The Art of the Eating a S'more

The art of eating a s'more as demonstrated by My Little Man and Hubby.

*deep sigh*

Til next time ~ find your joy!
Kelly

Tomatoes, Peppers and Strawberries, Oh My!

Today we created a mini container garden on our back deck.  We have been organic gardeners since we planted our first garden so many years ago in Big Lake.

Organic Compost.

Chicken manure was mixed with the compost.

Strawberries.

Basil.

Chives.

 Rosemary.

Red and yellow pepper plants in their new pot.  The dogs were very interested in what we were doing.

Strawberries.

Heirloom red beefsteak tomato and an heirloom yellow strip Tomato.

We gave them a good watering and we're good to go!

Can't wait to taste the goodies from our garden!

Til next time ~ find your joy!

Kelly

It's Grilling Season!

I know I've already posted about our new grill and some of the food we've grilled, but thought I'd share more of what we've been eating.  Both Jim and I are on a quest to look and feel a little better before our daughter's wedding in June, so we've been eating a lot of fish/chicken and veggies (the ribeye was a special meal - no judging!)

I hope your spring is off to a fantastic start and you've cleaned and fired up the grill!

Til next time ~ find your joy!
Kelly

Happy Birthday Luna!

Our furry baby turned 2 years old yesterday (Friday 4/20).  While she may be the baby, she's 105 lbs of brute muscle and a teddy bear all-in-one.

Happy Birthday Luna Bear!

Yes, I made her pose with a crown and a couple leis.  She was none too happy about it.  But she humored me.  I think I offended her sensibilities.

Yes, that's raw hide goop around her mouth (all the white stuff).  She had a lot of treats on her birthday, including a taste or two of the fatty meat from some ribeye steaks we had grilled a few days ago.  Our dogs seldom get people food.  She was in heaven.

And, Yes, we had her shaved about 3 weeks ago.  She looks a little dorky (we keep that to ourselves), but she loves how it feels and I love the lack of loose hair in the house!  See pictures of her normal mane here and here.

Til next time ~ find your joy!

Grilled Tuna Salad

We have used our new grill every day since we assembled it on Sunday afternoon.  We christened her on Monday with two 1 1/4 inch thick rib eye steaks which Jim grilled to perfection then we thinly sliced and put on a bed of spring salad greens.  We grilled asparagus as a side.  It was heaven on a plate.  Unfortunately, I did not stop to take photos...I was too hungry.

Today we grilled Ahi Tuna.

 Each side was brushed with a dressing (recipe below) and seared.

 Sear on high for approximately 2-4 minutes on each side (for medium rare).

 Goat Cheese.

 Freshly chopped tomatoes.

 All placed on a bed of mixed greens.

 Topped with a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette.

It was yummy.

Dressing:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

ENJOY!

Til next time ~ find your joy!

Kelly

My Baby

A picture I took of Ms. Haley on Easter Sunday.

Yeah.  I think so too.

Til next time ~ find your joy!

Kelly

How We Spent Easter Sunday Afternoon

After many years of service (we're guessing somewhere between 10-12 years), our grill has bit the dust.  All it's internal parts have disintegrated.  So, to start the season off right, we (read: Jim with his assistants, Kelly and Haley) put together a new grill.

Goodbye old friend.

 Hello sexy...

(Yes, the box lid was upside down, but I flipped the photo so you're not craning your neck.)

 Getting started.

 The technician at work.

 Getting there.

And, three hours later.  Isn't she pretty?

 Haley's idea of assisting...

 Uh-hum. Yeah.

Her baby.  That's Libby's paw tattooed on Haley's side.

All in all, it was a wonderful and productive afternoon.

Til next time ~ find your joy!

Kelly

He is Risen!

picture by David Nadalin

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."   Matthew 28:1-10

HAPPY EASTER!

Til next time ~ find your joy!
Kelly

Sixteen Years

Easter Sunday, 1996.

Sixteen years ago today my mom passed away.  It feels like so long ago and like yesterday all at the same time.  While the pain of losing her isn't as fresh anymore, I miss her more than I can express in words.  Especially on holidays.  Especially on Easter.

Miss you, mom.

Keep watching over all of us.

Til next time ~ find your joy!
Kelly

 

We Are That Neighbor...

Have you ever been woken up in the middle of the night by a barking dog?

One that just won't quit barking?

And you're wondering how on earth the owners can let their dog out in the middle of the night and allow it to bark and keep the neighbors awake?

Finally, it gets so bad that you feel you have no alternative.  You call the police in the hopes that they can stop the incessant noise.

Well, apparently one of our neighbors felt this way a few nights ago. (Ha! Gotcha!  You thought that was about us.  Heck no, we're the offenders in this little story!)

Jim and I let the dogs out as usual before heading upstairs for the night.  I was busy rounding up some items to help us rig up a way to hang Eden's wedding dress so that it would hang nicely and not wrinkle.

I did not pay attention when I let the dogs back inside and we all headed upstairs.

We finished our task, got ready for bed and read for a bit before falling asleep.

We were woken up a few hours later by a bright flood light streaming through our upstairs bedroom window and a knock at the front door.

As soon as Jim opened the bedroom door he heard the barking.  A quick cursory look around our bedroom confirmed that only two dogs were sleeping in their dog beds.

Oy. Vey. (That is the publishable version of what went through our minds.)

Jim apologized profusely to the very nice City of Frederick police officer and immediately let Bleu inside.

Bleu was a little put out that we'd (me) left her outside (obviously).  She'd waited for us to let her in (for a few hours), and when we didn't come she started barking.

It's times like these that I miss our five acre hobby farm in the country.

You're probably wondering how on earth we didn't hear her barking.  It's really no excuse but our bedroom is on the front side of the house and she was in the backyard. We shut our bedroom door so the dogs can't wander around the house at night.  We also have a small machine that plays the sound of falling rain to help us sleep.  It mutes the house sounds that wake us up.  We just didn't hear her.

From the bottom of our hearts, we apologize profusely to our neighbors.  We are (usually) very responsible dogs owners...we don't really even let any of our dogs bark outside during the day.  We feel horrible that we didn't realize we'd left her outside and that someone had to call the police because we didn't hear her.

Needless to say, I've been overly friendly, waving and smiling at every neighbor I see.

Bleu, standing next to the sliding glass door that we didn't open to let her in. 

Til next time ~ find your joy!
Kelly

Playin' With My New Lens!

I've been gone for a while...on vacation!  We spent a week on the road, traveling from Colorado to the Grand Canyon to LA.  We a had a fantastic time!  I'll have more on that soon!

In the meantime...I have a new lens - an AF-S Nikkor 50mm 1.8G and I think I'm in love.  I took some random photos in the kitchen this morning while I was playing with it.

Yes, I do believe I love it!

And, yes, we made chocolate chip cookies this morning.  A lucky recipient is going to receive a special package filled with these cookies.  We'll have to see who that is!

Til next time ~ find your joy!
Kelly