In the Kitchen

I was in the kitchen last week! OK, it was two weeks ago but that isn't the important part - the important part is that I was in the kitchen.

I decided, after days of thinking about it, that I wanted to make oatmeal chocolate cookies. I went to Tasty Kitchen and found a recipe. Tasty Kitchen is a recipe sharing site started by The Pioneer Woman and I'm pretty excited about it. The recipes are from real live people who make this food, and if you register you can comment on and rate the recipes.

There is an entire section devoted to 'slow cooker' meals, and since we just got one, I'll be hitting that area up soon.

Back to the cookies. They were fantastic! So good that I have already shared the recipe with a friend and I intend to make another batch as soon as I can come up with a good enough excuse. So, Tuesday sounds good.

I highly recommend the site and the cookies! And if you are one of those people that has some awesome recipes to share, sign up and share away. The rest of us cooking-deficient peons will thank you if they are easy and tasty!

Spring Means

1. Baseball - The Webb family celebrates baseball the way that America's Favorite Past Time deserves to be celebrated. We go to games, we watch as many games on TV as we can, sometimes we even plan vacations to include a visit to new (to us) parks. According to MLB.com, there are 7 days until Opening Day - a national holiday if you ask us.

2. Cleaning - (sorry, Mom) but I love spring cleaning. For us it includes shifting our wardrobes, getting rid of things we didn't wear, organizing closets, cleaning floors, opening windows, and a few trips to Goodwill to drop off our excess 'stuff.'

3. Gardening - I have my humble window boxes and soon I'm hoping to have a plan for them. They will either be in a window, on a stand, or possible transferred into straw bales (crazy idea, if it pans out I'll be sure to document it). This year, gardening will also include 'lawn care.' Frank has decided to put some effort into our lawns so that we don't end up with dust and mud like so many others. Lucky for us, Hamilton isn't into digging or running with enough speed to tear up grass. That will make lawn care easier, and worth it.

4. Sunshine - Frank and Hamilton already make good use of our back yard and patio areas. I'm looking forward to spending more time out there in the sunshine. We're hoping to add a grill and maybe even a furniture set so we can dine al fresco when the temperature allows. I also love that we've already done the 'spring forward' bit so the sun stays out longer, making it more fun to have friends over for impromptu back yard happy hours.

5. Celebrations - our anniversary, Easter, and my birthday are all spring time events in our house. Such a treat!


I love spring time! It is such an exciting thing to celebrate, especially following the long, cold winter we had this year.

Proof!

Ta Da!

We saw the exhibit last night, then met some friends for dinner and went to "Operation Spy" at the International Spy Museum.

Today we helped Tina move into her new apartment then spent the afternoon playing bocce in our front yard. It was really fun, and it is definitely spring because my forehead is pink/red from the sun...I guess it is time to break out the sunscreen (hooray!)

I'm Excited About: Terra Cotta Warriors, Finally!, Edition

Frank and I are going to National Geographic this evening to see the Terra Cotta Warrior exhibit! We've been trying to see this exhibit since December and the day is finally here.

In December we got snowed out. First, they moved our tickets to a Sunday, but the snow was so intense (Snowpocalypse 2k9) that our tickets were later canceled altogether.

After some minor issues with their online ticketing service last month, I ordered 5 sets of tickets for this evening. I eventually got someone on the phone to cancel 4 of the sets and confirm our other set of tickets. I also just heard that we may get flurries tonight. Not cool.

Tonight is also the kick off for our anniversary weekend! As of this coming Monday, Frank and I will have been married for 2 years. That seems impossible! I still feel like our wedding was only a few months ago. Although, I guess when you start ticking off all of the things we've done since March 2008 it starts to make more sense.

Happy anniversary, Frank! Thanks for choosing me!

As the Garden Grows

I have two window boxes that made the trip from the old place to our new place. One of them is full of dead plants and is sitting on the wall by our driveway...the other one is full of beautiful plants (tulips? crocuses?) that are beginning to bloom like crazy!

I also have some new seeds to plant - the favors from Mary Eileen's shower last weekend. I need to get my hands on some new potting soil and give my dead plants the 'heave ho' and get these new seeds in the dirt.

I'm crossing my fingers that we'll make a Home Depot trip this weekend that will end in me having some new gardening gloves, some dirt, and maybe even a trowel!

I also have new drama in my "garden" - something is digging in my plants. Frank thinks it is Hamilton, but it looks like a rodent did it to me. My expertise in this field can be credited to my experience with MC Hamster when I was a child.

You see, MC Hamster was my pet hamster (bet you didn't see that coming) and he had a penchant for escaping from his cage. The good thing was that MC's desire to escape never lead him outside of the screened in porch where he lived, it just led him to escape from his cage, despite the bricks on top, and then scurry into one of the potted plants. He would dig a little hole in the dirt and tunnel down to the roots of the plant.

There he would lay in wait for my mom to realize he had escaped and then shine a flashlight into all of the holes (there were a lot) until she would shine the light into a hole and see a wiggling pink nose at the bottom.

This is why I think there is a rodent in my plants. The hole is similar to the ones I remember seeing after MC's escapes. Also, my dog has HUGE monster paws and I think that if he were to dig in my "garden" my "garden" would no longer exist.

See what I mean?

Two swipes from those suckers and my "garden" is gone!

So, I now have a new mission in life (besides finishing painting, finishing curtains, and getting around to gardening) - and that is to find out what is digging in my plants! And to have Frank dispose of it.

Back to Decorating

I've taken a little break from decorating. I ran out of steam with painting after the dining room, and I've been working on the curtains for our bedroom for a month.

I'm trying to get motivated to take care of a few things:
-paint the living room
-finish and hang bedroom curtains
-add a second coat of paint to the bathroom

Maybe this coming weekend I'll manage to find time.

Here's hoping!

What Washington can do to You

I've lived here for a little over 4 years, worked in the city for a little over 3 years, and it has changed me.

I voted in the presidential primaries. That wasn't strange. What was strange was that I voted in the Democratic primary, and I voted for Hillary Clinton.

I feel like I just went to confession or something. I feel better, but I feel like I should be saying "Hail Mary"s and "Our Father"s.

The reason I am confessing this awful thing now, is that I find myself in that kind of situation again now. With Health Care Reform.

It is atrocious; the proposals, the deals, the attempts to bypass all normal procedure, even to bypass the normal unorthodox procedure, it is all awful. But I want it to keep going.

The longer the country and Congress are focused on Health Care, be it for or against, the more they leave the financial services industry alone. See? Is it starting to make sense?

Just like in the Democratic primary, I've seen what I think the result is on one side so I'm pulling for the most drawn out and painful destruction of the other side.

And sometimes that means I say things like "Thank goodness for health care," and my other friends in financial services say "I know, keep it coming!"

The Killer Instinct

Hamilton is a pretty happy, laid back dude. He enjoys napping, sniffing, eating, napping, being loved, and napping. But, don't be fooled by his seemingly innocent demeanor - he knows what he was bred for, and he's good at it.

Hamilton was recently given a housewarming gift by the Alexanders. It is a very real looking rabbit with a squeaker inside. Hamilton likes to throw it up in the air, chase after it, and then swing it around by its head or neck in an attempt to kill it.

Make not mistake, he is a rabbit killing machine. Here's my proof.

This attack was entirely unprovoked, and no real rabbits were harmed in the filming of this video.

I took video for a little more than a minute, then it took me about 10 minutes to type this and upload the video - already the Rabbit Killer is asleep at my feet. God Bless basset hounds.

Spring has Sprung!

It is very rainy here, has been since yesterday, but it also means that spring is here! No more snow, no more bone-chilling winds, no more breath-taking temperatures! My flowers are even starting to come up. Thank goodness, I was about ready to pack up and leave.

Along with spring comes an onslaught of travel and activity, and I can't wait!

Last weekend we were in Charleston, SC for Catherine & Erik's wedding (so fun!), this weekend we're at home and I'm hoping to get some work done around the house...laundry is first up.

Over the next 8 weekends, I will be attending or hosting 7 events. I'm completely psyched for all of them! I am so lucky to have such wonderful friends to celebrate, all at different points of life. Weddings, wedding showers, baby showers, and graduations all within such a short window! There should even be a baby born in there somewhere!

Hooray for spring, and hooray for celebrating friends and family!

Fatty Got Married!

My friend Catherine married her best friend, Erik, this past weekend and it was awesome! I'm so excited for them, and so glad that they live so close to us. It was a fantastic event full of college friends, both from Salem and the Citadel.

The wedding was at Summerall Chapel at The Citadel. It was simple and beautiful, and was completed with the Summerall Guards' sword archway (including a smack on the bottom for Catherine).

The reception was in Mt. Pleasant at a beautiful club on a creek. The music was fantastic and we all danced the night away! My feet still hurt, and it was totally worth it. I snapped this picture of Cat and Erik as the photographer was ushering them out onto the dock before sunset. I was on the porch of the house, looking through a gorgeous old tree with spanish moss and tea candles hanging down. It was like a magazine shoot!


Here are two for mom; me & Frank, and me & Winters

The bridesmaids looked beautiful and carried the party through the night! The band was awesome, we really could not have asked for a better party! They even got Erik (and a few friends) to lay on their backs during "Shout!"

The band played Rocky Top - Greg is from TN...things got a little out of hand for a few minutes there, but we all enjoyed it! I hope that the floors can be buffed, Greg left half of his soles out there.

On long drive home, Frank and I stopped at Parkers in Wilson, NC for some BBQ. We got a couple teas to go.....

I didn't realize Frank had ordered the "bucket-o-tea" option.

Basement: Ta Da

We have a basement! Yay! I've always wanted a basement because I have such fond memories of my grandparents' basement in Kentucky. Our basement is the full length and width of the house and I've decided to divide the space a little to give it some functionality beyond storage and laundry.

First, at the bottom of the stairs (coming from the kitchen) you'll find this - our "pantry." Due to a lack of storage space in the kitchen, a lot of our pots, pans, electronics, and dry goods go in the basement on these shelves. It is an odd angle to take a picture, but for scale this shelf is about 6 feet tall.

Hamilton's new home is also in the basement - he has his own little corner with his food, water, bed, and crate. He likes it, and he has enough room to run around and play down here, too. In the summer he is really going to love the floor - it will always be cool. Our 'beer fridge' is down here, too. It is currently stocked with Coke, Diet Coke, and Coke Zero...no beer.

Frank's old desk (thanks, Frank!) is now my sewing and crafts table. I'm thinking of using the storage bench to hold my fabrics, notions, projects, etc. The rug is one we bought for Frank's office but the color wasn't right, so now its mine! What is all over the floor you asked? Well, it is painted cement...so, paint chips.

The striped thing hanging behind the bench is a shower curtain. That is currently serving as my 'divider' between the pantry/sewing side and the laundry/storage side.

This is the area under the stairs. Storage.

The washer and dryer are along the back wall with a tiny window looking into the back yard - kind of on level with the ground, so not much of a view. The washer and dryer are newish, and actually the same kinds we had at the old apartment so I didn't have to learn anything new! You'll also notice the sink on the left, possibly my favorite feature of the house! It has been great to have a 'basement sink' for washing out paint brushes, rollers, and pans. I never realized how convenient it is to have a deep sink like this, now I'm not sure I can ever live without one.

This is across from the washer/dryer, backed up to the bench and 'divider'. It is for our out-of-season clothes and is a real life-saver since we're low on closet storage space.

After: Dining Room (and other musings)

It has been a few weeks of ups and downs here in Casa de Webb. Frank and I have both been dealing with various illnesses that seem to drag on, almost go away, and then come back for another round. Frank is not sick often, but even he had quite the fever going earlier last week.

We haven't let the crud get us completely down though, we attended our third and final Barrister's Ball (prom for law school) and Frank looked quite handsome in his tux

That is the only picture I took that night - but isn't it amazing how he manages to look so handsome when he is rearranging his wallet?! I'm so lucky

We also got some more work done around the house. The bathroom got the shelving unit it needed and now I feel a little more sane. Still looking for something under the sink, but at this point it can wait.

I finished painting the dining room and I love love love how it turned out. The red is perfect and the soft cream above keeps the room light and airy. We bought a rug for the room, and now I just have to get my tush in gear to get my mom measurements and color samples so she can buy fabric for the curtains! (Thanks mom!)

We put some stuff on the walls, too. Mom's water colors by the table and my StoryPeople in the corner. I'm not sure if that is where the water colors will stay - depends on the balance once the curtains are up.

The rug hasn't been placed in its final spot yet, hence the rolled end by the china cabinet (can I call it that just because that is how I'm using it? I think I will.)

And my new favorite wall hanging - a gift from Nana -hangs over the archway in the dining room, looking into the living room. I love it, and I love how perfect it looks in that spot!