketchy SUV that pulled into the campsite across from us, parked there for half an hour, then left. The gusts of wind that swept through the park all night didn't help either; I was pretty sure sketchy SUV was full of serial killers and the noisy wind made me think they were ripping at our tent. 

Johnny sets up the tent.

Memorial Day Weekend found us in Texas, visiting Johnny's parents and riding everything possible at Six Flags Over Texas. We got season passes, which sadly, didn't get used again. (Tears)

Get there early enough and there are no lines!

June

Johnny met the entirety of my extended family at my cousin's wedding in New York this month. Aunts, uncles, cousins, third cousins, family friends- everyone was in attendance. There was an open bar at both the rehearsal dinner and the reception; I went a bit overboard on the gin & tonics, but luckily, Johnny kept me in line. 

Lesson learned: Stephanie doesn't need an open bar.

We stayed at the super-chic Hotel Indigo near the Albany airport and when we weren't doing wedding stuff, we had a grand time eating our way through the city. 

Neat hotel lobby.

Orchard Tavern- it's been in business longer than OK has been a state.

Emack & Bolio's Ice Cream

What did you guys do during the first half of the year?

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