I made a card!!!

Yeah, I don't do that often, so it's something to get excited about. :)

I bought a gift for a baby shower, and found this bag at Target.




I thought the sunshine was adorable, so I made a card to match. The best part? It's mostly scraps. :)

We have a winner!

Congrats Mandie! She correctly guessed Idiocracy. (A Mike Judge film, the same guy who brought us Office Space.)

Here's the line I thought of when I saw the vending machine items:

Carl's Jr. Computer: Welcome to Carl's Jr. Would you like to try our EXTRA BIG ___ TACO? Now with more MOLECULES!

Idiocracy seems to be one of those films you'll either love or hate. I fall in the former category.

Mandie, tweet me and let me know which you prefer: lion, turtle, bunny, or hedgehog. :)

I'll be back tomorrow to share a card that I made tonight.

No one has guessed yet.

And I really want to make something for someone. So, here are the clues:

1. This movie was released in 2006.
2. Julie was close. The movie in question shares a common link with the movie she guessed.
3. Electrolytes.

Vending machine giggles

We just got a frozen-food vending machine in the teachers' lounge. There were two selections that made me laugh.





I'll crochet a little something for the first person who comments and correctly guesses which movie this food made me think of.

Two tasty summer discoveries

This summer, I found two wonderful recipes that I can't get enough of.

I went to TGIFriday's when I was in Nashville, and ordered the Strawberry Fields salad. It was good. Then I made one when I got home. It was even better! Basically, it's just romaine lettuce, strawberries, glazed walnuts, and balsamic vinaigrette. And sometimes chicken, if I have any. I load mine down with strawberries (TGIFriday's is more lettuce-heavy). Oh, and I think TGIF uses parmesan also...I don't think it needs it (also I never have any on hand), so I don't use it. But it's super yummy!

The other one is something my husband came across on the internet (but I'm not sure where he found it). He was trying to figure out what to do with some zucchini his uncle gave us, because all I know to do is fry it. And that gets boring after awhile. So he found a recipe where you mix feta cheese with some salt and pepper. Halve a zucchini, and scoop the feta mixture on top. Drizzle a little olive oil on top, and then broil on High until the feta starts to brown (which I think takes about 5 minutes).

Now, if I can just figure out how to make the campfire soup at Cracker Barrel, I'll be set. :)

My sister loves the camera.

When I went home for a visit, my sister asked me to bring my camera (yes, she thought it would be necessary to remind me - ha). She wanted some updated profile pictures for her facebook, so we went to the spillway at a nearby lake to take some photos. I thought it looked kind of industrial, but she was in love with the place. I think we got some nice shots either way.

This one is my favorite:

Goodbye, sweet friend.

Hannah was my first cat. I adopted her from the local shelter when she was about a year old -- I knew she was mine when I read her profile on the shelter's website -- it said she could hug. And really, when you picked her up, she'd hold onto you in a way you'd swear was hugging you. She was one of the sweetest creatures I'll ever encounter. She made the years I lived on my own so rewarding (despite the number she did on my allergies).







After Mike and I got married, she had a difficult time adjusting. She started urinating on the carpet more than she did in her litter box. If we had been in a house, it might have been different, but we were renting, and despite all our best efforts, the problem just wasn't getting any better. My family had just lost their cat, so it made sense that she could go to live with them. When I held her just before putting her in the pet carrier, she hugged me. I lost it. But, I still got to see her whenever I visited my family, and I knew they would love her as much as I did. The plan was to bring her back once we bought a house. The family got attached, so they didn't push the idea of giving her back. I can't blame them.





Last weekend, I went home to visit my family. The first thing I noticed was how sickly she looked. She seemed hungry, but couldn't get more than a few bites of food down. She wouldn't drink any water. She was lethargic, anemic, and didn't have the energy to be herself. I brought her home to get her checked out. I'm so thankful the vet was overbooked yesterday -- while we were waiting in the exam room, I spent a lot of time petting her, and despite her fatigue, she kept nuzzling me. When the vet gave me her prognosis over the phone this afternoon, I made the decision to let her go. It was evident she was suffering, and she wasn't going to get any better. The staff at the vet's office was so sympathetic and caring. We got to spend a few last moments together. I picked her up, and she held on to me for awhile. I didn't mind the claws digging into my right shoulder. I whispered that I loved her, and held her for a few minutes. Then I placed her in the cage, scratched her neck a little until she seemed tired of it, then closed the door and left. I sort of held it together in the office (I'm sure the lady in the waiting room who complimented my outfit thought I was really ungracious and strange when I just looked at her and nearly burst into tears). The assistant brought her out to the car in a cardboard box, I paid the bill, then went back out to my car and cried my eyes out all the way home.







Mike took the time and energy to dig a small grave for her at the edge of our property, and I can't thank him enough for doing that.



I have never lost a pet before, and I never imagined it would hurt this much. She was such a loving cat -- she deserved a better ending. I feel so guilty -- for giving up on her back at the apartment, for not catching the problem sooner, for making the decision to euthanize (which I know was the best option, but it's still painful to think about it). I'm trying to look at the positive: the six years she was part of my life were six years that she might not have had if she had remained at the shelter. And I have a lot of wonderful memories, and am very fortunate to have had her in my life.

If you read this far, thank you. If I put you in a bummed out mood for the rest of the evening, I apologize. I've gone through so many tissues in the hour it's taken me to write this, but it just helps me to get everthing I'm feeling out there.

New challenge over at TAAFOMFT

The new challenge went up today over at TAAFOMFT. This time, we want to know about your favorite movie or movie quote. I chose Office Space, but couldn't choose just one quote.



I hope you all can join us! We choose a winner on the 30th.

Help us settle a disagreement.

I think Mike looks hot in a fedora. He thinks he looks silly.

I rest my case. :)

A quick blast from the past

Our friend Jonathan posted this picture on Facebook a few weeks ago. Yes, me and the (not-even-boyfriend-at-that-point) husband, back in our college days (probably 2001 or 2002). Wow, those were some huge glasses! Oh, and what are we doing in this photo? I was attacking Mike with a spider I had constructed from a cherry tomato and some chow mein noodles. Because he hates spiders. I was most likely flirting, though I never would have admitted that at the time. I miss dinner at Berea foodservice. The people, the conversation, the terrifying tomato spiders. Sometimes even the food (especially on chicken dumpling night).

Firepit night

Mike built a firepit not long after we moved in to our house. I have to say, it's so much fun having one!

Friday night, we had our first fire pit night. A few friends came over, and we stayed up until 1:30 in the morning discussing wrestling, nicknames, Saturday morning cartoons, and man-crushes...

There were s'mores, courtesy of Ashley and Forrest.

I'm lucky enough to be married to the guy who builds great campfires. :)


Oh, and we burned stuff.

Jenny is starting a new job next week, so she decided this would be a good night to burn the remnants of her old job. Very theraputic. :)

Sadly, not even the parrot was safe.

I'll have to remember to take some photos of it in the daylight, so you can see Mike's handiwork.

July Photo Recap

Just wanted to share my photo projects for July. If you want to get a better view of any of these, the links are on the right side of my blog under "Find Me Here".

First, the mugshots. The link to the slideshow is on the right side of this page.

The 365 photos for July.

And the Cynthiana banners for July. There were four total, and oddly enough, the space was empty when I checked the other day!! They might be on to me. :)

Also, the restaurant that just opened up across the street from the banner has the best soup = motivation to check the banner often. :)

I'll be back later to share some weekend stuff. Hope your weekend was great!