A Christmas Greeting

Today I looked up and realized that this is the last work week before Christmas and there is tons to do so in lieu of Christmas cards this year we are sending a different kind of greeting! We got this idea from our friends Jeff and Julie. Click on link below and enjoy!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1484352602

A Nice Weekend

I don't normally photograph my food but this breakfast was a thing of beauty. This was at Foster's Market - the restaurant of Sarah Foster, a chef who used to work for Martha Stewart. She's been on her show several times so you might recognize her. The pancakes were topped with berries, pecans and syrup. The egg dish was served over cheddar grits and chorizo with grilled cornbread. Soooo good. If you come visit us we will take you here!!

Next stop was the Raleigh Rose Garden. We visit at least 2 times a year when the roses are in their peak. It was a gorgeous day to view everything. We sniffed a ton of roses and made notes on "keepers" for the college. Takes me back to Wacker Park in Pauls Valley when I would go sniff the roses as a little girl and my mom would have to tell me "no picking". Its still a challenge not to do that.

One of the favorites of the day: Hot Cocoa. Wish the picture did it justice. The foliage is dark green and shiny. The flower is a dusy dark brown-red that has a chocolatey smell. How can you resist?

The evening was topped off with a babysitting adventure with Richard and Dwayne. We watched Harrison while Jeff and Julie celebrated their anniversary. No, it does not require the work of 4 people but we like to make a party of it. I think we have heard him cry twice since he was born. That's why we offer to babysit! We also like to raid Julie's pantry and call boys.

Harrison entertaining himself with a cup. I post this to remind myself when we have kids, that they really don't need a ton of expensive toys.

Decor Update

I never did post the pictures of the bedroom for those who were interested. I was waiting to get our horse prints framed but haven't gotten around to it. I coveted this bed for 3 years before finding an inexpensive way to buy it (thank you Neighbor Carson!). The side table is actually a very rustic writing table from Idaho and was a wedding present from my parents and the clear chair (no, we don't run into it all the time) is a Phillipe Stark Louis "Ghost" chair that Aaron got me for a birthday. I had wanted it for years.

I was trying to capture to coolness of the paint color. Aaron's dad did a great job of getting this on. Its a great gray-beige that I absolutely love. So bright during the day and warm at night. I hope we are posting our much needed bathroom update soon! Have to start it first!

Hallway art display on the cheap - the top picture was a gift to my parents from some acquaintances. It never went in their house so I "rescued" it. The chair print was actually a Christmas card from an artist we bought a print from. I liked her card even better! The two small pics are Greek Intaglios that were on clearance in Savannah. I bought the two twig wall vases there as well.

Hope to have dining room drapes and crown moulding up soon. Keep you posted.

Funny Pictures to Make You Laugh

If I could buy this I would and proudly display it on my coffee table - it was that funny. Aaron and I argue who actually decided to take this picture. I say it was me out of boredom while he tried on carhart jeans and other workwear at an outdoor store. Taxidermy is very creepy to me but the fact that someone decided to capture fighting ferrets makes it just hilarious to me. Do they actually fight ? And on logs?

Speaking of ferrets..... Our shih tzu Fitzi lays like this all the time. She's long enough to have her lower half on the top of the couch and her head and shoulders on the seat.

A stoic looking Jojo. I kept trying to get a head on pic of him but he would only give me his profile. I kept laughing because it was like he insisted on it - maybe its his best side.

Halloween

For the past couple of years we have made a tradition of going to the Farmer's Market with our friends to eat breakfast and then pick out our pumpkins and other seasonal stuff. We are so lucky to have an incredible market. There is always something to buy - local honey, plants, bouquets, produce, and artisanal breads. This time of year it was apples, pumpkins, gourds, cornstalks, haystacks, etc. It really puts you in the mood for the season - no matter what season it is!

Yes, we plan to pick out pumpkins, but who are we kidding? We were really here for the biscuits.

Hilarious pictures of Harrison in his kangaroo outfit. Check out the baby 'roo in his belly. He was just adorable. Jeff, who spent time in Australia in college, dressed as an outback guy to carry him around. So cute.

Better view of Harrison's tummy.

New kayak and fall pics

Not a scary Halloween photo of Aaron in a coffin. I found him this way in the backyard one day. He was actually blowing up the new inflatable kayak I had gotten him for his birthday. Looks like he likes it.

Success! This one is so much more convenient than our hard one. Blows up in a jiffy and I don't have to help Aaron heft it on top of the jeep.

We sure are enjoying this river/lake by the house. We timed it - 3 minutes away! It has added so much quality to our lives. Such a great place for a quick get away or an afternoon or picnic. Can't beat the sunsets.

Here we are in Asheville with my parents. It is so nice to be able to see them so easily now. We can each drive 4 hours and meet in the mountains. It was so gorgeous that weekend - so cool in the mornings and warmer in the afternoon. I wish we had taken more pics, especially since we took them on the river. They did great and had a wonderful time. I just wish you all could see mom in a wetsuit and dad in his "baked potato" windsuit he has taken to wearing. Aside from mom bonking herself in the head the last 20 feet of the river, it was without incident.

A trip to NC Arboretum in Asheville. Gorgeous this time of year. Enjoyed the fall color.

A beautiful native grass of North Carolina that turns a gorgeous, fuzzy pink this time of year.

THE KILLERS - FOR REASONS UNKNOWN

The Killers - Intro + Sam's Town live

Kentucky Weekend

A couple of weeks ago Aaron managed to land a couple of tickets to the sold out concert of "The Killers". Woo Hoo!!! Only problem was that they were in Louisville, KY so we decided to plan a last minute trip to see my parents in Lexington for several days and drive the hour and half to see them. It was such a great weekend. We ate well, went to see 3:10 Yuma at the movies, enjoyed some antique shopping, and explored the river behind my parents house. We also enjoyed their beautiful rain since we haven't been able to get any in NC. Gotta have something to keep the Blue Grass state.....uh, blue?




Here we are at the concert. The locale couldn't have been better to see this band. The theater was this cool, gothic, deco place that was small enough to really enjoy them even with though we had possibly the worst seats in the house. The show was AWESOME!!! Aside from the person screaming like a little girl in my ear (okay, she was a little girl) we couldn't have enjoyed it more. If you're not familiar with The Killers, they have been called "the best British band to come out of the United States" because everyone thinks they are British. But they're from Vegas. As you could tell from the stage set up. The lead singer also plays the keyboard and has it displayed in front with antlers, artificial flowers, and Christmas lights all over it.



In a more natural setting......here is Aaron kayaking behind my parent's house. We had no idea that the river was as large as it was and so gorgeous! This was the pup's first voyage and they were great. They just folded their paws over the side and looked around all alert and cute. We'll have to get them little life jackets.

Adorable profile of JoJo possibly seeing the pretty little red fox we spotted.

Labor Day Weekend

We stuck around town for the holiday weekend and had such a lovely time! The weather was beautiful and we were able to relax and visit Sarah Duke Gardens and discovered a beautiful spot right outside our door. We had visited and even kayaked Falls River (which is approximately 2 minutes away) but had not explored the other side of it which is Falls Lake. We were shocked at how beautiful this area was! The views are exactly what you think you should see in North Carolina. I think we'll be spending a lot of time there with the dogs, kayaking, etc.

Aaron and Jeff trying out the kayak at Falls Lake

Harrison enjoying the picnic. We ate fried chicken. He had yogurt and veggies.

A lovely pink color scheme at Sarah Duke Gardens.

My favorite garden at Sarah Duke is the White Garden. The garden is mostly foliage and white blooms but this time of year the water lillies and lotus are blooming and the colors are spectacular!! The turtles rest on the lily pads and the blooms are so intense. As you can see there were many people out photographing this gorgeous time. The roses were also in peak form.

Love the textures of the lotus foliage and papyrus.

Happy 1st Birthday, Jacob!

The week before Aaron's birthday, we went to Florida to celebrate our nephew Jacob's first birthday! It was a fun time to catch up with my brother, my sister in law Sharon, and my parents (Mimi and Poppy). Is this kid cute or what?

Love the Mommy tattoo shirt.......

It took him a couple of bites but he decided he liked this cake thing! Look out, Jake. Some of us never got over our first bite of icing!

Aaron and I got him the Wheely Bee for his first gift. He seemed to like it since he's into pushing things around right now. Funny thing was mom said one of BJ's first presents was a bee on wheels!

Eating outside with the family.......

Proud Mimi and Poppy holding Jake before we let him loose on the cake.

These pictures are so deceiving because he is ridiculously mobile right now. He runs around, pushes his stroller around and tries to escape his "corral" in the living room and succeeds much of the time. It was so much fun to see how big he's gotten!

Summer Blooms

Since summer is coming to a close, I thought I'd show a couple of pics of things that were blooming in our garden this year.

Double Blooming Tiger Lily.......

Pineapple Lily.......

This is a citrona daylilly that smells like citrus and blooms in the evening. Behind it is a bright blue salvia that the hummingbirds love. Aaron's hammock sits right here and the hummingbirds will be so close to your face that you can really see what they are doing. Its so amazing to watch.

We've also enjoyed growing mint and basil this year. The neighborhood has had a great time making mojitos, tequila punch, and Julie's watermelon granita with the mint. We've put basil in pasta salad and Italian dishes. Also good on a turkey sandwich. My only complaint about summer ending: I miss fresh herbs in the winter.

Asheville Trip

In early August we decided to beat the heat and head for the mountains in Asheville, NC. It was such a great weekend. We hit a couple of import and antique stores, ate outside all weekend, visited gardens and enjoyed beautiful drives in the Blue Ridge Mountains. We also took a side trip to Bryson City to go rafting on the Nantahala River.

There is a very cool import store in Asheville. The owner makes several trips to India and Europe every year. Tough job. He revealed that he had a warehouse close to the store with all of the things he keeps on hand for stock and let us go though it! Yippee! He has some amazing things. It was hot but a lot of fun to poke through his treasures.

Aaron's beer radar went off downtown. He snooped out a tiny brewery called "The French Broad". Here he is at an old school desk sampling some beers. He liked them all!

Oops. A Picture of our backyard. You can see the finished pergola in the background. Just kidding. Ours is a little more basic than that. This part of the public garden is made to look like a quilt. Very pretty from an aerial view. One of our favorites to visit.

Busted. Aaron taking cuttings off of a plant to grow in his nursery at Meredith.

Eureka! My cupcake radar went off and we found a cupcake shop with a hilarious shopkeeper downtown Asheville. I tried the boston cream pie cupcake and Aaron got the raspberry filled chocolate. As you can see he is wearing part of it on his nose. He loves it when I take pictures of him eating.

We finished off with the rafting trip. Didn't get pics of it this time but we're going back in a couple of weeks with my parents so we'll be sure to post those. The cold river was so refreshing on a hot day and we finally got some long sleeve weather on the way up in the Jeep!

Aaron's Birthday Weekend

Aaron officially turned 32 on Monday August 27th but we celebrated all weekend. On Saturday I took him downtown to a cooking school where the chef specializes in Cajun and Southern cooking. Instead of taking him out to breakfast, our usual weekend routine, I took him to learn how to make beignets and cafe au lait.

Me patiently waiting for Chef Raymeaux to start up the beignets.

Me losing my patience. Bring on the beignets!!!!

Here is Chef Raymeaux working the dough. Interesting guy. He actually got his Ph.D from the Univeristy of Oklahoma! Small world. He was a professor for a while then decided to start cooking. He also does a dinner class on Tuesday nights. We're going to get our friends to attend with us.

The finished product. Don't inhale! Takes us back to our week in New Orleans the spring before the hurricane. We enjoyed these at Cafe Dumonde along with the other tourists. It is customary to have 2 breakfasts in New Orleans (my kind of town!). Beignets and coffee early and then a "jazz breakfast" later. The cafe au lait was really good. I don't normally drink coffee so I was apprehensive that I would like it but I loved it. Of course you need to use the antique french drip pot he has and great chicory coffee poured simultaneously with hot milk.

The birthday boy enjoying a hot beignet.

LATER THAT NIGHT...........

We (myself and our friends) took the birthday boy downtown to 42nd Street Oyster Bar to enjoy some crab and cocktails. I have a new favorite drink - the Jessie's girl. Sooo good. However,Julie and I were disappointed in the Pearis Hilton. Go figure.

Planting a smooch on an unsuspecting Jeff seems like a good idea until you remember your friend has a blog! Ha! Don't worry - I'll put up unflattering pictures of myself, too (see above beignet picture)!

Todd and Kevin enjoying some cocktails at the bar.