Barefoot with Beers!

Go ahead be pissed.. after our trip North I have got to brag about our one nice day before the snow hits tomorrow! I just want y'all to know I got a sun burn today!

BUT..... before I get into to that I will tell you that we FINALLY got a desk chair that we agreed on and both love! We did a bunch of running around yesterday and found something we are really happy with. I was unhappy with how the decorating of that space was going so Jason has agreed to let me do the decorating thing while he sticks to measuring and guy stuff. These aren't the best pictures but it too me awhile to remember I hadn't actually taken pictures of the desk and chair so this is what I have for now.

I'm going to run over to World Market this week and get a nice little pillow to dress up the chair. Its suppose to be crappy weather this week so we are also going to hit the furniture shops and look for a corner book shelf. We really considered covering the one whole wall with bookshelves, which my inner book worm/hoarder LOVED but once getting the desk in there we realized it would just be WAY too cluttered in there which we both hate so now we are looking for a corner bookshelf! We will also need to look for another rug, but one thing at a time! 

So back to today... hello BEAUTIFUL DAY! We knew today was going to be gorgeous and I couldn't have been more excited for that. After visiting the great white North and being miserable in the cold I couldn't wait for a taste of summer. Before I even showered this morning I opened the door and could smell summer in the air which naturally made me smile ear to ear. I showered and headed outside to meet Jason for some tree planting!! I honestly just got out the door and felt hot! I had to come in and change it was so much nicer then I could have hoped for out there! Poor Jason was just sweating! 

Planting trees here didn't go as easy as I had expected, sadly our yard is so full of rock that digging a simple hole for a tree looks like this...

Literally a bucket like this full of rocks for every hole dug! The trees we planted are shallow rooted so the holes weren't all that deep, but the rocks are crazy. 

Ignore my shadow. 

Jason showing me how big the trees should be next year. Look how itty bitty that thing is, it is the exact same kind as the trees beside it. Actually while we were out there the gentlemen who owns the house Jason is in front of in the picture above came out and introduced himself and said that if it was alright with us he would like to have a landscaper come out and plant trees all along his back yard in unison with the trees we were planting and wondered how we would feel about that.. ABSOLUTELY! We aren't unfriendly people but I can understand them wanting privacy and it would save us putting up a fence! Good deal I say! 

You can barely see those itty bitty things at the end, but once they start growing they will complete the privacy to the fence. 

Look at this freakin' rock that was in the ground, I couldn't believe what a feat it was to get a hole dug got a tree! Nuts!

A bucket of rocks!

I was supervisor! I held trees straight while the holes were filled in, I held Jason's beer and naturally my own. I mean really...

After tree planting was over we really just made the most of the beautiful day! We sat outside and drank beer while grilling pork chops, I'm sorry Northerners but it was a PERFECT summer day! 

If it makes any of you feel better tomorrow its suppose to be 19 degrees or something ludicrous like that and we are suppose to get sleet and crap, I'm furious about this. I swear Mother Nature is toying with us! EVERY.SINGLE.TIME the day before it snows we get flip flop weather and then BAM nasty winter crap! I'm over that! 

In the morning Jason is planning on getting up and going and changing the plates on the truck as they are still Maine. Honestly I couldn't be more excited, I'm not even sure why! We both got out North Carolina drivers license and I am so happy about that. I guess I feel like this is actually home and why shouldn't everything reflect that? It's been such a long time since I felt like we had a home, and although I know leaving here to go to the next job is going to be really hard, knowing we have a place to come home to makes it all the better. 

Oh North Carolina.... how I love thee and your FABULOUS weather in March! I'm not kidding you I am about 95% positive I got a sunburn today! I mean I needed it.. I face timed with Tanya yesterday and her tan makes me look ghostly.. I was embarrassed! 

Stayed tunes for more things from our trip home and whats going on around this part of the South! I'm off to have a tea and curl up as the sun has gone down and Jason keeps the house temperature set to "Meat locker". No fear it will be as cold here tomorrow as it is everywhere else! 

If you are looking for a good recipe for tomorrows cold weather check out this fabulous recipe Cathy so graciously sent me... I cannot wait to try it! 

Oven Roasted Cauliflower...oooooh totally yum yum!!

Ingredients:

1 medium head cauliflower (about 2-1/4 pounds), trimmed and cut into florets
3 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Combine cauliflower and garlic in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Transfer, in a single layer, to a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast at 450 degrees F for about 25 minutes,
stirring once. Sprinkle with cheese. Serve immediately Yield: 6 servings.

Trip to the Deep Freeze!

Well needless to say it was colder in Toronto then it was here! In fact we left here wearing shorts and landed in Canada to roads acting as ice rinks, dead lock traffic because when you touched the gas pedal you slid as much as five feet and 10 layers of clothing that still didn't feel like nearly enough.

The drive there took a lot longer then we had hoped, even though we got on the road early because pretty much the entire drive looked like this..

That was until we crossed into Canada and then it basically turned to ice.. EVERYWHERE. We got on the 403 having a few exits to go and it was a nightmare. This was the first time though I could honestly see the speed or lack there of being justified! The roads were a nightmare, literally skating rinks! I was never so happy to park that truck and get out... on to ice. Ugh. 

They definitely had quite a bit of snow there, more than I had seen all winter I will tell you that much. I thought I would share some pictures, if you have had enough of that miserable white stuff though just close your eyes and scroll on by!

You would never know there was a pool hiding somewhere there. 

Miserable icy.. everything!

Honestly the snow that I have been talking about in NC, that beautiful white fluffy stuff that lasts a day or two and then graciously goes away before we have time to get sick of it.. this was not the same thing! This was slippery and cold, miserable and just plain dangerous! Having said that Friday, our first full day there it was actually pretty nice! Naturally it didn't last and miserable COLD winds set in and the temperature just kept dropping. 

Naturally being home it was great to be able to see everyone, and as you can see Jason took it to the extreme with his favorite little buddy. 

Friday night Jason was super tired, and had indulged in a few beers, but when he saw RJ there was no going to bed! They played and chatted and ended up falling asleep together all snug on the floor! Haha truth be told I think RJ was the only one all that comfortable! Jason has a special spot for RJ, good thing RJ ate it up or I bet Jason would have pissed him off! haha!

Saturday morning Jason and my Dad went ice fishing for the day! This was basically the purpose of our trip home and although they ended up being one man down they had the best day! They caught HUGE perch (honestly I don't know what constitutes "HUGE" in the way of fish but I am taking their word for it). I didn't hear from Jason all day which I hadn't expected too due to our sketchy Canadian service and his being out on the middle of a frozen lake. On the way home he text me and said they caught giant fish and were going to be on the news. I don't know why but instead of just believing him I assumed he was just screwing with me and they had caught nothing. Turns out the joke was on me because not only did they catch a ton of big fish they were actually ON THE NEWS! I honestly couldn't believe it when it came on.... "Father & Son in law have a great day on the lake" - haha! Needless to say they were pretty thrilled! So were the rest of us when we ate it the next day! 

We really just spend the rest of the time visiting, it was our intentions to leave on Tuesday I had thought but we ended up staying until Wednesday! I think it was a good choice to leave then as people were getting sick (damn flu!) and the weather was taking a turn for the worst! We woke up to -13F (UNREAL) and hit the road bright and early! The border patrol officer crossing into Buffalo asked us why we chose North Carolina as a home base and I had two words for him.. MUCH WARMER! The drive started out fine and turned into this...

Thanks PA, you're a gem!

We stopped in Pittsburgh at IKEA and did some touring around there and got a desk! The rest of the drive home we had decent weather and it was pretty uneventful however VERY VERY LONG! I tell ya one thing I DO NOT miss road trips at all... In Virginia I was MISERABLE! I just wanted to be home, I was sick of being in the car, sick of driving, sick of sitting, sick of everything basically! We stopped and had something to eat and walked around and that made me and my attitude tolerable for the rest of the trip! I was never so happy to see the North Carolina state line though. 

Bad pictures of Pilot Mountain through a dirty wind shield! 

We got home late and just unpacked and got in bed! It had been such a long day that all I could think about was getting into OUR bed and going to sleep! I wanted to watch Criminal Minds but with the delays because of the basketball game that didn't happen! Hopefully today!

Yesterday we were out all day, literally! We had a bunch of running around to do and it took a lot longer then we had hoped. We were mostly on the hunt for a rug for the office space as we were anticipating putting the desk together. 

When we got home last night I started dinner while Jason got to work on the desk... Poor guy. 

I was overwhelmed just looking at it. 

So we got the desk together and Jason isn't in love with it.. that sucks but I'm not totally surprised. After all of this.. we are keeping it. I mean I like it, that's whats counts right?

Then we decided to put the rug down, this didn't end well. 

I really do like the colors, but Jason HATES HATES the pattern and honestly the tan background isn't exactly tan and I decided it looked dirty and I just cant have that, so we are taking it back.. right now!

So I am running out the door as we speak, hopefully we will find some stuff for the office today because last night I went to bed really discouraged!

I hope all of you in the North are staying warm, my Mom sent me the weather there this morning and I wanted to cry for her! 

Home Sweet Home!

So far coming home is still the best feeling! Oh how I freaking love our home!!

As you know we just took a quick trip to Toronto for a visit and just got home late last night! I have pictures and tons to tell y'all about our trip and planned to get to that today but it just didn't happen!

We were out the door first thing this morning, got home and now it's dinner time!! I promise tomorrow to get it together and fill you in on the details from the deep freeze (Toronto). 

Hope everyone has been staying warm and enjoying the week! If you're wondering what my excuse is for not blogging tonight, let me tell you... The premier of Greys and Scandal!!! I am so thrilled!!!

See ya tomorrow!!

Travel Surprise

Good Evening!

So this is just a quick post because we are super busy around these parts tonight! Our day didn't exactly go as planned because we woke up this morning to our master bathroom exhaust fan leaking massive amounts of water.. go figure... new house my ass! Crappy craftsmanship..I think so! Remember.. DON'T BUY A KB HOME!!! So we called the warranty people and they said they would send someone out today, don't get all "wow that's great, same day warranty" because they didn't show! We got up this morning still with the intention to go to the shooting range thinking of course no one would come out today and they said they would, so we stayed home... and they didn't.

We managed to do a few things close to the house and get a ton of yard work done but its was not the day we had planned. I honestly didn't mind the yard work, which is weird because I DO NOT garden and don't care to have anything to do with anything that can potentially house bugs! I don't mind raking and all that jazz but plants and stuff of that nature just isn't my thing. Having said that having your own home really changed things, I had a fabulous day outside with Jason doing yard work in the sun.. it was fantastic!

On that note I have to tell y'all, I really am not at all bragging about the nice weather here.. simply stating it! Yes tonight at 7:00pm it was still 70 degrees and I went to the store in my capris and a tank top.. but that is the joys of living in the South! Speaking of living in the South, we were also awaken by a CRAZY thunder storm before day light today.. I love a good thunder storm as I have said many times before! I woke up and just laid there listening.. its so peaceful to me!

What else... oh.. ANOTHER SUN SET PICTURE!... you love them, I know you do!!

You know standing outside tonight while Jason grilled the above treat for dinner tonight, looking at the sunset I could have cried. Yes I am a bawl ass but I have never been known to cry because I am so over joyed by something, but tonight that was not the case. I don't know if I just really have attachment issues because of all the moving around we do, or because I am just so happy here but I really am so happy here that I apparently want to cry about it. I love grilling outside, its beautiful and quiet, the sunsets are gorgeous.. this is our home. Cheesy I know. I bet I'm going to be a big baby when we have to go to the next job.. I hope Jason is prepared for the massive amount of consoling that will be required! 

So you are probably wondering about the title.. surprise travel? Well we decided tonight, although we have been thinking about it all week that we are going to get up super early tomorrow morning and make the LONG drive to Toronto for a long weekend! Jason is DYING to go ice fishing and get some snow in his life, naturally I do not feel the same way but I am not opposed to going for a visit. I don't want to leave my house though. PATHETIC I KNOW! So we are getting up first thing in the morning and getting on the road. Hoping for a safe drive and a great visit!

With a trip on the horizon I should actually have something to write about here! Although it might not be until the weekend. I hope you all have a great weekend, and if you makes you jealous of our nice weather find solace in knowing I am going to freeze my ass off this weekend!

Cheers!!

HAPPY NATIONAL DRINK WINE DAY!!!

Yes you read right! I heard on the new this morning that today was National Drink Wine Day.. and who am I to argue with that? Not that I would. Obviously. So as I sit here writing I am indulging in my second glass of wine! Don't worry.. I should still make sense!

So I have no been around but things have actually been busy around here. Although we should have done so quite awhile ago we decided to switch our licenses over to North Carolina and believe it or not here in order to do that you have to take a driving test.. SUCKS! I don't particularly care to take any tests but a driving test ranks high on that list. I haven't taken a driving test in years, not to mention I have never taken an American driving test and apparently things are different State to State? What the hell is that all about? So I have spent my days studying because truthfully the rules are definitely all different here then they are in Canada, and apparently rules have changed since I took the test in Canada (no more 10 and 2? We are now 9 and 3? Since when?) and there is a bunch of different road signs here.. ex. State, County, Interstate!

Jason went last week before we got that nasty fit from Mother Nature and said that while doing the sign test they show signs like a school crossing, stop sign or railroad crossing and just show the shape and color of the sign not to writing, symbol or whatever... seriously? I don't know why I was so anxious but I have seriously sat on the laptop more than I have probably in the last year this last week and did practice tests (which give conflicting information FYI) and read and read and read the rules and regulations for driving in North Carolina. I'm probably the best driver now that I have ever been! HA! I went today and sadly say in the DMV for HOURS and waited. What a shit show! But I passed everything with 100% and should receive my new license in the next 15 days! Sweet! One less thing to worry about!

While I was stuck at the DMV Jason did some running around to gather some things we needed for some house projects we've been talking about! Someone might as well have enjoyed the GORGEOUS 70 DEGREE WEATHER while I was stuck with a bunch of whiners in a line up 6 miles long!

So what have we been up to the last few days.... let me think! Maybe I could show you?

Oh right... on Saturday we went to the grand opening of the new Bass Pro Shop in Cary! We figured it was going to be busy but NOTHING as bad as it was! We parked a million miles away and walked over, we somehow managed to avoid the line outside and got right in! I got a new North Face sweater that I am IN LOVE with.. a pair of capris and Jason got a sign for the garage! I got in life after only viewing basically the women's clothing while Jason perused the rest of the store. The line up was also a million miles long but they were super efficient and I was out of there in no time! 

Those stores are always full of cool things and Jason insisted I take pictures for my Dad and brother. It wasn't exactly all that easy to take pictures when people were pushing and shoving and trying to get around you, we plan to go back one day in a couple of weeks maybe during the week. 

The place seriously was packed, when we first got in Jason went to look at ammo first thing and I was scanning the crowds looking for him and his orange sweater, it was literally impossible to find him. 

This is a crappy picture, I was in line when I noticed the sign and really liked the Saying. "When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world" - John Muir

That night Jason made some fantastic pizza! He has mastered the art of making pizza dough from scratch and the pizza was fantastic. 

Y'all are probably getting sick of sunset pictures but honestly look at that.. how could you ever get sick of those amazingly beautiful skies! 

I took that photo last night while Jason and I were outside grilling these babies! Jason actually had venison steaks which obviously I wasn't eating, and no I didn't get a picture of them.  

After that we indulged in some Froyo... it is our guilty pleasure! Usually I don't get all this crap on it but I felt the need to splurge seeings how I have basically cut out carbs entirely for the last month and a half! 

So as I mentioned before while I was at the DMV Jason was running around returning some stuff to Time Warner Cable and picking up some rocks for the outside of the house. We have been giving a lot of thought to changing some of the landscaping outside of the front of the house. We have the plans for a deck and such in the back yard so we thought now might be a good time to do a few things to the front yard! 

 Yes that is a little bit of snow left over.. and that stuff under the broom in the crap they put EVERYWHERE  around the house and I am terrified its a breeding ground for spiders and god knows what else creepy crawly so it had to go.. period! We decided on rocks awhile ago and you would have thought that would have been simple, negative! Do you realize how many kinds and colors of rocks there are to choose from? Crazy!

So Jason removed all of the straw stuff... haha like I was ever going to touch that crap with my hands.. NOT!

He started putting down the rocks and I couldn't be happier with how they look! We are thinking we need to get a few more bags but so far I am really happy with it!

Now having been stuck inside all day I was so excited to sit with a glass of wine (National Drink Wine Day and all!) and enjoy the gorgeous 70 degree weather while supervising Jason at work. More like giving my opinion, kind of. 

Making progress! I love when things come together around the house, LOVE LOVE! 

We have a lot of things we want to do around here while we still have time and knocking things off the list feels great! Besides with "winter" having been around it was really nice to get outside and enjoy it while we could! Jason grilled turkey burgers and we just hung out, I love that time! 

So now that I am finished studying it is my intention to find a good book, make more time for blogging, try and get some more sleep then I seem to ever. Have any of you got the last book I recommended? Any thoughts? Any recommendations for books you have recently read that you think I may enjoy??

We may have a little trip planned for this upcoming weekend, wont know for sure until tomorrow though.. I will keep you all posted on that! 

I am off to finish my wine drinking, maybe take a hot bath and go to bed! For some reason last night neither Jason or I could sleep last night, at 1:00am we were still laying awake watching a movie on TV. Maybe my insomnia is contagious? Poor Jason. 

You all better be having a glass of wine tonight!!