tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6538066171531659552024-02-20T14:31:09.808-05:00Steel MagnoliaUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger278125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653806617153165955.post-54463420481346636162009-07-15T12:55:00.002-04:002009-07-15T13:01:36.302-04:00Come to mama...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbPiXiJVzPsV_TDhg7aWLC2Du8lgbtOGFzZZlo83QoSnpI56RDXTbvnMyviQVHtinU3Ug4BQoznAfpd0O7ZkVh3GWyJbSL4Y6J9UauLLaUYIGgsqJFPTv8vh53ys0CUE20gv2HWYqKh3lJ/s1600-h/canon50d.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358733069213589442" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 293px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbPiXiJVzPsV_TDhg7aWLC2Du8lgbtOGFzZZlo83QoSnpI56RDXTbvnMyviQVHtinU3Ug4BQoznAfpd0O7ZkVh3GWyJbSL4Y6J9UauLLaUYIGgsqJFPTv8vh53ys0CUE20gv2HWYqKh3lJ/s320/canon50d.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>soon and very soon this lady will be in my hands!! Since I am co-owner of a legitimate photography business...it's no surprise that soon an upgrade would be happening! In a matter of days, this will be at my front door and I can't wait to try her out!! It's the little things, or in my case the very big ones...I will keep you posted on how she works for me!</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653806617153165955.post-34687701075781466532009-06-29T14:05:00.003-04:002009-06-29T14:11:06.122-04:00Meet the newest addition to our family...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_pHMKui33pzQEilVEKUt_YmHf7MFFaOPt_9SteGre_LWKcFcZIkENcq1cvmuCuGrJ9NvWidq1ivURFdUv5AVh589A5ykvqiHSA_EIsoEMEdXLazI5Q4sRxvyuW8vYm8KZOuXGNvyJAXyn/s1600-h/Lilly_smiling.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352812524187035122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_pHMKui33pzQEilVEKUt_YmHf7MFFaOPt_9SteGre_LWKcFcZIkENcq1cvmuCuGrJ9NvWidq1ivURFdUv5AVh589A5ykvqiHSA_EIsoEMEdXLazI5Q4sRxvyuW8vYm8KZOuXGNvyJAXyn/s320/Lilly_smiling.jpg" border="0" /></a> Sweet Lilly! We rescued her from the <a href="http://www.ggrlc.org/available.html"><span style="color:#6600cc;">Grateful Goldens of the Low Country.</span></a> She is 3 years old and such a sweet girl! She has already made herself a part of this family and we are so in love. We still miss Bailey, but she is in our hearts too!! Welcome to our family Lilly girl!! <div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653806617153165955.post-27384117596565019652009-06-16T13:57:00.005-04:002009-06-17T13:53:21.903-04:00Rest in Peace Sweet Girl!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMe1zD81yl11U4pYz5p7wiAiEBxD1FQTkyu_CkDmIxf1F7shiqKypI_x6uk2ukPSTpFKz4HJ7vismuuLf1spq3B-kXHzdFOqxAhVt2xcxDrTBIgN36O2xByICpZRuBFWjvIrh_G__rkFRa/s1600-h/DSC_0318_0112.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347988684764174274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMe1zD81yl11U4pYz5p7wiAiEBxD1FQTkyu_CkDmIxf1F7shiqKypI_x6uk2ukPSTpFKz4HJ7vismuuLf1spq3B-kXHzdFOqxAhVt2xcxDrTBIgN36O2xByICpZRuBFWjvIrh_G__rkFRa/s320/DSC_0318_0112.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />On May 28, 2009 we had to send our sweet Bailey girl to the Rainbow Bridge! She was suffering on her last day and we felt she was trying to tell us that it was her time to go. This is the very last picture I took of her on that day. We were so deeply saddened! At the same time, we knew that we couldn't let her suffer any more. She gave cancer her all and lived a good life. She will forever be in our hearts and we will never forget the love she gave to us. Dogs bring so much love and happiness to your hearts! Rest in Peacer our sweet Bailey girl. We will always love you...<br /><div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653806617153165955.post-76330904631048060542009-05-06T08:07:00.003-04:002009-05-06T08:13:02.644-04:00Our Happy Family<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKN0uA4zf_xC0GA14UefLwtrBU3CUTf8ZF-NqgSIv6pyEONaXoV4nKD45apmw1GovzHVGWX1-Hq1nXxGd8-rH1aLxcXz04pcqMk5RheB4-OYr-ihUXHY6uOjWoxBgnX949YWKiuFHhlDjk/s1600-h/Family+Photo+May+09_0007_edited-1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332682650111270946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 256px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKN0uA4zf_xC0GA14UefLwtrBU3CUTf8ZF-NqgSIv6pyEONaXoV4nKD45apmw1GovzHVGWX1-Hq1nXxGd8-rH1aLxcXz04pcqMk5RheB4-OYr-ihUXHY6uOjWoxBgnX949YWKiuFHhlDjk/s320/Family+Photo+May+09_0007_edited-1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>Bailey continues to do well. It's been a while since I posted but she has been diagnosed with lung cancer. The emergency vet told us she had days to weeks to live and asked us last week if we wanted to put her down that day. We just couldn't, not that day anyway. We wanted at least one more day with her. We brought her home thinking that she would be in terrible pain and that we were selfish for wanting to keep her alive just one more day....well, she had news for us! She's not ready to go yet....she's like a puppy again at times. Her energy is great, she continues to eat in addition to all the extra treats and table scraps that I'm giving her now. She has a cup of Frosty Paws everyday....we are treating her like a queen. She continues to go on her walks and still jumps on people when they come to visit. We know with a diagnosis like this that her days are numbered and we will continue to watch for the signs that it is time, but until then, we are living it up with her! We love you Bailey-girl....<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332682755287357250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 256px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWOI4t1MsmZgoRjWZNSpjXM7J9Tr4Uf_frj8EepgWGHCdnu-vWAC4txsXwoGOXV1IwLjeRMXr7dA4R8ManOke1cpdAPuDDXhbW0cIHbJfakPS9Cfs6Ke0AmwgkgGhNFWCMd04PQt5ZJz_C/s320/Family+Photo+May+09_0016_edited-2.jpg" border="0" /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653806617153165955.post-37128325445057995302009-04-26T22:55:00.004-04:002009-04-26T23:10:56.204-04:00When you know...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinA7PxDzUsToedfMawbT488fQyyKOtUBGQnsdNy94mGJEfxrHKjDEv7tjNSao4F__16hzXvE9Ng1ox3-LYo2r0w5vb_aoyk3PWLLRhIDR-h3zSYw9vWTMQRnw-P1pv43GlRVLDdh74OWc9/s1600-h/DSC_0194_1799.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329202442830780962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinA7PxDzUsToedfMawbT488fQyyKOtUBGQnsdNy94mGJEfxrHKjDEv7tjNSao4F__16hzXvE9Ng1ox3-LYo2r0w5vb_aoyk3PWLLRhIDR-h3zSYw9vWTMQRnw-P1pv43GlRVLDdh74OWc9/s320/DSC_0194_1799.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I don't even know if anything is going to happen...but have you ever had the gut feeling that something bad was going to happen? Right now Dan is over at the emergency vet with our sweet, sweet dog Bailey. I am beside myself right now. About 8:30 tonight she started coughing up blood. We were very startled and called the vet. They told us to bring her in right away. I immediately got hysterical and got this 'overwhelming' feeling that I was never going to see her again. Dan actually just called me and it doesn't seem as though the vet is optimistic either. They just took her back for x-rays...please say a prayer for Bailey girl. Bailey, we love you so much!!!<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329201958602664082" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbBRqoIxDhDcemrjputVk9OdQt4i5XqjPaeQtRr13RIZ1Kamr-baolX0uIJZZz0dKwvsA7JTXh8xofuQyVQXI6lUn_ZM3VNQobFb8eFu5vvUIO68q4zb9XUTho2vb3zrdetxOg8QxA8yjM/s320/Lee&Bailey.JPG" border="0" /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329201851945034898" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEittZ5waZE1zPPEcxMuQfCuIf9RYFjlTX_jzCLccPuND2XgF1chyn7zYSDjPd8CBjrB_nA7K9pVjWgL8E5e0OZAPgPPfDwwzK7BHx_q9Iwod1Iad-xkypdH_DpRTI-5aPccCHX-2pQu_Ssr/s320/Bailey+Closeup+(2).JPG" border="0" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653806617153165955.post-29900293860541058262009-03-17T14:38:00.004-04:002009-03-17T14:44:10.601-04:00Erin Go Bragh!<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnDE_RTm6pgiBPTfrdlnZ7u9J-foAftIk8uQ9xLSYbHASp82FVvdIJB_ozjNaibomplajwcGtyUtx0zO6jpcnW7l4hDU07PtdiL18EUnFNKPeMexvXyVQ59XFyImQNnia33W3O4T1OFPH2/s1600-h/irish+stew.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314228949483540194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 160px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 120px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnDE_RTm6pgiBPTfrdlnZ7u9J-foAftIk8uQ9xLSYbHASp82FVvdIJB_ozjNaibomplajwcGtyUtx0zO6jpcnW7l4hDU07PtdiL18EUnFNKPeMexvXyVQ59XFyImQNnia33W3O4T1OFPH2/s320/irish+stew.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>Happy St Patrick's Day everyone. I know it has been a while. I have no excuse except that it's been super busy. We are all decked out in our green today. I have an Irish Stew in the crockpot, made with beef instead of lamb so the boys will actually eat it. I also have some Guinness waiting to be consumed tonight with Dan. YUM! Because what says St Patrick's Day better than Guinness. I'll be back soon with more stories, pictures and posts! I promise!!!<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5314229037107156722" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 83px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 143px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgenQtjlEbAdE5Qv-5maNPGG8se4Opw6BCbfmP3uDaoZGnu1SgxURCEhoUzOeDYGieD1GWnzwwrl9k3YwDGL5gzxIJkcAijkKFh1URcz5O4dM5TRmVA3yLPUBeY4Adg9CDu2OLmY4ByP-NJ/s320/guinness.jpg" border="0" /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653806617153165955.post-41129232364376352632009-02-23T08:01:00.009-05:002009-02-23T11:25:10.451-05:00Look Mom...No training wheels!!!Last week Harrison rode his bike with no training wheels for the first time. This video clip is from the first moments...I am amazed that he did not fall and was so confident. I guess he was ready...we had no idea. It was a rite of passage for him and I'm so happy we captured it on video....ENJOY!<br /><br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwyXXAvEZRH2RM6vSmPckshxd18wJ8UpuziXPfh_N3MG8XsUWfy3O47myU4_tVOa6U7Ra9zKdvlmsPPmGC9wQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzhhMsjlUmnZIB_GavvCrw037oatpw-fp_J0IAB1f2B8TQrtwZCdUq6Kc1iqMTqq5dgHbRb97YFDfo2fyyf1A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653806617153165955.post-42316853074868813512009-02-12T14:49:00.004-05:002009-02-12T15:05:33.547-05:00And now they are.....2!<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTXWnTo679v_iSK1xsZYxk-Ad-E9GZKbhG4dn_54sj7IVCvy-9ekPEsSTRRR7owokGqc48dEOdG0ZryaEa-V4GcHh8PN4FGEXUIYsbF21i2g_vxosLrNllBu-z-s3I_MXcjbXZ-8JHdzMX/s1600-h/Rackley+Bridal_0217.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302001828055045522" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTXWnTo679v_iSK1xsZYxk-Ad-E9GZKbhG4dn_54sj7IVCvy-9ekPEsSTRRR7owokGqc48dEOdG0ZryaEa-V4GcHh8PN4FGEXUIYsbF21i2g_vxosLrNllBu-z-s3I_MXcjbXZ-8JHdzMX/s320/Rackley+Bridal_0217.JPG" border="0" /></a> Two years ago today our lives changed forever...and for the better. Brady William and Jackson Quinn entered this world 2 years ago today.<br /><br /><div>Brady,</div><div>You are my mommy's boy. I see a lot of you in me. You like things in there place, you like to help clean up, you are a very good eater and you think a smile could brighten anyone's mood. You are so right! You are really tall and look exactly like your daddy. You love cars and trucks and COOKIES! You and Jack have learned that when we pull into the Whole Foods parking lot that if you start saying 'cookie' really loud that Mommy will think you are so cute and get you one. It works everytime! You are in love with your brothers "zarisson" and "dack" and call them by name all the time to get their attention. You bring Jack his 'taggie' when he is crying which tells me what a kind heart you have. I love being your Mommy and love you with all my heart! Happy 2nd Birthday my sweet Brady!</div><br /><div>Love, </div><div>Mommy</div><br /><br /><div></div><div>Jack,</div><div>Sweet little Jack! Although you are so small you have a very big heart. You are my active little man. You love to throw, catch or kick a ball...anytime or anywhere. You have so much energy, yet still like to be cuddled at night. You let me hold you or rock you anytime I want to. You love your 'taggie blanket' and I like the fact that it makes you feel so much better when you are hurting. You also love anything with wheels and especially love books about them. You are a comedian and love to make people laugh. Your favorite things are 'going bye bye' and 'going for a walk'. You love watching your big brother Harrison and want to be just like him. I love being your Mommy and love you with all my heart! Happy 2nd Birthday my sweet Jack! </div><br /><div></div><div>Love,</div><div>Mommy</div><br /><br /><div></div><div>I can't believe 2 years has passed. I still remember when they looked like this...<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302003393361531074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjguhIchu-PinMYe8NOZeHRxjadyzQVMKqZOS2TeW_ZXZBJ2iRGWpWN4prIKinqdGtT3E4m-Q-2WNDBA0b0UjlCEd2FZMKBWwSsggKYfEFhXUFZqn-ETBCKenI5dJIXJvANmdyBgDEp9SK/s320/IMG_0907.JPG" border="0" /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653806617153165955.post-20068144824868275042009-01-28T12:11:00.005-05:002009-01-28T16:07:59.902-05:00We've been 'Obamacon'ed...thanks Jersey Baby!Thanks to <a href="http://jerseybaby.wordpress.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Jersey BAby</span></a>, we've been officially <a href="http://obamiconme.pastemagazine.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">"Obamacon'ed"</span></a>. I've been looking for some funky ways to do the boys pictures to hang in the playroom and after working on photoshop for a little while, I stumbled across Jersey Baby's facebook page and fell in love with these. I went on the site and created 3-one of each of the boys. I'm thinking about having them made into posters to hang in the playroom. For $10 a piece you can't go wrong with these. I love having the words 'hope, progress, change' on each of them too. That way I can tell them that Obama was our President when these posters were made for them. Here are the three I came up with....now go and make your own. It's really fun...<br /><br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296394931945882738" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 215px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzMR8s0DHSIVXan99dUtDqjL5PCYWFTSElGAdR_7HS6d-JEcNg_-N7n4DQkKWTHXu1rzfcxekBqNzcguOhRMzh4WvIV9HcfQ3NvBZSJJiHB6752KNHvU_l1n552K97VBR2DbthJb6aDXO9/s320/hope.gif" border="0" /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296395079910859826" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 215px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf0VL1mnvWGSLZZ8j9gyif-HXfaIHQK0G3d8oWOEdUCw6zZb_fRU6KsD0olpv6II6FdEoL4IbHlEyWZsOvNAjqpGmY1TMW4fXkX2SWfMPRmxK_Z0qFNh9HNke3rxE_sdjWCkOouvTwG2MY/s320/progress.gif" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296395183820497362" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 215px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlE1pFQjnGnUfi2ZTEjkPU8anqHBNlgsyrOnDXEwvLgc3enx2WTHRLxfjwR9j9Ffhq7aq7tVe8KlOj13Ks4BTXZo0VKGDjWNjCQbZ53DFJUj0dBzoeGiRQosK99gnN9jRv1t_dfx03zO5D/s320/change.gif" border="0" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653806617153165955.post-24609170469117372712009-01-27T13:41:00.007-05:002009-01-27T13:56:52.028-05:00I'm still here...with a list to boot!Between running, running to preschool, cooking, shopping and just being a mom...I feel like I've been too busy to post. I really don't have much to say but felt I needed to post. We are just knee deep in winter here and I've been in a cooking storm. I've dusted off some old cookbooks and pulled out some new ones. With my New Year's Resolution to continue to eat healthy, whole foods, we have been cooking more and more rather than doing take out or going out. So, ladies and gents, I've made a list of my favorite cookbooks. I know it's not exciting, but if you are a cookbook junkie like me, you'll like this list. Let me know which ones you like that are your faves too and I just may have to add them to my wish list. In no particular order, here are my top 5 favorite cookbooks. <div><div><div><br /><div>1. The Williams-Sonoma Cookbook: The Essential Recipe Collection for Today's Home Cook </div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296047781569504066" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU8jcontf_FLtVwxQcpb2iC-P-FCfjuvuWyKHN40ItcaIVBzqueWfne9xNl1B9vi-2oe0wBJ6K_fg7Uq2quKkHjIxuh3L24zfpiu44_RExXIb2O7SYyridfyOcgFK8sofxzzzrLVWKiRZu/s320/williamsonomacookbook.jpg" border="0" /></div></div><br /><br /><br /><div>2. Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics: Fabulous Flavor from Simple Ingredients </div><br /><br /><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296048029449605122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvX5YYdqNO2uwJxBqHT-yQpKQBaLGUn5TSsIC8eG1yK1vocljEW-b6p6XPYcaGGwE9lAcbgDIQevMgALFgXHkRYbS5MHN7oDXzraljeEC6vJBUk-H4m6Z6BeOMc8AkKcVbr0ZbfPDq77-M/s320/barefootcontessabasics.jpg" border="0" />3. Bon Appetit, Y'All: Recipes and Stories from Three Generations of Southern </p><br /><br /><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296048529218430898" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Ld19AbpCxszdnbyAY4EIAnKsNOaD7TARX4nwAlWMyyzEtmpcvN01bFsHOVcggir4ZLXCHjV_B_jamsjTiI4dwgPNe4D-_rHWhnEpcb0wB0ULn5Jr2lietq7nufgnvaTvCTQ7Tj92kr8x/s320/bonappetiteyall.jpg" border="0" /><br /></p>4. The Bon Appetit Cookbook: Fast Easy Fresh<br /><br /><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296048817456122114" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizxEOhv9vEc87-4lYgaICAcZJvW59fBwAgYfvgLeiRZxqlKxHyqjOQWn9SJPtpumF0OPtQ2tzZt9Ek6RazJL6vt818Uuo_fYlULXfE459T4ytQ6ieHSSqQtQWojbHP8u-S_NCBR8iAYTdb/s320/bonappetitfasteasyfresh.jpg" border="0" /></p></div></div><br /><p>5. Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast: Simple Suppers.. because we all like to get dinner on the table pronto!</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296049154063455026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgueJw-SD0OcQQ_Vg-939BNx-apnVKaCQGh9NHxWc_80TnjfNz6nbv4-WS22zk4mAfgDSa3rJP9nTTNyrlbpMXl50clNqlsclv49XVteCSyxLeniSblV5UoATXypRHszVJxploz6jYQRAh_/s320/williamsonomafast.jpg" border="0" /><br /><p>Happy cooking everyone! Don't forget to tell me what your favorite cookbooks are!!</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653806617153165955.post-37056589945067906612009-01-13T09:04:00.003-05:002009-01-13T09:08:22.948-05:00A good find...as I continue on my quest to eat all natural foods..I discovered <a href="http://www.ficoco.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">this</span></a>. Ficoco is made from figs and cocoa...two of my favorite things! Although I love Nutella like nobody's business, I don't like the fact that it's high in fat. I spread Ficoco on one of those mini whole wheat bagels and it's Heaven on Earth. No fat and only 60 calories...and it's all natural! I found mine at Whole Foods, but I'm sure there are other stores that carry it too...<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290779852907901698" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 90px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN19K_tgikPNvb04x527GANdQ645FQCA5lRsUuS9QqheuJRUD-OwpBDOximQnvACsi4G9yL0s4gHOePxTQtnMlgavvA5xAaldUPVWBBUz_2jdUuJgvYfsnCM8lxmpl-Ii7oh_Pkj63ZbfQ/s320/ficoco.jpg" border="0" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653806617153165955.post-32231917453293020262009-01-11T21:35:00.004-05:002009-01-11T21:49:16.401-05:00Where have I been???11 days into the New Year with no post...I know, I know. But I have to say...we have been all recovering from colds here in the magnolia household. Harrison and Dan were hit the hardest. Harrison got his first EVER ear infection at 4 years old. I could hardly believe it!! Anyway, things have been great besides the colds...<br /><br />Resolutions? How do I top 2008's resolution of running a marathon? I don't know...but I am going to start doing at least one a year. I have my eye on either the Disney (Goofy Challenge, Jen? I'm up for it if you are) or the Charleston Marathon, which may or may not happen. However, these are both in Jan 2010, so technically not this year....So I came up with a list of things that I'd like to do or change for this upcoming year...<br /><br />1. Lose the remaining 5 lbs and be at my wedding weight...I would love to accomplish this!!<br />2. Be in the moment with my children...they are growing up way too fast. The twins will be two next month. What happened to my babies?<br />3. Continue to grow the photography business<br />4. Continue to eat healthy...leafy greens, whole grains, fruits, veggies<br />5. Try a detox cleanse..thinking about the <a href="http://www.blueprintcleanse.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Blueprint Cleanse</span></a><br />6. Work on getting rid of all the hormonal havoc that happened to my skin. I'm working with someone and am obsessed with <a href="http://www.dermalogica.com/us/#/home">Dermologica</a> products. Trying to conceive, while good for having babies, not good for my skin. (i.e. mask of pregnancy is still on my forehead...)<br />7. Continue to run 4/5 days a week and strength training 2 days a week.<br />8. Have fun! Be positive!<br />9. More date nights with Dan....went to <a href="http://www.mavericksouthernkitchens.com/snob/index.html"><span style="color:#3333ff;">S.N.O.B.</span></a> downtown the other night and then drinks at <a href="http://www.magnolias-blossom-cypress.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Cypress</span></a>...WONDERFUL!!<br />10. Surround myself with good friends and family!!<br /><br />Looking forward to 2009...I promise to post some Christmas pics soon!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653806617153165955.post-1371026521308526222008-12-31T13:25:00.005-05:002008-12-31T13:38:41.103-05:002008 was a good one...As I reflect on the last day of 2008 I realize what a wonderful year it has been. Dan and I both achieved our resolutions for 2008 by (me) running my first marathon and (Dan) getting a new job. On top of that I managed to start a photography business with my friend Blakely. I lost all and more of my baby weight and am now in the best shape I've ever been in. I feel great about where I am in my life and I have a wonderful husband and 3 beautiful little boys to boot. The best decision we ever made was moving to Charleston, SC. Seriously it doesn't get any better to live on the edge of the map. I think the salt air has done wonders for me emotionally, physically and spiritually!<br /><br /><br /><br />Tonight we are celebrating the New Year at my friend M's house. We're bringing the kids with us and putting them down to sleep there and then celebrating a little more. I love fondue on New Year's Eve, but what I love more is Champagne. It's really my favorite libation. Can't wait to indulge in a little tonight!!! It should be fun! There are going to be 5 couples celebrating and all of their kids as well. Hopefully the kids will crash from the excitement.<br /><br /><br /><br />We may bring our Rock Band Wii game over there....it is awesome! I love the singing vocals. So much fun...that's what Dan got from me for Christmas. He got me a great gift as well. I have officially joined the 21st century and am now mobile...with the Photography business I felt as though I needed to have access to emails while on the road. Since I spend so much time in the minivan in the carpool lane, this is what he gave me.....<a href="http://www.blackberry.com/blackberrystorm/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">The Blackberry Storm</span></a> I love it, but now I know why they call the Blackberry a "crackberry"...it's almost as addictive as Facebook!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286024279577649074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 155px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpen_F1IqRfDe1qUE6MZpPZ0yyy2lcU4-zmexB3d98X9AAgljA2DnOXi2BdljgdMlCuNuEFkVr3EjDswaycwDeq0fCUjRPXp2hmHbkARJUNTR50AJOEpkvY2FoARxq2S58O1O1-ISeM4rg/s320/blackberrystorm.jpg" border="0" />Happy New Year...may 2009 bring health, happiness and prosperity!!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653806617153165955.post-11172357785536623422008-12-29T13:26:00.003-05:002008-12-29T13:34:23.217-05:00Christmas wrap-up...We had a wonderful Christmas here in the Magnolia household. It's been hard to adjust somewhat to reality today as Daddy went back to work this morning. The house is so quiet now as all three boys are taking naps (including Harrison).<br /><br />I must have spent 5 straight days in the kitchen. I loved every minute of it! For Christmas eve, I decided to make risotto, green beans with garlic and shallots and seared bay scallops. If you have not had jumbo bay scallops before, you must try them. I got them from Whole Foods and they were some of the freshest scallops I had ever eaten. I just added salt, pepper and olive oil and seared them for just a few minutes on each side....YUM! For dessert, I made a cheesecake with strawberry sauce.<br /><br />Christmas morning I made Barefoot Contessa's Challah french toast...with orange zest-YUMMY! For Christmas dinner I did a Boneless Leg of Lamb with a rosemary-garlic crust...delicious!<br /><br />The boys had a great Christmas. It was really fun to see it through their eyes again. Brady and Jack are also starting to really get into it...I imagine next year they will all really be into it. I haven't gone through my camera yet, but will post some pictures when I do. I had a really good time just hanging out with my family and enjoying the Christmas season. I'm sad to see it end.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653806617153165955.post-78280096543056064742008-12-17T08:28:00.004-05:002008-12-17T13:34:58.956-05:00An unforgettable experience....AHHHHH...the marathon! I've been mulling over in my head what I was going to say about the whole marathon experience on Saturday. These words come to mind....unforgettable. magical. extremely difficult. long. amazing. grueling...I took every minute of the race in as I ran it. From the starting line to the finish...I took it mile by mile.<br /><br />As soon as I crossed the starting line the tears started streaming. I was here. I was running a marathon. I couldn't believe it. It was almost magical. The run started off extremely well. It was 26 degrees at the start, but I felt good. I seem to run better in the cold. The sun was out and there was no wind. I started running with the 4 hour pace group. Well, after enduring hill after hill after hill...I knew I wasn't going to finish in 4 hours, so I met up with the 4.5 hour group and settled in with them. I ran with a man for a while that was running his 70th marathon. He was amazing and very uplifting to run with. There were so many inspiring people running next to me. I heard someone say "Look at all of us. Running towards nowhere." I have to say I disagree, we all had somewhere to go or something to run for.<br /><br />The first half of the race (which we were told was the most hilly, ended up not being so) was awesome. There were about 1000 marathoners and 2500 half-marathoners and we were all running together. At mile 12 we split from the halfs and that's where it got a little harder, mainly because there were now far less people and spectators. Also, I felt there were far more hills in the second half. It could have been that I was tired. Extremely tired. Every hill was a challenge going up. You could see several hills ahead and that made it worse. I have to say...I wanted to stop several times but I didn't....I didn't stop running the entire 26.3 miles...the course was actually 26.3, not 26.2...how cruel and unusual...because believe me...that .10 of a mile hurt because it was all uphill! I kept telling myself to 'keep going, dig deep'. Crossing the finish line with my family watching, my arms in the air symbolizing victory, the medal going around my neck...I'll never, ever forget that!! My garmin time was 4:23:26...not too bad for my first marathon and a very hilly one at that! Did I also mention over 3000 calories burned? You better believe I had a great post-race meal with no guilt!<br /><br />I'm feeling great today...it's day 4 post-marathon. I actually feel like I could go for a run. I'm not, I'm going to give my body a week to recover. Running is now in my blood. Do I want to run another? Yes I do! I've now got the fever. I found out on Saturday that Charleston is going to have a marathon in Jan 2010...<a href="http://lowcountrymarathon.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">The Lowcountry Marathon</span></a>! I'm super excited because it should be a nice, flat course which is what I trained on.<br /><br />I set a goal, set my mind to it and did it. Trust me...you can do anything you set your mind too. It also feels good to say that I am a Marathon Mommy!!!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653806617153165955.post-1012525475052329392008-12-05T11:41:00.003-05:002008-12-05T11:56:31.574-05:00T minus 8 days...until this marathon gets here. For those of you just tuning in, I am running the <a href="http://www.runcharlotte.com/welcome.htm"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Charlotte Marathon</span></a><span style="color:#3333ff;"> </span><span style="color:#000000;">next Saturday!! It gives me goosebumps just to write this. I have been planning this race all year. In fact, it was my New Year's Resolution for 2008, so it's been a long time coming. I am 30 miles to making my goal of running 1000 miles in 2008. With the marathon and a few runs between then, I'm well on my way. Right now I'm at 971.5..think of where I could have run if I would have run that straight...ha! ha!</span><br /><br /><br /><br />Some people have asked me WHY I am doing this? Why not? I'm young (sort of), healthy and in good shape. When my sister's life was suddenly taken from us 10 years ago...it changed my thinking on lots of things...don't put off tomorrow, what you can do today. She was a runner and track athlete and I'd like to think that she would be a runner today. So when I run sometimes I think how nice it would have been for us to do something like this together. She is with me in spirit every step I take on those runs...I'm running for her and all of the other family members I've lost.<br /><br /><br /><br />Dan lost his grandmother earlier in the week and I can't help to think of her while I run too.<br /><br /><br /><br />In other very sad news, <a href="http://hyatt911.blogspot.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">this family</span></a> lost their wife, mother, sister, daughter yesterday and I am truly saddened by this. One minute she was taking her kids to the park and the next day she was in a hospital fighting for her life...Life is precious, fleeting, fragile.<br /><br /><br /><br />I'm not trying to be a downer today...just brutally honest. I've said it before and I'll say it again...please, please squeeze your husband, wife, children tight and extra tight and tell them that you love them over....and over again!<br /><br /><br /><br />I've been trying to think of something to wear on race day next Saturday...something that sums up this whole experience. I found the PERFECT running tech (dri fit) tee and I think it fits the job....here it is....<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5276350307043618546" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 178px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 156px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTN3xV_Pvc0tOlS-vQr-EYmH0e_8K3l4l8Q_f9bk27PRPlmOAg7oDL57jjBbs_Jxo-imvatPM2-KaXOoNJ5uxD8rvHZgFMg1Aohb5Odmnc-23J0zDsvCr7p1zFcPMsS6iN29H21m6djfpn/s320/lifeisgoodrunning.gif" border="0" /><br /><br />because...well...LIFE IS GOOD! So.very.good...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653806617153165955.post-62440371089119263282008-12-03T12:09:00.002-05:002008-12-03T12:40:18.351-05:00'Tis the season...I just love this time of year. Now that I have children I love it even more. I love living Christmas through their eyes. Every year I vow to enjoy it and I'm proud to say that I do! My shopping is completely 100% done. Now I have the rest of the month to make gingerbread houses, look at lights, bake cookies and spend time with my family. Life is good...<br /><br />A few years ago, both sides of the family made an agreement to buy only for the kids and I have to say...it's been easier. Really, is there anything that we need? If so, we'll just buy it ourselves. Harrison really doesn't NEED anything and all he says he wants is a "black Polar Express train". Well, he's not getting the $250 dollar one, but a much, much, much cheaper one that is indeed black. Will he know the difference?<br /><br />Brady and Jack love the tree. Everytime they see it they just smile the biggest smiles. They actually don't bother it...just stand there looking at each other and smiling. It's the sweetest thing! They are becoming fast friends, actually all of 3 of them.<br /><br />I'm just sitting in my quiet house right now, with the tree lit, Christmas music playing, fireplace going and my cookie candle...and am enjoying every minute. As we all know, live the life you want to be living right now....Merry Christmas!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653806617153165955.post-282833141144274402008-11-26T10:43:00.003-05:002008-11-26T10:52:41.688-05:00Happy Thanksgiving....We are headed to my parent's house tomorrow morning for Thanksgiving. I am contributing pie, rolls, cranberry sauce and sweet potato casserole. I can't wait to dig in to all the good food!<br /><div></div><br /><div>I actually have 2 photo shoots while I am up there...should be interesting to shoot in a new place! I also have my 15 year high school reunion on Saturday night. I will hopefully have some good stories from that...</div><br /><div></div><div>The 20 miler is behind me now...tapering has begun. The big marathon is in 2 weeks. 20 miles in 25 degree weather was brutal...the wind was against me most of the time. I hope the marathon isn't that cold. </div><div> </div><div>Here is a picture of my "Brave Little Bear" at his Thanksgiving Feast at school. Have a Happy Thanksgiving...I know we have so much to be thankful for!<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272994040270119234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIs2vUTeF2xgG0qQHoju5IrUC5a-AO6PpmzOQnWosUx9IMP_WKB253oJ19zTpDO5Qk1pSkT87CB3f95a49zbA_NaSlo_Dz69TSW70uVRilEPfuqJwpwH0R2ssnhMy0gfMkGOkb5O7Z6ROu/s320/Baldwin+Family_0096.JPG" border="0" /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653806617153165955.post-79139861539067715012008-11-20T16:14:00.002-05:002008-11-20T16:18:14.068-05:00Help a girlfriend out!!My dear friend Jessica has been chosen as a finalist in a "Comfort Food Cooking Contest". Please, please help her out by going <a href="http://marxfood.com/vote-for-your-favorite-comfort-food-recipe/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">here</span></a>. Jessica is a good friend that now lives in Columbus, OH. She also writes the blog <a href="http://sweetpeasandpumpkins.blogspot.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Sweet Peas & Pumpkins</span></a>, which is where I get a lot of my recipes! We lived in Northern VA at the same time and her and Dan once worked together on Capitol Hill.<br /><br />She has a very good shot at winning. As of today she was in the lead!! Voting ends on Sunday, so go cast your vote now...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653806617153165955.post-37070791245694646872008-11-18T14:00:00.010-05:002008-11-19T09:26:54.426-05:00Throwing caution to the wind...This past Friday we decided last minute to head to Clemson for the game. Imagine that, we were spontaneous!!! We dropped the twins off at my parents in Columbia on Friday, spent the night there and woke up early on Saturday to go to the game. We took Harrison with us and he had a blast!! Our friends from NC were also going along with their children. The kids range in age from 3 to 6-total 5 kids in all. Dan, Harrison and I walked around Clemson a little while, ate lunch downtown, went to the game and met our friends around the 3rd quarter on their side of the stadium. Our side was in the shade and it was pretty chilly! Harrison LOVES Clemson football. I loved being up there. I know I'm biased but it has to be one of the prettiest places around...GO TIGERS! After the game we all went to dinner in downtown Greenville. The kids sat together at one end of the table and the adults at the other. I was so proud of how well-behaved they all were!! It was nice to actually have adult conversation and enjoy dinner with the kids at the same time. One day Brady and Jack will get to participate...<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270075755337541490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioN82KpCToubVK3FZf4eAPMud2uVH1m0bWRvoBbtBL-YxUC7-aeFANJdJ6aGb8wC7JmZb3LyXrHHIbP0XRTY0Az1EzAei25E302DAPUQfXzig_tR9qu7TFoIVTQFzlgfM_byF4jdRbdDBg/s320/Mason_0079.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270075950420897234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMOPsTkYTvISu_vlimJt_EVVJaT2gPmXryxHe6iUcWMbbQ2Q8EXNM3bNrVxIFw2k2RkjcecnMADnjrvy18jF0cN9SxADpcGt0l05guTEOyM7D3ZgHBr6-41f0ZgnUHSrat-ottSBLYXauc/s320/Mason_0083.JPG" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270076080873607554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB-cUxaOGiURIBgeQSUAY08YcCB-Awbnferb7z08MgBb7MSzWPU5_-zQ9iGlJnXc4104XGsIhfdow60lyACrkoz9yRzzSMWGxZ_lc7dgFYziXOydLmN2oOyFXaokq612cXLTXT8yJtxjX1/s320/Mason_0078.JPG" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270076213679957650" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihOFVajr_ihMNZrvnuUHmbiwujPyKl4Qc2hU17A2yA0SQe6d-HNSkXbkgO5U0Yu7qWryDMp2kwj4_bD6uUjv3p2ZFSbPypmK-7-H_t39in5XOv-xOOyBEM9XaCkAn7uMR04GX4fJ93byCv/s320/Mason_0084.JPG" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270076356133840066" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj1hcwoyFBJrffrBPxBRBJLkROKDtZ2TaviToe1p0yguWCp5UBbcCU3Wv71gvOy0xs3cfuIzXV-K1Wo3_A5RtMGksZarxPtm1rPLUHgXiA0vMQOw7SmM-n2mbCkKuMKIj-Zohi042ZugB9/s320/Mason_0090.JPG" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5270076520059179410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhp_BmINyk12UH99TnR7ZqTggWb1b13a8AOC8aAa4DjgyPdfRcYsLEi2b9S5a4t0q2AZScuEmMDIT3NLiZIvUgta7L7zhNR_0HnlRjvycKdJ_7G7Dlyv0kn5NHKo_bWc4yis1GymPu3BNg/s320/Mason_0097.JPG" border="0" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653806617153165955.post-79336397001066411832008-11-07T13:33:00.003-05:002008-11-07T13:40:23.186-05:00Wholly Guacamole!Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE guacamole. Love it!! I love the fresh, authentic, homemade variety. Sometimes however, I just don't have the time to make it. I've been enjoying having mashed avocados on a grilled havarti, turkey and tomato sandwiches lately for lunch. Imagine my excitement when I was in Super Walmart of all places the other day and found <a href="http://whollyguac.com/our_products/simply_avo_snackpacks"><span style="color:#3333ff;">these.</span></a> They are 100 calorie snack packs of guacamole! And they cost 1.88 for a pack of 3. I think that's great considering the time it takes to mash an avocado, not to mention the browning that occurs-GROSS! Granted it doesn't taste so much like guac, more like mashed avocado. Sometimes that's just what I'm looking for. When the pack is gone, then I'm done too. No more overindulging in guacamole. Seriously, sometimes my friends have to tell me to "step away from the guac". I can't get enough! Anyway, go to your nearest grocery store and see if they have this stuff. Sadly, so far I have only found it at Super Walmart-weird, huh?<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265987011520870290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 210px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-mj-oqJDMcTxAUgU0tVzEnmUoq_bxEDyf7eHsKTrOn5VK3N6fg7OzGTo3wVcbjWPW1tXTwa0GEaMNKhTSsZIS7e4MEYD7x3fx6CEHCVHccvhIk_yO3Odhf_0TUtqFDPJVQE64uyLtO9ph/s320/simply_avo_snackpacks.jpg" border="0" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653806617153165955.post-28611850192461723282008-11-06T14:37:00.003-05:002008-11-06T14:45:46.205-05:00Miles and miles to go before I sleep...I haven't talked about the "Training" in a couple of days...mainly because I am ready to get it done. In the last couple of weeks I've done 12, 15, and 16 mile runs. Well, this weekend is my 18 miler and I'm dreading it. It's only 2 more miles than the 16 miler, but I'm doing it alone. The 16 miler alone was long enough, but I don't know how I'm going to get through this 18 miler. Anyone out there have any suggestions to make it go faster? I have about 5 weeks until the actual marathon. My thinking is that by now if I can run 16 miles solo then I can run 26.2 with several hundred people-piece of cake, right?<br /><br />I seriously could not do this without the unending support of my wonderful husband. Every Saturday while I'm out there pounding the pavement, he's getting the kids dressed and fed, not to mention when I have my runs during the week. He is the most important piece of the puzzle to all of this marathon training.<br /><br />I get several questions from people about what I'm going to do to celebrate once I'm done...not sure yet, but I'll have to think of something special!?!<br /><br />Who knows if I'll want to do another marathon after this. My goal has always been to do one, but we'll see if I catch that bug I hear so much about. I wouldn't mind doing Marine Corp one day, since we lived up there for 9 years...most of my adult life so far.<br /><br />Anyway, been super busy with our photo sessions as of late. It's great, very great...I don't think Blakely and I ever expected to be this busy. We are having a lot of fun with it! Once again, I don't think either of us could do it without our husbands. Which is why they will be having fun at "man day" in our neighborhood this coming Saturday...I'll post about that later.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653806617153165955.post-38112167444843980522008-11-01T13:27:00.007-04:002008-11-01T13:34:09.757-04:00Happy Halloween 2008!We had a blast trick or treating last night! I just love our neighborhood-everyone was out on their porches and the atmosphere was so much fun. I made a big batch of chili with the fixins and several of the adults had drinks to share with the parents and candy for the kids. I LOVED Halloween being on a Friday night too. By 9:00 pm everyone was in bed and Dan and I caught up on Entourage. I decided to switch my run to Sunday morning instead of Saturday morning so we could all sleep in...and we all did...until 8:00 am. However, that meant rushing to get out the door in time for Harrison's soccer game. Here are a few pictures from last night. Brady and Jack LOVED getting dressed up. It was so cute to watch them in Harrison's costumes from previous years...Harrison kept yelling "I AM SUPERMAN! I can fly. I'll save you!"<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263743232220289474" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 238px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeNrMPpGMlQG7GiO-9_U6jjKClq8eHQiu0H16ETHSslF0vFq5DU6zcXFRbg6s7HIO5Bm7HNWKvj1PiLJjlcietXi8aH530j-g4SqSHNyXpyl0TwpSckjYG6-342D_T9EUGJZBYMG3QDER4/s320/DSC_0255_1792_edited-1.JPG" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263743126288358450" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeRh_nS1-SakWB0Oiy_OJ5FbGcX3Rw_BTeSXAObADhQGu7NfKUc7vZrmvpPON6TID4KX4zYxyipYC_l59OA8usUBwRqXX0rtpzCN9cpbS6amKpsILZCKZOchhwzwWA7-yCeyyKXGEHvmn5/s320/DSC_0251_1788.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263743047815993106" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbPUjBi_VvFNXJjuOYhb0SgAMwunTmy0B0FFz6qdPmFgaoOpPuXFHFDhz-WCHH8OomVXLETmCwPMKMZt-Tp9FyItrddHDJwOFRGPe52RX2ZD8Wi7yhnbt6Wrewxc8XbnIGIHtM4agFj3I8/s320/DSC_0250_1787.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5263742948076707026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyAWXxzIbHOQIeIPBY88zaO3KvWD6HH6SuoxsIsl2vOHbXrFoc32VxzWeghWpw9B5hG6JVuzrZ128sC9WRj6aMmPz7m7pIcEGdJ33qfE5MEwdbOHpQQslPSjGbCZH2AqVfvZ6Rz-Du5JN2/s320/DSC_0249_1786.JPG" border="0" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653806617153165955.post-72411527660302675652008-10-28T09:41:00.002-04:002008-10-28T09:42:35.849-04:00Sweets for my sweets!<div>Too cute not to share....I'll update more later.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5262199612840050226" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 222px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFU3eFWzTppuMU5xbMdiGGFlU1_pizxrEgTj3aqPocAq4LDqI2yI-7FdAyagl1E7crxbHpefAFjIJCwyBhLDX1QbhOLbpXAqmQmFDqdvGA2QmdMODLCP1z8L-bjbeS79BeSZ-U_7S87h6R/s320/halloweenboys.bmp" border="0" /></div><br />Can you tell my boys love sweets? I wonder where that comes from....?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-653806617153165955.post-90981171329568586702008-10-21T13:44:00.008-04:002008-10-21T13:54:25.444-04:00We are family...<div>Harrison had a blast with his cousins this past weekend. We were out to lunch on Saturday and all of the older cousins (by older I mean 6, 6, and 4) were sitting together and I made a comment on their similarities. It's amazing how much they look alike. Want to see....<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259665027298390674" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHU7UyyH8S5xLKwf8PMBkwL8sBhe2zKKQNhsPKUw1o-lwFlfy2WQ0XV202SVWG3PwCKGivNi5xifFASvPDePbyOlKz7hLZzaNn2mpcRD0N6IZMRo_RVgbWoSy0m9M0eLmNbl64BheO6Ywu/s320/2008+Oct+18_1489_edited-1.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259665158758392770" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1qukOKkZoL5BrQfZalD5M3zR1x71c3UI8cKQKZZN82P_DnBYyge0p5BVOF8hF6KUo7QLDddkOc5dD-wRjdUOFRzjHhbyjRXf5d1NS5mzDNh3SPCIqmHg9VTopLwlDqudQBAOKBZKr1tAq/s320/2008+Oct+18_1490_edited-1.JPG" border="0" />Look how cute they all are? Also, Harrison's 'new thing' to do when I take a picture is to make a funny face...it's pretty difficult to get good shots of him. Here's proof...one of them was taken when he didn't realize I was snapping....<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259665647645289906" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq2c3GVMSzcykQexcQGiXsfCefDJmXwFuEWj0R6eCXCjQEmj1NfXfRTYfBVdIh_Npvx7bCh1PO_V3kG0_wUAas6_rHbtLTNnzX61lOWeKpRX_Pwyad8WVAlgWAeMT-A9WKkejRIwD0g2DC/s320/2008+Oct+18_1493_edited-1.JPG" border="0" /></div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259665816579087746" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDObuNqcZiNEzzz16ARMR2moXSPCjQYj_RyVhQmr4GsQlryq2r_8WmFnk9HBqPixDqELrMcfDFsOdTWP4X8iW9A12H2KklCWcnLIS4MBOTFAdvfXSnUWLecjJVebNYn8l8FcjLklxzf0R6/s320/2008+Oct+18_1492_edited-1.JPG" border="0" />I guess you could say he has his 'Halloween pose' all ready to go! Onnika, me niece, made some silly ones as well. Here's one of her...<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259666169459458178" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE3eKW-e6N_plE5bweYasUTagukACyoIuu697zCNosPiabfDOqL_nfShY0FOmSFspV38Qwjt1f1jiar1v-yJWhuL9FMobXkc-o5Nc8TZ6AggbkVwdq6gwopfsOJaou_WbYKPQL-i94benB/s320/2008+Oct+18_1491_edited-1.JPG" border="0" /></div>The hardest part was trying to get a group shot of everyone on our front porch. Here is the best of the bunch...notice the 'cousins'. I can't wait to see how much fun they have together this Christmas!<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259666656369162930" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0objZHeOl3fviJv6cp93N4gRSQijtRPtbLlBZB6oRItYznwyqoX_swOhbZKGjapQzUK7a3pJIo6uUAGwXoYvfL0DevGv_oW8rs761KcVIUXsht6f4W5yBjK7ZFBndnvUKbnU7uh7lMElm/s320/2008+Oct+18_1477.JPG" border="0" /><br />Dan and his parents, sisters and their kids, along with Harrison. Brady and Jack were napping and I'm behind the camera (as usual)!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3