Two Weeks in a Row

Pictures first: the tree with the berries was in the Wal-Mart parking lot and I hadn't noticed them before and today they were just such a bright red and stood out against the sky we went back and took a picture of them. I love when I catch Riley looking at a book, he was all curled up in the chair looking at the Christmas book.

Last night Andy called and we were talking about sore throats (remember Nikki has one - get better) and I said Nikki had to stay away from me because I didn't need to get whatever is going around. So this morning I wake up, take that first swallow of the day and what do I feel but that first twinge of a sore throat. So I'm just going to push the fluids and hope that it was just because it was cold in the house last night. I'll keep you posted because I know you are all very concerned.

I have decided that Friday mornings are much more relaxed if Riley and I go to Weight Watchers first and then do our errands. We don't have to rush to get out of the house, Riley can take his time eating and even has some time to play. Then we leave at about 0815 and get to WW right as they are opening.

Speaking of WW, I am going for a record, two weeks in a row I have lost big. Definitely not the norm for me but I'm not arguing. This week I was down 2 pounds. That made for a very nice overall lose for February.

Today was warmer than yesterday and is suppose to stay this way for a while. I started the day in jeans and changed into shorts to weigh in and never changed back.

Dan has another day off. He is working on the deck in the pool area. We have all the concrete supports and he is getting them placed and leveled. Now we have to get the wood and we are on our way.

Riley has a stuffy nose and cough so he didn't sleep well today but he was fine while he was up. Today was the day for making a mess, no matter how many times I pick up blocks he turned right around and dumped them out again. There really was no where to walk in the living room. It did make it easier to play with them.

Andy and Nikki arrived home at just about the same time. Nikki got off early because her office had made their quota for the month so they got a paid afternoon off. That was a nice surprise for everyone. It kind of confuses Riley when we are all there on a workday afternoon but he was so happy to see mommy and daddy.

Not much else for the evening, just taking it easy.

Oh, I still have just a tiny bit of a sore feeling in my throat tonight but not bad so I'm still just hoping for the best. We'll see tomorrow morning.

Guess Where We Are Going **Edited**

Okay, so it's not until September 2009 but I'm still pretty excited. Get to scratch one more thing off my list of things to do. This one is seeing some Mayan Ruins, got to get my legs in shape to be able to climb to the top and you know I'm going to climb to the top.

It will be quite the crew going. Kim, Dennis, Tommy (I forgot him the first time, sorry Tommy I won't ever forget you again), Sami, Cole, and Breann, Mum and Dad, Tammy and Tom, and Dan and me. Our cabins are all together and we all have balconies. Should have a really good time. No one will ever have to do something alone that's for sure.

This turned out to be a pretty busy day. I was suppose to be waiting for the bug man to come at 0830 but I lucked out because Dan didn't have to work so he got to do the bug man and he does that type of thing so much better than me. He was coming to inspect for flying termites in the attic, luckily we have none but of course they offer a plan to protect against them. It was good that Dan did this because he went up in the attic with the guy and I wouldn't have done that.

Seeing as how I didn't have to do the bug man, I went to pickup Tammy at Gateway Ford. She took Tom's red truck in to get the seat cover replaced. Of course I made her go to the post office, bank, and Sonic. Each place ended up with a story of their own. The post office had half the parking lot closed and people were confused as to where they should go. Then at the bank the drive thru ATM wasn't working so had to go park and use the walk up one. And last by not least is the Sonic story, this is really Tammy's story so you will have to ask her how the Cinna-snacks were.

My whole mission in life today was to see about getting Mum and Dad the military discount on the cruise. We were going to do it one way or another. Called Carnival to talk to my Vacation Planner and found out they don't open until 1100 so we had an hour and a half to kill. That wasn't hard because Tammy had lots of pictures to so me and I helped Dad with some blogger stuff and I looked at his new camera, very nice.

By this time it was 1100, so I called and wouldn't you know it my Vacation Planner wasn't in at that time. So I left a message and we just sat around and talked for a bit. I finally went home and I lasted until 1500 waiting for a call back and didn't get one. Seeing as how I wouldn't be home tomorrow I really wanted to get this figured out today. So I called and talked to the next available Vacation Planner.

She was very friendly and helpful. Dad qualified because he had served more than 2 years and I just had to fax off his info, so that was taken care of. Also got all the reservations tied together so we will be seated together for meals, they might be sorry they did that, after all there will be 12 of us. I told her when we were all done I wished I had more questions and things for her to do because she was so nice and I had enjoyed talking to her.

I also did some research on camcorders for Kim and Tammy, really more for Kim but Tammy is here so I call and ask her the questions. I didn't realize how many types there are and all the different functions and options you can get. I'm getting closer to making a decision about what I think they should get.

Did some research on the Mayan Ruins in three of our port calls, because I only want to do one excursion to the ruins, to many other things to do. We only have 555 days until we leave and I want to make sure that I am prepared!

Just so you know and I remember, it was downright cold today, 49 degrees when we got up and 66 in the house. My hands haven't warmed up yet. Tomorrow is suppose to be more of the same and it will warm up on Saturday. I don't want to wish for warm weather yet, because you know what happens then, it will be up to 80 everyday and I don't want that yet.

Nikki was home from work today, she has the sore throat thing that is going around. Hope she got lots of rest and is feeling better. Andy was stopping on his way home to get her some ice cream so I'm sure that helped.

Dan and Chris were off gallivanting for most of the time that I was at Tammy's and that has got to stop. First it always costs to much because Dan will treat Chris to a meal and that kid still has a hollow leg and they always go to some store that Chris or Dan just have to get something, today it was a staple gun and staples.

Dan and I also got our new passports today. No more having to show where mine was amended to extend the expiration date and getting weird looks when we are overseas and it looks like the passport is expired. Now just open to the same page as everyone else and I'm good until 2018.

Riley actually slept in today, didn't get up until 0740, pretty late for him now. He then ate a really big breakfast, a whole waffle and a banana. He had that scarfed down in no time. Got all cleaned up and dressed and we were on our way to Wal-Mart.

Riley has gotten very funny when we are at stores. He smiles and laughs at people, then he plays shy and hides his face, then he will sneak a peek to see if they are still looking at him and if they are (they always are) he giggles and smiles more at them. Everyone gets a big kick out of it.

We stopped by Sonic and then it was home for us. Because he got up a little later Riley went down for his nap later, which must have been a good thing because this was the longest nap he took all week.

Lunch and all the afternoon stuff. His new favorite book is Dr Suess's "The Foot Book" he just thinks it is so funny. Must have read it about 50 times in the last two days, thank goodness it is short.

We had an exploding juice cup this afternoon too. Sometimes the lid just doesn't sit right or he drops it just right and juice goes everywhere. At least it was in the kitchen and not on the carpet. But Riley decided he needed to swim all around in it and try to clean it up with his belly. That required a change of clothes and then a wipe down of the floor.

We played for the rest of the afternoon. Figured out how to always have the flash work so I don't get back lit shots, pretty easy. I should read the camera manual more often. You can learn a lot by doing that.

Dan has another late night going. It has been one squeaky wheel of a customer and he has been at her house all afternoon installing a fan!

Welcome to the Family!

The bride was beautiful, the groom was handsome and family was there to give well wishes. It was a great day, one that will be remember for a long time. Wish I could have been there but it wasn't in the cards. Here's to a wonderful journey and a life full of many blessings.

Photos were courtesy of Tammy, I just did a bit of cropping.

Back to Riley's and my day. Went out for out walk today, it was pretty breezy but warm and it was misting, not enough to get us wet but a preview of things to come. We had started our second lap around the pond, don't usually do that but didn't want to be to far from the apartment in case it did rain. This was a good call because we were about half way down on the side nearest the apartment when the rain decided to come. So we cut between two buildings and put it in gear and we were home in no time and only got a little damp.

The rest of the day was just the normal stuff.

I was the first one home tonight, it was about 1700 and Dan called shortly after that. He was in Winter Garden still working on a job so it would be awhile before he got home.

Riley is a Funny Boy, but We Knew That

Finally decided when we are going to the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. This was Andy's birthday present and we have just been waiting for me to make a decision on dates. We will be going the second weekend in April. It is going to be whirl-wind weekend with most of the time spent in the car but that is the only way we will be able to go.

I made the reservations this morning, we will be staying just south of Atlanta, about 35 minutes from the Aquarium. Can't wait to see the Aquarium again, we really enjoyed it the first time.

Riley and I had a good walk today. He was very funny. I gave him my lens cap to hold and for most of the walk he was using it as a telephone and talking to everyone. He carried on quite the conversations, then it would be like he hung up and then back up to the ear and he would start talking again.

Back at the apartment Riley spent most of his time playing on the stroller trying to snap the clasp together. He has become very fascinated with clasps, fasteners, and zippers.

Had a late day, Nikki had to go to the hospital. Everything is fine and all looks good so nothing to worry about. But as always it takes so much time to get anything done. So I didn't get home until almost 1900 and I am ready for the night to be over.

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

The day was pretty uneventful, even if I did get up and Chris was still home. He was suppose to be inventorying the store on 535 by the Wal-Mart. He still made it in plenty of time and was back home by about 1300. Just found out that they have about 7 people there for the inventories and it takes no time at all.

Dan and I went to Publix and all of a sudden everything goes dark, the power went out and the sodium lights they have take forever to come back on, but I heard the sound I wanted to hear the cash register still ringing people up. We were almost all done shopping when this happened.

We are still doing pretty good using our reusable grocery bags, have only forgotten them once. The only place I don't use them is Target because I like their bags, they are a bit bigger and stronger and we only go to Target about once a month.

Came home and set about our chores. Laundry and vacuuming for me, the litter box and water conditioner for Dan.

Spent the rest of the day smelling the pork that was cooking in the crock pot. The recipe is above and if you click on it the picture should be big enough so you can read it.

Mum, Dad, and Tammy came by. Tammy wanted to pick up some scrapbook storage things I had so she could organize her paper at her house. We chatted for a while and Dad tried one of the banana muffins I made.

Andy, Nikki, and Riley came over for dinner and the pulled pork was a hit. Although Riley was more interested in the french fries, strawberries, and cool whip, so that is what he got for dinner. I tried to sneak a cherry tomato in but he figured out it wasn't a strawberry. Can't pull the wool over his eyes.

We watched the golf and don't know when or if the race will start today or not. I'm just tired of them asking all the drivers what they think about the Oscars.

Hope everyone had a good weekend, can't believe this is the last week of February already.

Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park

Well the day started out looking pretty bad, rain in the forecast and gray skies everywhere we looked, but we were not to be deterred.

Our first stop was Sonic for some breakfast. Can you remember when our first stop whenever we went somewhere was McDonald's? Now we hardly ever go to McDonald's. Then we hit the road, Turnpike to 50 to 98. It started raining at the end of 50 and the skies really opened up while we were on 98 (did you know this 98 is the same 98 that we lived off of in Pensacola). Pulled into the Welcome Center for the Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park at about 0900. We looked at the exhibits that were there, then paid our admission fee.

The boat wasn't running today because of low water and the tram didn't start running for about 45 minutes, we were also warned that we might get wet because it was raining and the exhibits were outside, we told her we would be fine. So we just got in the car and drove to the West Entrance, which is really the main place to go in. It was only about a mile away and we were the first in the parking lot.

We walked right into the park and once again the skies opened up and I was trying to get my camera inside my raincoat. Oh, that's right we had raincoats because Dan always remembers to bring them no matter what the weather, I never think to bring them. They did save the day today.

So we were walking along the path and the first thing we came to was Lu the Hippo who if you can believe it is 48 yrs old, he looks pretty good for his age. He was just swimming around and decided to give us a show. Thank goodness we weren't in the splatter zone. Hippos when they poop wiggle that funny little tail of their's and poop goes everywhere and I mean everywhere up to about 10 yards away. When he was done I swear he laughed. It was all very funny.

By this time the rain had let up and we were on our way. Found out we wouldn't be seeing any of the big mammals - bobcat, florida panther and bear - because of the storms still in the area and the thunder and lightning upsets them to much.

There were lots of birds so we weren't disappointed. All of the birds that are there, are there because of injuries. The birds of prey had some pretty devastating injuries, missing wings and/or blind. We saw roseate spoonbills, ibis, flamingos (some of the best colored ones I've ever seen), wood storks, wood ducks, mallards, pelicans - brown and white, and whistling ducks. Because of the overcast skies we had some pretty spectacular color.

There was a big aviary full of the spoonbills and we were wondering why they were the only birds in a cage. One of the park employees happened to walk by so I asked him. Seems that the roseate spoonbills are good for trading with other wildlife parks and zoos. So they breed them here and keep them separated from the other birds.

Then we came to the otters as they were coming out of their house and into the water. They were so quick and playful it was very hard to get pictures. Then I think they would see the camera and go along the wall so we couldn't see them and they would shoot out into the middle of their play area underwater so we couldn't see where they were or where they were going. Just as we were done watching the otters found out that there was a presentation starting so we went to that.

It was all about the American Alligator, the presenter had a baby about 10" long and we all got to touch it. There were about 10 people at the presentation which was the most we had seen all day, another reason to go when the weather isn't great. Learned my one new thing here today (really learned more than one thing but this was the most interesting to me). Did you know that baby alligators stay with their moms for 6 years? I didn't, thought they were pretty much on their own from hatching time.

After this I chase a cardinal along the path trying to get a picture but I never did get a good one. He kept turning his back or hopping further down the path.

Our last stop was the Manatee Program. We were enjoying the program when some kids decided it was okay to come and stand in front of everyone sitting down, so we ended up just listening to the rest and then heading out.

By now the sun was shining and turning into a nice day. Had a snack in the parking lot, at least that is what Dan had. I had my lunch because I was hungry and it was almost noon. I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Had been planning on ham but this morning when I went to pack up everything there was no ham. Won't say who I think ate it but it begins with Chris. It all worked out for the best because the pb&j was great.

With our bellies full we headed to the Crystal River Archaeological State Park. It is considered one of the longest, continually occupied sites in Florida, from 200 BC - AD 1400 and was one of the most imposing prehistoric ceremonial centers on Florida's west coast (ok I stole this from the brochure, but they said it so well).

Not a whole lot is known about the area, they are hoping some day to do more work figuring things out. It was still a pretty interesting walk around the mounds.

When we got back to the car Dan had his lunch and then it was time to head home. Took route 44 through Inverness and we found the hopping place on a Saturday afternoon in Inverness. The gas station at the Wal-Mart, it was crazy, traffic flow was almost as bad as the one in Saint Cloud.

After that we had a pretty uneventful trip home and of course it didn't rail until we got home and had to unload the car.

Well another successful trip seeing more of the sights of Florida. Any suggestions for next month?

Hold on to Your Hats

That's right - I finally had a good week at Weight Watchers, lost 2.4 lbs. I was much more conscientious about drinking my water and getting more protein. I also increased my points back up to were they had been because lowering them didn't work. So I will just continue on with this and see how it goes.

Our drive to WW wasn't very good, it took us 15 minutes to get from Wal-Mart to Partin Settlement Rd. It didn't look like it was any better up the road, so turned onto Partin Settlement and went in the back way. Going back it only took us 3 minutes to get to Publix. Don't know what the holdup was, guess it was just Friday morning traffic.

Our trip to Publix was lots of fun. We ended up on the same path as a young couple and the more Riley saw them the more he laughed and that made them laugh more. Then Riley did that throaty woo-hoo laugh (wish I could get that recorded) and they just thought that was the funniest thing ever.

Found out Riley is just like Jagee, if he doesn't get his snack at 0900 he gets very cranky. Some how I ended up going out with no snacks today. So after Publix I wanted to stop by the house and drop the groceries off so Dan could put them away. So he brought Riley out a pretzel and all was right with the world.

We were also lucky enough to be visited by Tammy, GG, and Jagee. I would like to say Riley was on his best behavior but we were treated to Riley showing off and it was very funny. When they left Riley was ready to go down for his nap.

We spent the afternoon playing and reading. The mega-blocks took up lots of our time. Then the rings kept us amused for a long time. We start out with just 3 and Riley was putting them on like bracelets (he would bring them to me and I would slip them on, he just couldn't curl his hand up by himself to get it on). Then he would shake them all around and admire them. Then he pulled out the long string of them and it looked like I was putting him in chains and he thought that was very funny.

Quiet night at home for the rest of the night.

This is for Andy

Andy just called me and wanted to know where my blog entry was for today. I thought I could get away with not posting today because I did three yesterday and put Kimi's letter on earlier today. But that wasn't good enough he needed to know what I did today and as you might have guessed it was a pretty boring day for the most part.

I don't know where it went to though, one minute it was 0700 and the next it was 1300. I did spend some time chatting with Kim on the computer. I also chatted with Laura Donohoe, we knew them in Sugar Grove and it was nice to catch up with her.

I got caught up on most of my tivo'ed shows, watched 3 Eli Stones. It is a pretty good show, I really like a couple of the characters and will be interested to see how they keep the show going without being very repetitive.

Worked in my room on a couple of cards and finished those up. Still thinking about My Year in Review Album. I had finished a two page layout but I'm not real happy with the way it turned out so I'm back to thinking.

I didn't even leave the house until 1500 and that was to check mail, didn't even get anything exciting there. It all went right into the trash.

Scrounge night for dinner so I didn't have to do much there. I made myself a salad and Dan and Chris each cooked a pizza.

And there you have it my day in a nutshell, hopefully Riley and I have a much more exciting day tomorrow.

Kimberly's Breaking New!

Hello Everyone!

As you all know Lair and I are getting married. We had been planningto get married on June 29th. However, he's decided now that he definitely wants to join the army reserves. He's planning to be a firefighter. This means that he will be gone for training on, you guessed it, June 29th.... So we talked about it and decided that we would rather get married now rather than after he gets back. So now I have to apologize about the super short notice. We are going to go to the courthouse in Clay County (in Green Cove Springs) on Feb. 26th and having a civil ceremony - which roughly translates to a little less than 6 days from today. Of course I realize that those of you who live in paradise (Aunt Kathi!) won't be able to make it, but for those of you who live a little more in proximity, I would love it if you come. Of course I understand that this is short notice and if you have work it would have been helpful to know this about 2 weeks ago (I'm sorry!). We are still planning to have a ceremony with the whole family sometime after he gets back and things get a little less crazy, so if you can't make it this time I promise you will have heaps of notice for the next one! Again, I'd love if any of you could come, but I definitely understand if you can't.

I love you!

Kimi


Kimi just remember even if we can't be there we will be thinking of you and Larry and wish you the very best of everything. Love you.

Lunar Eclipse

Here are my shots of the eclipse, they are so much better than last time. I was still learning at I went, took about 180 pictures in all and these were some of the best. I was constantly changing my shutter speed to keep up with the change in the light coming from the moon. Then I was getting disappointed because I wasn't getting the red color in my pictures that I was seeing with my eye. So after some fiddling around it was the white balance that needed to be changed. I took these over the course of about an hour and you wouldn't believe how far the moon moved across the sky. The last picture was my last shot and then the clouds moved in and I don't think we will see anymore of the eclipse tonight. At least I won't because I'm going to bed.

Before

BJ's

Before I forget the Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin Recipe is delicious. I would highly recommend it and it will be getting made at our house again soon. You can also mix up the sauce and simmer it over very low heat until it is the consistency you want and it make a great sauce for rice, chicken or just about anything you want to give a teriyaki flavor to.

Another morning we get to spend with Dan. I was afraid he wouldn't have a day off this week because we wanted to go to BJ's and would rather go during the week. But his schedule came through with no jobs so we lucked out.

Riley was up early again this morning, so we got ready and went to pick-up Dan. Gas has taken a big jump in price in the last couple of days and we saw it from $3.02 up to $3.21. Luckily BJ's was the $3.02 so we filled up today, because who knows what it will be on Friday. Chris called me this afternoon wanting to know what planet he had been on for the last week because he didn't see the gas prices changing this much and he ended up paying $3.12.

Picked up everything we needed and some other stuff at BJ's. Also, looked at the flat screen tv's. Think we have decided to go with the 40" Sony. They also had a stand that we liked, it is more of a low cabinet that the tv will sit on top of. It has a door on the left and right and a center compartment that stores dvds. I still have to do some checking on the internet about the model we want, I really haven't done any research yet.

As you can see we picked up a big bin of pretzel and Riley was guarding them very closely. Dan had promised him one when we got the car all loaded up and he wasn't going to let them out of his sight until there was a pretzel in his hand. He wasn't to happy with me because I was being a mean Gramma and would only let him have one pretzel.

Had no where else to go, so headed to Saint Cloud to drop Dan off. We all went in the house and I looked at the computer one more time. The internet was down this morning and it really didn't looked like it should be. All the lights were flashing on all the boxes so I wanted to check some things out. I had called Chris to check and see if his Xbox 360 was able to get online and it wasn't, so at least that ruled out the computer having something wrong. I wanted to see if the router had a problem but even going from the cable modem straight to the computer it still wasn't working. Dan called me at about 1400 and said that the internet had come back up on it's own so at least I knew I wasn't going to be spending the evening on the phone with ComCast, thank goodness.

For some reason Riley decided he didn't need a nap today, don't know what the problem was but he was having none of being in his crib and going to sleep. He has a stuffy nose so that may have been part of the problem.

My mission for tonight is to see the eclipse of the moon, hoping for some clearing of clouds, but the infamous Tom Terry (our weatherman) doesn't think it is going to happen. I'm all ready, just have to set the tripod and camera outside and click some pictures.

Visiting Day

Didn't get out quite as early today but we had a really good walk. We took a completely different route today. Decided to go to Publix, walked to the complex entrance, turned right and went down to Neptune, turned left to the Police Station and another left to Publix.

I was looking for something for lunch, I had a lean cuisine bowl from home and wanted something to go with it. Riley and I decided to get a cucumber, it will go well with our pasta. A mini salad but only cucumber.

On the way home a couple of times we would go around a corner and the wind would catch us full in the face and Riley would do that funny little woo-hoo giggle that he does and that would make me laugh which would make him laugh. Pretty funny trip home.

We walked up the center of the complex so we could see the ducks and they were all napping and trying to stay out of the wind.

By this time it was almost nap time so we didn't do much before Riley went down. He got up and we had lunch and then I remember I had to go out to Tammy's to get the lens. I was suppose to do it last night on my way home but it was so late I just didn't feel like it. So called the house just to make sure someone was home and everyone was so we went out for a visit.

Had a good time, looked at all the new things in the house, mostly the bathroom and it looks really good, almost done. Then we went out and sat in the gazebo, well Mum and Tammy sat, I chased Riley, Dad was working in his shop but he came out and joined us for a bit. He had so much fun.

First he found the hose and it had the standing water left in it so that got squirted all over him. Then he found that he liked going up and down the two steps to the gazebo so he did that for awhile. He would walk right up to the edge and not look like he was going to stop, so someone would say careful, or don't forget the stair. He would stop with his toes right on the edge and sometimes walk down forward or most times get down turn around and go down backwards. He thought that was lots of fun. And of course he had to see how many things he could carry in his hands. He liked the mulch, acorns, rocks, and sticks. He was in seventh heaven. We will have to visit again soon.

Tammy was in charge of the camera while we were there and she got lots of good shots so you will be seeing more in the weekly photos.

We got back to the apartment just before 1600 and Andy was on his way home. So we did some reading and played with the duplos and that was it for our day.


Dan got home just before me so we went in the house and had dinner.

Look at Those Curls

Riley woke up almost as soon as I walked in the door, didn't even have enough time to get his milk ready for him. So we had a pretty early start. I wanted to get our walk in early because I didn't know when the rain was suppose to hit. So we were out the door before 0800. Don't know if it was the humidity or just a bad hair day but look at the curls that showed up on Riley's head today.

We saw lots of birds, they seem to be coming out of the woodwork lately and they were very noisy today. So you know (because I know it has been weighing on your minds), Mohawk (the duck) was up and paddling around today. So I guess he was just tired when we saw him last week and didn't move when we walked by. No pets in windows today, heard one dog and that was it.

Riley has become quite the climber, not sure where he was climbing to in the picture, but luckily he grew tired of it after I put him in the port-a-crib and he decided that wasn't where he wanted to be. The other place he has been climbing is the gate going into the laundry room I have caught him standing on the center spreader bar with one leg over the top. Pretty soon he will be going where ever he wants because I see him conquering doorknobs pretty soon. We won't be able to stop him.

Lots of reading today. A new book with Elmo hitting a home run and it has a squeaky ball built in, so we would read and squeak, then stick our hand through the hole the ball is in.

Andy didn't get home until late. He moved down to Orange Lake today and the ride home took forever. That means I didn't get home until late, Chris and Dan were already there when I arrived. Dan had cooked the chicken I took out for dinner so that was great and the chicken was delicious.

New Radio - Finally

First things first. Trying a new recipe for dinner tonight and it is smelling wonderful, can't wait for it to be ready. Here it is:

Teriyaki Pork Tenderloin

1 pound pork tenerloin
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Makes 4 servings

2 slices pork with 2 tablespoons sauce: 4 points

1. Spray a large nonstick skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium-high heat. Add pork and cook, turning frequently, until browned, about 6 minutes.

2. Transfer the pork to a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker. Combine the soy sauce, ginger, garlic, vinegar, brown sugar, and cornstarch in a bowl; pour over the pork. Cover and cook until the pork is fork-tender, 3 - 4 hours on high or 6 - 8 hours on low.

3. Transfer the pork to a cutting board; cut into 8 slices. Serve with the sauce.

I think this would be great with rice or potatoes. We are having potatoes tonight because Dan has been wanting mashed potatoes and I will just pull out some before adding all the good stuff.

We were out and about early, on our way to Wal-Mart and Publix by 0700. Got all our errands done before it was crowded anywhere.

When we got home I worked on the layout for this weeks challenge. Pretty disappointed that this is the last lesson and today was the last e-mail we receive from the class. The challenge this week was a title of "The View from Here" I changed it up a bit and I really liked how it turned out. Good way to document and remember such a happy memory. Now I just have to practice, practice, practice, as with anything. Today I had to refer back to some of the earlier lessons to do what I wanted to do on this layout. I'm sure it will become second nature the more I use the information.

While I was working on that, Dan went out to mow the ditch in front of the house, which he does with a push mower and the next thing I know the riding lawn mower is being started and he mowed the whole lawn. It sure looks good, the backyard especially.

Guess the mower woke Chris up because when I knocked on his door he was up and playing some video game. I asked him if he was even going to come out of his room or was he afraid I would put him to work. Which I would have, he promised he would put in my radio today. I have been having problems with the one in the Honda for months now. It just cuts off the sound, all the displays are still powered up but no music. It would be okay after powering the radio off for awhile. At first it just did it with the radio and I could use the CD player then the CD player started to do the same thing. So he finally replaced it and everything is working again and I can now listen to my XM Radio. I have really missed that.

Tammy and Tom came over to visit, okay they came over so Tammy could get the zoom lens. She, Mum, and Dad are going over to Titusville to the Wildlife Area tomorrow and she wanted the zoom just in case. They are going early hoping to catch the sunrise and the early birds and anything else they may see. Say, a donut shop just before they enter the Wildlife Area.

Now it is time for the Daytona 500 to start so I'm heading to watch that.

IT'S A GIRL!!!!

Well we found out today Riley will be getting a baby sister. The top picture shows the girl parts as the technician says. The second picture is a profile with her hand beneath her chin (The Thinker) and that is her leg in front of her face and her foot on top of her head. The third picture is face on and it looks like she is smiling, that is her leg right beside her face on the right. Maybe we have a gymnast on our hands because she seems to be very flexible. That is the shot that reminds me of Riley with the face structure. Nikki is 26 weeks along so only 14 more weeks to go. Seems to be going very fast, at least for me.

It was really pretty interesting going to the Imaging Center for the ultrasound. It was a pretty big room and they had a couch and other seating. They say only 7 people can come in with you, but the room was so big we all could have fit and that includes everyone from up in Jacksonville. They also had a big screen on the wall so all the pictures were seen up there. That way we didn't all have to be crowded around the little screen on the machine.

We had lots of fun and there was a lot of excitement in the room when it was announced that a baby girl is joining the Gigstead Family. Now all we need is a name, I'm already tired of calling her baby girl and her and she. We need a name - Hint, Hint.

The rest of the day seems pretty dull after this. Dan and I went out to lunch at Joe's Crab Shack, our Valentine's gift to each other. Then to Dairy Queen for dessert. Both our dinners were very good, Dan had shrimp done 3 ways and I had the Blackened Tilapia.

Home to watch the race, although I don't see how Dan can be watching the race, laying down with his eyes closed but that is what he says he is doing.

I'm sure I have some laundry to do so that is where I'm headed.

Hope everyone has a good weekend.

It Was A Long Day

Seeing this sunset almost made it worth not getting home until after six but it sure made for a long day. The top picture was taken in the Anthem Park housing area on Kissimmee Park Road. I was driving along and saw this and knew I had to stop for pictures so I drove into the housing and went to the right where there are no houses. I made a deal with myself when we were in Norway that if I think to myself I should take a picture of something, I am going to take the picture. In the past I have sometimes just walked on by thinking oh that would be a good picture and then not taking it. Now I try to always take the picture. What can it hurt, just a few more megabytes on the computer.

The second picture is just down the road from our house across from the fire station, there was a nice break in the bushes along the side of the road so I just stopped in the road to take the pictures. Our road isn't very busy so I really didn't have to worry about traffic. I really liked both of them.

Back to the beginning of my day.

Riley had a good day at daycare so long as you don't count that he didn't nap at all this time. He enjoyed the rest. They had a fruit party and he was in seventh heaven because he loves fruit, all kinds and they said he ate a lot.

He really didn't sleep in but we didn't hurry through our morning routine today because I figured we could go to Wal-Mart after Weight-Watchers. So he had a variety breakfast today. Some corn pops and kix cereal and 1/2 a bagel with peanut butter. We were out of the house at about 0815 and headed to WW. Not pleased today, I gained .2 so for 4 weeks I have been the same weight just up and down all around it.

People love to see Riley where ever we go, he always has a smile and that makes all of them smile.

We were in and out of Wal-Mart pretty fast, didn't need much and home by about 0930.

Riley went down for his nap at about 10 and slept for 2 hours, had lunch and at 1330 he went down for another hour. He really needed it and I'm sure he will sleep well tonight also.

I don't like staying past four because then I get the cranky Riley and I'm not suppose to see that. So I got down on the floor and we played for about an hour and then it was time for supper so we did that. Andy got home at about six and I was ready to head out.

Of course this is when I saw the beautiful sunset so it was all worth it.

I wasn't the only one to have a late day. Of course Andy did and Dan only beat me home by minutes so we are all ready for the weekend. Looking forward to the Daytona 500 on Sunday.

Dan Has Got to Go to Work...

Dan was off again today so of course we couldn't just stay at home and get stuff done. Noooo, we had to go somewhere, anywhere so out to Disney Marketplace we went. There were alot of people there but not as many as the last few times we have gone and you could move in the stores, not just shove your way through the crowds. It was much colder then I thought it would be and I really wish I had my gloves with me but I didn't and I survived. We parked down by Cirque du Soleil and walked all the way to the far end of the Marketplace. Stopped in a few stores including The Christmas Store, the Candy Store, Lego Store and the World of Disney Store. You should have seen all the little girls getting turned in princess's at theBibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. I had to pick up a pamphlet and the prices range from $50 to $230. Walked around the center pin store, there are just to many pins now. I only get a couple a year and I try to get the ones that are dated or for special functions like the Flower and Garden Show or Food and Wine Festival or Christmas. Picked up some Valentine's Day treats at the Candy Store and then it was time to head home.

I really did get most of the stuff on my list done. All the laundry will be done, one more load for the dryer. As you can see I finished up another layout for my class, this was the last week and I'm sorry that it is over with. There is going to be another more advanced class soon, I think in April, and I'm going to take that one, too. Got all my Feb pictures backed up and cleaned up the computer again, that is an ongoing thing now. The only thing I still need to do and that has been pushed to next week is my Year-in-Review album for 2007. I have all the pictures sorted and kind of an idea of what I'm going to do but not really. I'll probably figure it out as I go, that is what I usually do. I will work in it throughout the week making final decisions on pictures and then putting it together next week. Unless of course a better offer comes along.

This is kind of early to be posting so I guess if anything exciting comes along I'll have post again. I almost forgot, does everyone know there is going to be another total eclipse of the moon on the 20th, don't know what time. I want to get pictures again this time, been reading up on camera settings and that kind of thing.