In like a Lion, Out like a Lamb?

How is March leaving your neck of the woods? So far it is mild here but storms look to be abrewing in the south. We practiced tornado drills at school earlier this month but hopefully we won't have to do the real thing today!

Happy Anniversary!

Here's your photo on Broadway, thanks to Flikr Toys! Happy Anniversary, you two!

Spring Fluffing, the Proof!

Little Easter touches all through the house!

Lemon Pie

I am so ready for summer and the wonderful lemon pies that come with it! Even though this pie was made in December, I believe I was just having a hankering for the good stuff! Thank you Ms. Paula Deen for the lucious recipe that follows! 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk 1/2 cup lemon juice 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest 3 egg yolks 1 (8-inch) prebaked pie shell or crumb crust 3 egg whites 1/4 teaspoon cream or tartar 1/4 cup sugar In medium bowl, combine milk, lemon juice, and zest; blend in egg yolks. Pour into cooled crust. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until soft peaks from. Gradually beat in the sugar until stiff. Spread over filling; seal to edge of crust. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until meringue is golden brown.

Tablescape Thursday

Our first al fresco dining! It was so beautiful on Sunday that Bob and I decided to take our meal outside for the first time in 2009. Look at the beautiful tree across the street! This lovely pitcher was given to me by my friends Karlene, Barb and Wendy when my dad passed away. Since Sunday was the second anniversary of his death, it was fitting to use it. We miss you dad. The food was marvelous on beautifully simple black plates and wicker chargers. The black napkins added a flair of elegance even though we were eating outdoors!

Outdoor Wednesday!

Bob and I took a walk around the capitol building after our weekly Arris' Pizza dinner. Not much was in bloom yet, but this lovely tulip tree in front of the Capitol. I am sure we will be posting more later!

New Car Shopping

On Friday I took m y beloved CR-V in for its 90,000 mile tune up and to have the air conditioner looked at because it started not doing its job toward the end of fall. The service guy called me to tell me that it would cost $3600 to repair my air conditioning, but that Honda had a special deal for me since I was such a long time customer and that I could get it repaired for $1300. I was floored. I had planned to have this car for at least 200,000 miles. So Bob and I decided that maybe we should do some car shopping. We looked at all our favorite places and test drove a Nissan Altima, a Hyundai Sonata, a Kia Sonata and a Toyota Camry. Nothing really impressed me so much that I was eager to trade in my car. QUITE an unusual feeling for me, as I love driving new cars! So after some discussion, we decided that I needed to repair my Honda and try to get another 110,000 miles out of it. Now some of you are thinking: what a waste of time (and energy speaking to salespeople!) bu

Date Night!

Bob has decided that we need to institute a Date Night each week and so he planned our first one for Friday. We went to the Sportz Zone to watch the Tigers play in the first round of the NCAA tournament. We ate coconut shrimp and had a fabulous time. Then, not to be out done, we went to the Tigers BASEBALL game afterwards where we stopped by Taco Bell and had bean burritos (since it is a Friday in Lent). We wrapped up in our Mizzou blankies because it was chilly out. We left a bit early so we could rescue our dogs from their kennel. Next date night is mine to plan.

Book Review Sunday-Homemade

Bob and I were scouting out Kelley Blue Books at Barnes and Noble this weekend when I found this book, Homemade . It is a Reader's Digest book but I decided to purchase it and I am so glad I did. This book has over 700 recipes for your household that make things less dangerous for the environment plus saving you money. Recipes for healthcare, pets, gardens, cleaning solutions and more. You avoid stabilizers, fillers and other chemicals which we should all try to eliminate from our homes. Here is a sample recipe that caught my attention: Honey Lip Balm 4 oz EVOO 3 oz grated or shaved beeswax 1 oz honey 1/2 capsule of 400IU vitamin E In a microwave, melt the wax and oil together. Do not let it boil. Stir in the honey. Pierce the vitamin E with a needle and squeeze in half. Stir. Pour into containers with lids (I used leftover Carmex containers but Target has containers that work, too). Let sit at room temp for 48 hours. The book says it keeps well in your purse but t

Favorite Photo Friday!

This display makes me smile! We had Student Led Conferences last week and this cute rabbit is right outside a second grade teacher's door. Each piece is a story that one of her students wrote. I love walking by it and reading their work. I hope it makes you smile, too!

Fluffing!

We have continued to fluff the house. We are putting away our shamrock green and putting out some cute easter things. As we redecorate the house, we continue to do more cleaning. The floors in the living room, master bedroom and master bath have had their cleaning and the baseboards have all been put back to order. How do two people manage to dirty up a house so much? The dining room is getting a thorough cleaning this weekend, including floors, windows, curtains, dusting and cleaning all the china and crystal that is in the cabinets. The piano is getting cleaned and retuned. All the pictures will be taken off the walls and cleaned and rehung. The brass chandelier will come down and the brass will be cleaned, and new shades placed on the branches. It will look like a new place when it is done! Next we will be heading upstairs. Ashley and Eric's room is getting a make over. We are in the process of looking for a black and white comforter and shams for her room. If you

Rock ON!

The Eagles were AWESOME! They played for an hour, took a break, then played another straight hour and half and STILL didn't play some of our favorites. We danced and sang all night! It surprised me how many songs Ashley knew. I hadn't realized how influential our music had been on her life! Hotel California was awesome. They did a great job with the graphics behind the band. And the instrumentation... sax, trombone, piano, guitar (I counted seven different ones),trumpet, coronet, and percussion like I have never seen (and I am married to a drummer!). My cell phone doesn't take the greatest photos. I think Ashley will be writing a post about the concert, too.

Top o' the Morning!

I hope everyone is wearing a little green today! At school the kids will pinch you if you aren't. I have a lot of shamrock stickers to pass out to those children who forgot! We are heading to the Eagles concert tonight for our St. Patty's Day celebration! We saw them in 1978 in Kansas City when they were young and H O T. I have a feeling that they are going to be old and not so hot, but the music will live on! Have a happy St. Patrick's Day and let me leave you with one of my favorite Irish sayings: "May the road rise to meet you, May the wind be always at your back, May the sun shine warm upon your face, The rains fall soft upon your fields, And until we meet again, May God hold you In the palm of his hand."

Spring Cleaning has Commenced!

and I am exhausted! I have deep cleaned our master bedroom and master bathroom. That includes drawers, moving all furniture to clean beneath plus washing curtains. The windows inside and out got a full treatment clean as well! The master bathroom received a thorough cleaning plus I purchased one of those shower cleaners that you use daily. I want to keep up my hard work. Cleaned out drawers and cabinets there, too. I also worked on the living room. I had organized that room over the winter and so all I really needed to do was move furniture and get the ceiling and ceiling fan really good. That made my back hurt, so I rested and watched TV!! I had some time left over so I decided to clean the kitchen. I had scrubbed the cabinets a few weeks ago, so I went over them with some orange oil and scrubbed down the stove (inside and out), washed the windows and cleaned out the fridge. All I have left to do is floors and they will get my attention later this evening. I am going t

Book Review Sunday-The Five Love Languages

Gary Chapman has written a book to describe different ways that people need to feel loved. As a nonfiction book goes, it was good. One of my favorite parts happens on the first page when Mr. Chapman quotes Mark Twain as saying, "I can live for two months on a good compliment!" Essentially you learn that there are five different languages that people depend on to feel loved. They are: Receiving Gifts, Quality Time, Acts of Service, Words of Affirmation and Physical Touch. The book describes each of them in detail, including little stories to more effectively illustrate the point. The book has a short quiz at the back to help you identify what love languages work best with you. Bob lucked out: I scored nearly an equal score on all five. He can't lose! I would recommend this book if you are trying to find ways to deepen your relationship with your spouse. It reminds you that it is the little things that matter!

Pink Saturday!

Bob and I had breakfast at Oscar's the other day and when I was washing up from breakfast I saw this perfect scene for Pink Saturday. Hope you enjoy it! This was a vignette inside the toilet area!!

Favorite Photo Friday!

Isn't this adorable? Truman likes to get up on our bed and nestle himself right between the pillows. Actually, so do I!

Outdoor Wednesday!

Bob and I cleaned the gardens around the house on Sunday morning after church. We saw so many signs of spring: Robins!! The tulips are up about 3 inches! The sedums are poking their heads up. The lilies are up at least 5 inches. The lilies of the valley are up. and, we cleaned out tons of creeping myrtle (a weed with a purple flower). How about all of you?? Are you seeing some signs of Spring, too?

Spring Updating!

I am ready to start my spring cleaning and next week will be a great opportunity! I am going to start this weekend by doing my two most used rooms: my kitchen and living room, and then move on to my master bedroom and bath. I also want to do a little spring decorating, lightening things up a bit for the new season. I will be following some of the advice of Alisa from Carolina Panache to brightened up the house for spring. I love having a new look for the house for a new season and especially after the winter. Dirt and dust are more easily hidden in the dark recesses of winter but the spring lets us see everything! What are you planning in terms of spring cleaning?

Principal's Day!