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I’m Missing Color in My Garden

Posted in Home on November 8, 2012 | 2 Comments »

It’s fall here in north Texas and my garden has turned a drab shade of greenish-brown. I know a little color is possible at this time of year, but I’m really not a gifted gardener. I was flipping through some pictures I had on my camera from last spring and I found some pictures of gorgeous spring flowers and I thought I’d share. Six more months and they’ll be blooming again in my garden! (A previous owner planted the irises and I’m ever so grateful she did! I can take credit for the tulips though.)

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All I Wanted Was Some Barbecue Chicken Like My Mom Used To Make

Posted in Ed the Awesome, Home, Oma on September 19, 2012 | 3 Comments »

All I wanted to do was make some barbecue chicken in my crock pot like my Mom used to make. I found a recipe in a magazine that looked good and easy and those are some pretty good indicators if a dish will be good. So one night last week, I got the dish all prepared in the crock pot and put it in the fridge. Ed was an amazing husband and agreed to come home on his lunch hour so he could turn on the crock pot for me.

I came home after work expecting the delicious aroma to be overwhelming.

I had told everyone at work about how awesome my barbecue chicken was going to be.

And I came home and was underwhelmed. Disappointed.

There was an aroma, it just wasn’t strong. It didn’t live up to my expectations.

I shredded the chicken and ate it. With more barbecue sauce. The boys stole some off of my plate. Ed had some when he got home.

And so….lesson has been learned. When you want barbecue chicken like your mother used to make, ask your mother how she makes it! You might even learn something! And, your house just might smell as delicious as you’re expecting!

You know what’s even worse than underwhelming barbecue chicken? I used to have a cooking blog.

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Movie Nights

Posted in Boys, Ed the Awesome, Family Stories, Home on March 11, 2012 | 3 Comments »

Ed, aka Big Daddy Awesome, has decided that the boys should see some of the movies that he enjoyed from his childhood. Most of these happen to be more kid friendly than what is currently available and I enjoy these movies too, so the early part of their spring break has been spent watching these movies. We’ve watched C.H.O.M.P.S. and The Toy and Transylvania 6-5000. We also watched Saturday the 14th, which happens to be a tiny bit scary, but only in a spoof movie sort of way. We spent a rainy Saturday afternoon watching it. Trip sat cuddled up to me. Ed was laid out on his couch with back pain and a good view of the television. Logan spent the entire two hours of the movie standing in the kitchen at the top of the two steps screaming at the television.

Logan, “GET OUT OF THE WAY GIRL! THE MONSTER IS GOING TO GET YOU!”

Ed, “Logan, stop screaming and sit down.”

Logan, jumping up and down, “I CAN’T! THE MONSTER IS GOING TO GET THEM! OH MY GOSH! THERE’S ANOTHER MONSTER!”

Me, ”Logan, calm down!”

Logan, “IT’S SCARY! CAN’T WE WATCH SOMETHING ELSE? I DON’T LIKE SCARY MOVIES!”

Ed, “Logan, QUIT SCREAMING!”

Logan, “GET DOWN BOY! THE MONSTER IS AFTER YOU!”

It was like watching a movie with my mother. She’s never once watched a movie that she enjoyed without screaming at the television. I am fairly sure that Logan hasn’t watched a scary movie with her yet. When that does finally happen, I don’t know that anyone will actually hear any dialogue during the movie.

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Spring Flowers Finally Come to Texas

Posted in Freakish Texas Weather, Home on March 12, 2011 | 1 Comment »

I think this is an azalea bush. It’s blooming along with the unkempt bushes beside my house. We aren’t really sure if it’s on our property or not and the neighbor feels the same way, so they grow wild and everyone leaves them alone.

The azalea brightens our spring and every year I say I’m going to cut some branches to bring inside and every year I forget to cut them until it’s too late. Azalea branches should only be cut and brought inside before they start growing their leaves. It’s Southern Gardening Law. You heard it here.

Hungry, hungry bee!

Another of my neighbors has some beautiful flowering trees in their yard. People will stare at you very strangely when you’re taking pictures of trees that aren’t your own. Oh, it’s just me? Dang!

Would you really want to see a huge oak tree that still hasn’t dropped all of it’s leaves? How about two in the front yard? I thought not. I didn’t want to take pictures of them either. I’m ready for all of the dead leaves to fall off of the oaks already!

For the last six years, every time this tree has bloomed the very pretty white flowers, I’ve had the worst sinus infections. Not this year though, so I guess it’s actually another plant causing my discomfort.