Weekend Recap: Staying In

It's Monday and back to the grind this AM. I am really hoping that this week is an improvement over last week.  I felt like I was in the twilight zone with Eric being gone most of the week. I knew it was going to be rough as we are still trying to get Beau on a schedule, but he ended up being the least of my worries. Both Hawk and Peanut had some pretty gnarly stomach issues which resulted in the house getting cleaned every day last week.....it was rough to say the least. Poor Hawk had his stomach issues on Tuesday and somehow ended up tweaking his bad leg so he was down for the count the remainder of the week.  He was feeling better on Friday and convinced his puppy letter-outer to let him swim, but I am afraid he overdid it so he was pretty pathetic all weekend. Peanut on the other hand was good to go until Wednesday when his issues started, and culminated with a trip to the vet Friday morning.  I'm happy to report that he is feeling much better, but I am not sure he's forgiven me for the gastrointestinal rest (AKA nothing to eat) the vet had him on until Sunday. All he got to eat on Saturday was rice, so by Sunday when I was able to mix in some real food he was ravenous! To be honest , it was so stinkin' hot outside I really didn't mind staying in.

I had some veggies from the garden that needed some attention before they went bad, so I did some canning on Saturday afternoon. I did my favorite Refrigerator Dill Pickles, Eric's favorite pickled okra, and tried out a new recipe for pickled banana peppers.  I'll let you know how the latter two turn out in a month or so.

The fruits...or should I say vegetables of my labor! All from our backyard garden!

I occupied my evenings with movies: Sisters, Inside Out, and Paper Towns. All great movies....what I didn't expect though was for inside out to make me tear up! I know it's a kids movie, but wow it had some stuff in there that really tugs at your heart strings!

L to R: 1) My finger doubled as a fantastic pacifier for Beau taking a nap. 2) Friday night dinner of Champions! 3) My poor sweet Hawk not feeling so hot.

Beau did his best to keep us all entertained, which was not hard to do.  That baby is a hot mess! He had me laughing all weekend. I did learn that he has a very low tolerance for sleeping in. I didn't put a movie on until after 9PM on Friday because I didn't want to be a lame-o who went to bed at 10 on a Friday, so I ended up eventually drifting off to sleep around midnight and turned off my alarm.  Little did I know that a small brown alarm would be sounding at his usual morning going outside time: 6AM. Of course after he came in, he wanted to eat, and then he wanted to play! Hawk and Peanut shared my sentiments of wanting to go back to sleep so the three of us vegged on the couch for another couple of hours while Beau transported nearly the entire contents of the toy basket to the dog bed in the living room....

King Beau and his loyal subjects

Needless to say, we were all ecstatic when Eric got home around lunchtime Sunday afternoon. We were even more ecstatic when a little storm cloud came rolling in and brought us a brief evening of relief from the heat. It was nice enough I took the little dogs on a walk to run some of Beau's excessive energy out! He was still ready to go when we came back so we played fetch in the yard for another half hour....and success! He fell fast asleep in Eric's lap when we came inside!

We capped off our Sunday evening with BLTs (BLPs for me!) and watch the Olympic Trials! I can't believe that the Olympics is just a few weeks away! I can't wait!

Here's to a cleaner, less stressful week!

Weekend Recap: It Summered

Yes I realize I made up that word just now but that's the best way to describe what happened this weekend: it summered outside. And in response? We summered right back.

Clockwise from top left: 1) Summer pretties from Costco 2) Spicy Pimento Grilled Cheese on a Hawaiian Roll...aka the most worth it diet ruiner ever created. 3) Baby Knox and I at the birthday party on Sunday....and the giant water slide in the background. 4) Fried okra grown in the garden by yours truly.

After a crazy busy 24 hours to start the weekend: I had dance team tryouts Friday night and hosted my P.E.O. group on Saturday morning (both of which went wonderfully!),  I was completely pooped. Eric was off fishing in a tournament so I decided the best course of action would be to layout/swim in the pool. One problem, it was absolutely, positively miserable outside. I'm talking actual temps over 100 degrees with heat indices nearing 110....in June. You see the weather decided to "summer", like "Dog Days of Summer" that we usually don't get until August....in JUNE. I know I know, the pool seems like the logical solution, but it was just so stinkin hot and I really didn't want to mess with sticky sunscreen that I was going to have to reapply 1000 times because that's approximately how many times I'd have to get in the pool....so I told the pups we were going to stay inside in the AC for a little while and took a nap on the couch instead....they didn't object.

Around 4, when the heat index had gone down to a mere 100 we ventured out.  The sun was just started to go behind the trees in the backyard, so it was perfect.  Eric got home about an hour later and our neighbors came over and we all played in the pool like with the kids until we were hungry.

Hawk in his happy place and Peanut checking out the corn in the garden.

Sunday we were up early, I headed to church and Eric headed over to his friend's house to help put up a fence.  I honestly don't think they could have picked a hotter weekend for it. I stopped by after church and brought them some cold Gatorade and waters because I am a nice thoughtful person and had nothing to do with me being nosy and wanting to see how the fence looked.....promise. While the guys finished up the fence I headed to a friend's child's birthday party, complete with a blow up water slide.  It was awesome. I seriously considered going down it, but decided against it because I really didn't want to have to drive home in wet clothes. I know lame. I am sure it would have been a lot cooler if I had because Sunday's heat was a carbon copy of Saturday's heat.

I left the party dry and went straight home to get in our pool because that's the best way I know how to summer.  Once again we swam until we got hungry. Luckily we had some leftover Boston Butt from Saturday, and some okra from the garden that needed to be cooked. I chopped them up, and we fried them along with some banana peppers and there was not a single okra piece or banana pepper ring left. I am super excited that the garden is starting to produce some veggies! Now if it would just cool off a little I could get out and finish weeding it so I can take pictures of it to share.

Side note: is it okra pieces or okra pods or okras or what? I've asked several people and have no clear answer and it makes for extremely awkward conversations when trying to tell people how much okra I had to use up.

I do have to brag on Eric for just a minute....He and a buddy fished a tournament on a river that Eric hasn't fished in nearly 20 years and they finished 3rd out of 22 boats!

I promise he was excited...I guess he was trying to be a serious fisherman.

So yeah, that's how we summered this weekend.  It was pretty fantastic.  I am hoping we get to do the same again this coming weekend. BTW we replaced our pool liner the week we left for the beach so this is really the first weekend we've been able to enjoy the pool this year! Whatcha think??  We love it!

Just so you know it had not been cleaned in the before picture...hence the booger green color of the water. 

Weekend Recap: Cookouts, Fish, and Roses

Yes it really was that beautiful here this weekend. 

Shorts and flip flops were worn and I was a happy girl!

I'm not going to just come out and say that 2016 is flying by so far but um, Hello March, where did you come from? I mean I'm glad to see you and everything but geez that was fast! We haven't even been that busy yet this year....I just looked at my calendar and I think I have maybe 2 unplanned weekends in the next 2 months, but they're all chock full of fun stuff so I can't wait!!!

What is it about this time of year that makes me feel like I have to have something to do with my weekends? Oh yeah, that's right....this time of year is also prime fishing season for Eric. The time of year that makes his little heart go pitter-patter in anticipation of a big ole crappy biting the other end of his fishing rod, and the time of year I get photo after photo that looks like this:

He doesn't get much sleep this time of year but he's happy as a clam and we eat some really delicious fish!

Since it was so pretty around here I had one mission this weekend: stay outside as much as humanly possible. I am proud to report: Mission Accomplished. We cooked out Friday and Saturday nights with friends, stuffing ourselves silly and spending the evening around a fire because it did get a little chilly at night. I didn't even care that my hair smelled like a campfire all weekend. It was nothing a little dry shampoo and BBW spray couldn't fix.

I'm so excited that Friday night cookouts are about to really get started again! We kicked off the season with some ginormous shrimp kabobs. I found these puppies malamutes at Costco (where else?!) and they were fantastic!

My big project for Sunday was the beginning of flower garden prep. Eric cut back all of the shrubs and bushes and mowed the yard on Friday, which besides making the yard look fantastic made my dead gardens stand out like a sore thumb. I spent the better part of Sunday weeding and pruning, but most importantly pulling up a giant unruly rose bush that has been a literal thorn in my side since we moved in. It was pretty the first couple of years, but since I know nothing about rose care, it started to get quite gangly. Then it started getting spots and then parts of it started randomly dying, so by the time I went to remove it this year the branches were occupying a nearly 6'x8' space beside the house. I felt like Price Phillip trying to cut through the roses bushes to get to Princess Aurora in Sleeping Beauty. Ok so it wasn't quite that bad, but it was a bit treacherous, and that &#($ bush made sure to get a couple of last pricks in as I pulled it out. But I won the battle and the rose bush is no more. I was going to immediately replace it with another rose bush Eric's Grandma gave me for my birthday, but I think I am going to just let that space breathe for a little while. I fertilized and tilled the dirt and left it empty for now.

Clockwise from top left: 1)Before;  2) After;  3) I'm not saying that the roots were well established but Peanut fit inside the hole that was left when I dug it up; 4) The last battle scars I will ever get from that bush.

The pups weren't complaining about the copious amount of time they got to spend outside either. They got to play and run and sniff to their little puppy hearts' content....so much so that they crashed Sunday night...they slept right through the Oscars....just like their Daddy. I was the only one dumb enough to stay up for the entire show, but I was NOT missing out on Leonardo DiCaprio receiving his Oscar.....no way no how.  Lucky for me yesterday was Leap Day so I am going to blame that and not the late ending Oscars for turning me into a zombie yesterday. =)

 If you need me I'll be daydreaming about relaxing outside in a hammock all afternoon as I gaze out my window. 

2015 in Review

As 2015 comes to a close, it's time once again to look back at the year that just blew by! So without further ado, here is our 2015 in review.

January started off our year with some seriously cold weather (nothing like we're finishing 2015 with). We had a pretty quiet January, spending a lot of time at home. Eric's Dad improved enough to be discharged from the hospital about mid January so we spent a lot of time getting him settled. We capped off the month with Eric's 31st birthday.

I think we must have gone into hibernation until the end of February when things heated up with my 30th birthday and our ski trip to Gatlinburg where we got stuck in an ice storm on the way up and had to spend my birthday night in a hotel in Fort Payne, AL playing cards and other games with our group of friends we were with. February also started my journey obsession with a little thing called FitBit.

At the foot of Ober Mountain in Gatlinburg

We stayed busy nearly every weekend in March.  It was the height of Eric's crappie fishing season and I spent almost every weekend cheering on my dancers at competitions around the area.

The weather finally got pretty again in April and we took full advantage of it heading down to the beach to spend "Spring Break" with my aunt and uncle and cousins as well as his brother and family on the Gulf Coast (Part 1, Part 2). The water may have been a bit chilly while were there, but the sunshine made everything alright. We also made the decision to plant a backyard garden, which Eric dug in less than 5 mins.

He had plenty of supervision =)

We finally got the pool opened the first of May and started enjoying a little hint of summer. I had my dance recital the second weekend and then things heated up with softball. We finished up the month with Memorial Day in Panama City Beach with Mom and Dad and a few days in Orange Beach to see Eric's brother and his family.

June came and went quickly, starting with a work trip for me to Dallas, Texas. Our little garden that we planted was starting to take off this month, so I was able to share a few recipes we made with fresh produce that we grew (1, 2). The month ended with an addition (temporarily) to our house and a permanent addition to my parents' house as we picked up sweet little Maggie Sue.

In July, we said see you soon to Maggie Sue and sent her to her new home with my parents. We spent a very soggy 4th of July at the lake, but I finally got to paddleboard so I was excited! A couple of weeks later my Mom's entire family descended on my grandparents' house in Indiana for a fantastic weekend together and one of my most favorite places in the entire world. We capped off our July with our 5th Wedding Anniversary and an absolutely delicious dinner at Acre.

In August we (literally) kicked off another football season with our football family with our third annual cookout at our house before the season started. Eric trekked to Colorado with his brother for his first antelope hunt and brought home a trophy, while I stayed inside most of the month, trying to stay cool.

September was a tough month for us, and one in which I did very little posting on this blog. I had a lot to say but a lot going on and just couldn't find the time or words to say what I wanted to say. We lost my sweet Grandma Kathryn in mid-September, so I made the trip to Arkansas to be with my family for a few days and say good-bye.  It was a tough trip, but really wonderful at the same time. It had been years since my Dad's family had all been together, and it was so great to see them all again. We spent an entire night sitting in the family room we'd spent so much time in as kids, telling stories and favorite memories about my grandparents.
The day of my grandma's funeral I got a call from Eric saying he was going to the doctor because he thought he had appendicitis. Eric never goes to the doctor so I knew it was pretty serious, I ended up coming home a day early to be with him. The doctor sent him home with antibiotics, but a week later he was back at the hospital having it removed. Lucky for us, it had not ruptured and he was back on his feet after a couple of weeks.

Our October brought more busy-ness which is just what the doctor ordered. We started off the month with Homecoming at Huntingdon. After everything we'd been through the last few weeks of September, a weekend with all of our friends from college was perfect. We laughed and carried on until the wee hours of the morning reminiscing about our college days. I got busy with a new year of dance classes and a gaggle of little tappers keeping me on my toes! And the fun just kept coming with our nephew's first birthday, Eric heading back to Colorado for another hunting trip, and me heading to Memphis with the puppies to visit Mom and Dad for a weekend.

Enjoying the game at our old stomping grounds. 

We finished up football season the first weekend of November, but wanted more action so we spent the next day in Tuscaloosa watching Alabama take on LSU from a suite.  Definitely my kind of football watching! November ended with us hosting Thanksgiving with Eric's family and everyone eating way too much food!

December was spent prepping for the holidays. Eric duck hunted the first couple of weekends in December, giving me plenty of time to get the house decorated. I got tacky at my work Christmas Party, and we ended the year with 3 different Christmas celebrations (Round 1, Round 2, Round 3), having a blast spending lots of time with both of our families.

Who doesn't love a family clad in plaid?

I don't want to say that 2015 was a rocky year for us because there were so many wonderful things that we go to see and do this year, but this year certainly had its fair share of trials and tribulations. I am excited to see what 2016 holds for us! Looking ahead I feel like it has a lot of potential to be absolutely wonderful and I hope that holds true!

Happy New Year and here's to 2016!

The Dunns Decend on Indiana 2015

We spent this past weekend with a bunch of people and places that are very near and dear to my heart in the form of a great big family reunion at my grandparents' house in the town I lived in until I was 9. The last time we were all together was in Ruidoso, NM, which didn't seem like it had been that long ago, but then we realized it was 3 years ago...wow.

We didn't have any planned activities, so spent out time split between my grandparents' house and the lake cottage. There were boat rides, golf cart rides, card games, craft projects, just soaking up the time together, and of course there was lots eating going on, including Arni's Pizzas and Juniors, my grandpa's famous biscuits and hotcakes, and fresh lobster!

I think the easiest way to this will be in pictures...sorry in advance for the photo overload. =)

 The view from my grandparents' lake cottage...one of my favorite places. 

 Tubing was a must...Eric tried to knock us off but we were victorious!  30 years and counting of never being thrown off the tube for this girl!

 My grandma showing Eric how to crack the lobster...she's a pro.

 My grandpa steaming up the lobster!

 Lobster eating in full force!

No this isn't another picture of the lake; this would be a cornfield that was underwater from all of the rain they've had. Crazy!

 My aunt brought tie dying supplies with her and we made some amazing clothes!  

This kid...I can't believe the little girl who was my Jr Bridesmaid is growing up so fast!

 Just one of my grandma's beautiful gardens!

 I spent an absurd amount of time in the raspberry patch eating every single berry I could get my hands on!

 These babies are 100% better than anything you can get at the grocery store!

 Row boating on the pond.

 Family crafting...we had tie dying and sign painting going on one afternoon.

 Playing with the trucks that my grandpa made for my cousin's kids.  

 My cousin's son had a birthday shortly before we all got together so we made him a dump truck cake cake.  I am pretty sure this was the most fun cake I have every made!

 Mom and Dad with their sweet Maggie Sue.

 It still blows my mind that this kid is so much taller than me!

 All 3 of the Jones siblings.  =)

The Jones-Cagle Clan

I am so thankful for the times we get to spend together with our family.  I can't think of a better way to spend a weekend!

Puppies and Gardens...an Update

How can 2015 already be halfway over?!  This is madness!  With the 4th of July holiday this weekend, I feel like this week has already flown by.  Our weekend was fantastic. Dad came down for a golf weekend extravaganza with Eric.  They'd planned to play a course North of here, but could not get a tee time, so they opted to play a little closer to home...no arguments here because it meant I got to spend more time with them.  But the best part of them golfing the whole time?  A whole lot of free time for this girl right here.  I actually got to sit around the house and do nothing on a weekend and it was glorious! Of course I got to spend some quality time with the most adorable puppy in the universe who got to go home to her forever home with my parents.....Miss Maggie (yes she does have a name now).

It doesn't get much cuter than her.  

It's safe to say my parents are in love with this sweet girl, and I am thrilled for them.  It's been several years since they've had a wagging tail waiting for them when they got home every day. I could wax poetic about this sweet puppy, but I'll spare you (for now).

Ok now I'm done...

In other news our garden is still doing well.  I still can't get over how much everything grew this past month. It's nuts! I have to walk around the outside of the garden and have just a few places where I can walk through to pick things. 

The okra has been producing like crazy! I pickled some (that didn't turn out well-you win some and you lose some I guess), fried some (that was fantastic), and gave some away.  I am currently amassing our next batch and will probably fry it up this weekend.

You can find the recipe here.  It was not hard to do at all....this coming from a frying novice (me).

My tomatoes are just now starting to turn, which is exciting. It won't be long before we're canning salsa and tomato sauce!   We had some early trouble with birds eating the tomatoes as soon they had any bit of red coloring to them.  I did a quick fix with a bird net purchase and we have not had any issues since then.  I bought another one I am going to put over my raspberries this week because the last batch of berries mysteriously disappearred.

We've eaten one watermelon already, and have 3 still growing.  Plus we have 4 cantaloupes that are almost ready, so we should be elbow deep in melons very soon!

The watermelons are the dark balls on the right side of the picture. The cantaloupes are on the left, they were still green and fuzzy at this point so they're hard to see.  The climbing plant in the back is our super duper cucumber producer.  That thing has not slowed down for a month! I am having a pickle making party very very soon because I have not more space to store them in the fridge!

With all of the excitement I am sad to report that our squash and zucchini crop has come to a depressing halt due to a garden pest that I learned about a few days ago from a coworker....squash borers. They're horrible and once you have them you can't do anything about it.  They are wasp-looking bugs that lay eggs near squash.  When the eggs hatch, the larvae bore (hence the name) into the stalks of your squash and eat them from the inside out. It's pretty terrible.  I noticed a couple of weeks ago that the leaves on our plants started to wilt and chalked it up to the intense heat we had, but after examining the stalks it was very obvious that we had borers. The Day 60 picture was taken literally the day before my plants started to seriously wilt. I am letting the current plants ride it out for now. They still have several small squash on them, but they are growing at a snail's pace since they aren't getting the nutrients they need. I am seriously thinking about just digging them up and planting another crop since we have such a long growing season around here. I'll keep you updated.

The yellow on these leaves should have been a dead giveaway, but since I didn't know about them, I was oblivious.  Apparently you can kill the larvae if you catch it early enough which I WILL be looking for next year. P.S. Check out the green onions growing on the far right. These were green onions I bought at the grocery store and when I was done using them (cut them down as far as I could), I stuck the stalks in the dirt and they have grown like crazy!  I wrote a while back about doing this in just water, which works too, but they have flourished in the dirt!

SO there you have it, the past 10 days in a nut shell. Of course there were a few other activities that went on like work, softball, football practice, and puppy walks (finally), but if there's no photo it didn't happen, right? =) Just kidding!