Tuesday: Tomatoes, Dumb Dogs and Ideas Needed

Wow, look at all the blog posts I've done this week. See what happens when I'm not working! I spent the morning listening to the furnace guy banging and clanking on the old furnace. Hopefully it'll get us through another year. I also went to BJs for some bulk shopping. I didn't know I needed 6 lbs. of Lipton Iced Tea mix, but apparently I did. And I'm thinking it might last me the rest of the year! Among other things I got were 28 bottles of Gatorade, 16 bars of soap, 500 aspirin tablets, and 84 To-Go cups... for my morning coffee...

We have tomatoes! Well, the start of tomatoes. Aren't they cute?

We also have the dumbest dog on earth. Jenny likes to get herself stuck. This is her under the deck, all tied up around some twigs. (I've really been meaning to clean out under the deck, the former owner used to use it as a dumping ground for yard waste.) Well, somehow Jenny managed to get herself out enough for me to get her leash undone. Which is a good thing, because I wasn't going in after her!

This is our very boring entry way to our house. Any ideas on how to spruce it up? And do it for very little money? I'd love to put a bench or something along the right hand side... maybe a nice big potted plant by the front door... but those all cost money... lots of money. I think I need to win the lottery!

Menu Plans, Cherries and Goats

I'm a little bit late getting this up, but here it is. I'm going to put up my regular "daily" blog post with this since I have the day off and we actually did something fun today!

Sunday: Grilled Hot Dogs, Baked Beans and Tater Tots
Monday: Ground Chicken Burgers with Cheese, 3 Cheese Whole Wheat Pasta, Carrots
Tuesday: Cheese Steak Wraps, Steamed Broccoli
Wednesday: Chicken Quesadillas, Corn
Thursday: Chicken Kabobs with Apple Butter BBQ Sauce, Pineapple, Rice and Rolls
Friday: Pizza
Saturday: 4th of July BBQ

Please check out Organizing Junkie for more Menu Plan Ideas!

Today Alex and I went to a local U-Pick Cherry farm. We had been to this farm before to pick Apples. It's a fun place, especially for kids.

They have a petting zoo too. Alex was amusing himself (and me) while feeding the goats and sheep.

They were quite persistent animals! He tried to be fair and give them all some food. We were amazed how far their little necks could stretch!

The farm has a little store that sells all sorts of NY made goodies, including lots of Maple Syrup type things.

Aside from the cherries that we picked, I bought some Apple Butter BBQ sauce at the store, which I can't wait to use on Thursday as a marinade for the chicken kabobs.

Stay-cation

I have the upcoming week off from work and plan on getting lots done! It may not be many people's idea of a great vacation, but I'm looking forward to the time off and getting to spend time with Alex too. He has such a busy summer ahead (as he usually does) that this will really be our only week to spend some quality time together, just the 2 of us.

I've scheduled dentist appointments, a vet appointment and I'm also planning on getting a new driver's license too. (Wish me luck at the DMV!) And in addition to all of that, Alex and I hope to squeeze a few fun activities into our week. This is the only week he gets to stay home all summer, so we'll try to make it fun. One day we're going bowling and if the weather holds out, we're going to spend part of a day at the driving range and doing some mini-golfing.

We also want to do some shopping. He's in need of a bathing suit for the Cape, so that's on our list too. Not to mention, I probably ought to start getting things organized for the Cape trip. It'll be here before we know it. I better start making those lists...

Happy Birthday, Phoenix!

Last night we went to a Fireworks celebration in Phoenix (NY) which celebrates the town's birthday. This is typically the weekend before the 4th of July. It's a nice start to the summer. The party was at John & Louise's house on the Seneca River. They throw the best parties!

Their house is directly across the river from the village of Phoenix.

Does it get any better than this? A bon fire, fireworks, great views and a warm summer night...

The fireworks are set off 2 docks away from John & Louise's dock. It gets a little loud, but the view is fantastic!

Low Bridge, Everybody Down

Eric went on a shoot today along the Erie Canal. He took his camera with him and these are some of the photos that he took.

This is one of the sight-seeing boats. They were able to take a ride on the boat.

A view while riding down the canal.

Does anyone remember this song from school??

I've got an old mule and her name is Sal
Fifteen years on the Erie Canal
She's a good old worker and a good old pal
Fifteen years on the Erie Canal
We've hauled some barges in our day
Filled with lumber, coal, and hay
And every inch of the way we know
From Albany to Buffalo

Low bridge, everybody down
Low bridge for we're coming to a town
And you'll always know your neighbor
And you'll always know your pal
If you've ever navigated on the Erie Canal

Who's Your Caddy?

We decided to spend Father's Day with a new tradition. The 2009 Hickory Hills Father's Day Mini Golf Open. The Challengers were: Kelsey, Eric, Alex and Amanda.

Eric took his time at each hole, but his old age and forgetfulness worked against him when he realized that the winner was the one with the lowest score, not the highest...

Alex had a 5 stroke lead going into the back 9. He got very cocky with his 2 holes-in-one and announced at hole #9 that he would win the tournament.

But quiet and consistent Kelsey ended up winning it all by 2 strokes. (After a 7 point deficit on the front 9) Amanda, who was not seen in any photos, as she had to hold the score card, the camera, and the flag at each hole, placed 3rd overall. Maybe next time she won't have so many other duties to perform that would distract her from her A-game!

After a very competitive and tiring 18-holes of golf, we had a great BBQ dinner on the deck. The weather really improved and it was a perfect evening.

Dinner included BBQ ribs, chicken & pineapple kabobs, potato salad, brown rice and Grandma Browns baked beans.

Father's Day and Good Bye Parties

I love fresh flowers. I bought these last week for our kitchen.
I think they brighten up the room!
I'd like to wish all the Fathers out there (especially my own) a Happy Father's Day! Enjoy your day, relax and thanks for all you do!

Last night we went to a "Good Bye" party for a former co-worker. She and her family are moving back to Beantown. (She's the one in the middle, standing next to me, in the pink shirt.) It was a great party, with amazing gourmet burgers and ice cold margaritas!

And guess who's back!? My short-haired husband! He decided the long locks had to go... doesn't he look handsome!?

Show Us Where You Live Friday

This weeks home tour includes a bonus room, play room and/or a laundry room. We don't have a play room and our "bonus" room might be considered our "den". I showed a quick photo of the room back during the living room tour, but I didn't show you around the room. So I'll do that now, because it is kind of a bonus room. Plus, it's really the room we use the most.

This is a wide view of the room, from the kitchen. It's a very casual, comfortable and fun room. This is the TV watching, Wii-playing, relaxation room.

My husband loves photography, these are some old cameras we've picked up at Flea Markets. They're for display only. There's also the "Telly" award that he won. And a couple of assorted photos.

This old Pepsi Cola crate was at my parents house when I was growing up. It was always full of fun games. They gave it to me years ago. It still holds all the games I used to love to play as a kid: Yahtzee, checkers, dominoes, cards, chess, etc.

A close up of the Polaroid Land Camera. We sure have come a long way with cameras! I don't think this would fit in my purse like my little Canon Elph does!

Pee Wee lives on the back of the couch and watches over us.

I almost didn't put a photo of our "laundry room". It's not really a room. It's a space on a wall in the cold, dark basement. I know a lot of newer homes have nice pretty laundry rooms upstairs. As do homes in the south that don't have basements at all. But this is pretty standard for the northeast. I don't think I've ever not had a laundry "space" in the basement. So I guess I'm just used to it!

Hope you enjoyed our tour. Head on back to Kellys Korner to see more great spaces!

Belated Party Post

Party on the deck! It was Sheila's birthday this past week so we had a party at our house on Sunday to celebrate the occasion. The weather was perfect for an outdoor party. We didn't break out the grill this time, but we had some great food from Peppino's.

Alex tended the bar and was very popular with the ladies. I think he might have found a potential job to get him through college!

Laura and Kelly help Grandma Sheila blow out the candles on the birthday cake.

Laura & Kelly also help Grandma Sheila with her present. They're very good helpers!

Laura and Jenny pose together. Laura and Jenny are going to be spending lots of time together in July...

Hey... who's peeing on the bar??

Alex and Gary have a little game of P-I-G and one-on-one. They were quite competitive.

We also had a fun game of kickball in the front yard to work off some of that cake and ice cream. It was a terrific day full of food, fun and family!

Technical Difficulties

Apologies for the technical difficulties the last couple of days. It seems the problem has been resolved. (The person hosting my blog background paid her Photobucket bill.) So we're back and pretty again! Thank you all for your patience. 

And for all of those curious about Eric's trip. It is a no-go. They weren't able to get him a new passport in time. And in case you'd like to know, the destination was Greenland. There is still a group going to shoot the documentary, he just won't be among them. Maybe I'll be able to get some photos to show you when the group returns. But in the meantime, this video can show you one of the places he was going. And for the record, he would have shot a MUCH nicer video than this... 

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Last night Eric and I went to a Pawtucket Red Sox game. They were here in Syracuse playing the Chiefs. Usually we go to Chiefs games... not Red Sox games. But when the Red Sox are here, we don't really cheer for the Chiefs... we cheer for the Red Sox. There's probably something horribly wrong with that, but that's just the way it is!

Here's the view from our usual seats behind home plate. I love that net. It keeps us safe.

Here's a side view. It was a pretty good crowd, for Chiefs standards. Maybe it was all the Paw Sox fans... or maybe the new management and new affiliation is helping? (The Chiefs are now affiliated with the Washington Nationals, they used to be affiliated with the Toronto Blue Jays.)

Now when I said "we" cheer for the Red Sox, I should clarify. Eric really doesn't cheer for anyone. He's really not a big baseball (or sports) fan. But it was very sweet that he went to the game with me! Here he is amusing himself with the iTouch. He was looking up something about clogged arteries... and how Fried Dough causes them. We had the greasiest Fried Dough ever at the game... And also some nachos with cheese, hot dogs and beer. It was a great evening! And the Sox won 6-2.

And in other news, I seemed to have peeked some interest with Eric's possible trip. I'll give another hint... he'd be flying there in a Military transport plane... that is equipped with skiis to land on ice and snow... Any guesses? (No fair guessing if you already know!)

Week In Review

I think this has been the longest I've ever gone without updating the blog! Sorry about that. I hope my loyal readers aren't disappointed! The week seemed to whip by rather fast. I kept meaning to post updates, but something always came up.

We have one single, yellow rose growing in front of the house.

One highlight this week included the kids' Fall Sports meetings. Both kids have signed up to do a sport this fall. Kelsey is going to try tennis and Alex is looking forward to running Cross Country. And I'm looking forward to having more interesting blog topics and photos because of it!

My tomato plants, growing like weeds.
Another big thing this week was the installation of new insulation in our attic. Boy, something you can't really see (unless you go up to the attic) sure is expensive! But hopefully come winter, we'll be enjoying the new warmth of our home at a substantial savings. The insulation guys said our current insulation was "pitiful". Which would explain why it was so cold in here last winter!! And hopefully we won't have any more giant icicles hanging off the roof...

One other major item that happened this week was work related. While I usually try not to discuss my job here, I thought this was worth a sentence or two. I know there are so many people out there going through similar situations, I thought it would be timely to at least give it a mention. Our company informed us that we all were going to be required to take a 2-week furlough. (aka: unpaid vacation) At first it made me nervous, but very quickly I changed my thoughts to a more positive outlook. 2 weeks of vacation? It could be worse. It could be far, far worse. I actually considered myself very lucky. Especially in light of what happened to another TV station here in town not too long ago.

One more thing I'm going to mention before I wrap up this post, but this will be vague... as it might not happen. Yesterday Eric was informed he might have to go on a trip this coming week for work. One of the other shooters backed out at the last minute. It's a documentary type thing and it's pretty far away... and well, it sounds like a very um, rugged trip. He's not 100% sure if he can go yet, he has to see if he can get a new passport by Wednesday. His expired last year. (They're trying to see if they can get help from a local congressman to get it expedited.) We'll of course keep you posted. But I'll leave you wondering where on earth they might be sending him! But I'll say this... Gary... if you're reading this... Can Eric borrow some long johns??

Menu Plan Monday

I feel like I just did a menu plan! This past week sure went by quickly. Time always seems to go quicker when the weather is nice. Doesn't it?

We pretty much followed last week's menu exactly and are hoping to do the same thing this week. We're sticking with a few family favorites and throwing in a new grill item with the pork chops. Last week we ended up grilling our ham steak, which turned out really well. You really can grill pretty much anything!

Sunday: Cemetery Chicken, Salt Potatoes, Beans and Pasta Salad

Monday: Steak & Cheese Fajitas (with whole wheat tortillas) and French Fries

Tuesday: Chicken & Rice, Carrots and Crescent Rolls with Honey

Wednesday: Grilled Pork Chops, Alfredo Noodles, Baked Beans and Applesauce

Thursday: Whole Wheat Penne with Meat Sauce and Garlic Bread Sticks

Friday: Make Your Own Pizza Night

Saturday: ?

Hope everybody has a great week! If you'd like to check out organizing Junkie, for more great menu plans, here is the website.