Along Came A Yankee

Time flies...

2011-01-09T19:42:00.000-08:00

...when you are having fun? So, I haven't posted a thing in almost a year... this year has sucked in many ways and been a blessing in others. Our attempts to have children have only succeeded in failure, two of Michael's Uncle's passed away and Michael's Charger was totaled last May. On the flip side, we have a beautiful new Niece, Michael bought a Dodge Ram, we had a wood stove insert put in our masonry fireplace (and gave the electric company the single finger salute) and I found a little Spirit (not the kind you drink, shame). I have managed to remain positive for four weeks and honestly, the desire to spout out profanities is overwhelming.

WTF??!?

2010-02-26T04:29:00.001-08:00

Okay, so I have been watching my food intake and exercising since December. I have lost 21.5 pounds and 13 inches. I love to eat my ALL-Bran cereal in the morning with a banana. Yum!! I never really looked at the ingredients. I was reading a site a while back about cereals. They indicated that cereal wasn't the best breakfast unless you were having the two ingredient shredded wheat as most cereals have crap in them. I thought, "Come on! My cereal is all bran, it is good for me." Ever since reading this, it has been nagging at me.. so this morning, after my workout, I decided to have my ALL-Bran cereal. Hey, there is the ingredient list... WTF??? Sugar and high fructose corn syrup are in the top five?!?!

I love oatmeal and honey for breakfast, it is so good. HAHA!! No more cereals for me unless they have simple ingredients.

Shingles Missing...

2010-02-15T05:04:00.000-08:00

Due to blustering winds.. missing shingles.

Bread

2009-10-22T04:22:00.000-07:00

So weekend bread making has become a hobby, as are the whole wheat pancakes I have fed to Michael the last three weeks each morning (except the weekend). The pictures are from the first two loaves I made almost two weeks ago, just a basic bread. Last weekend, I made bread with honey. This weekend, I am thinking molasses, maybe. We have our annual Halloween Party and it is happening here at my house rather than at my Mom's. We are having Cowboy Chili and some Chicken Noodle Soup along with bread and sweet cornbread. Hopefully it doesn't rain...

Before and after...

2009-07-11T05:45:00.000-07:00

Watermelon

2009-07-11T05:33:00.000-07:00

Blackberries Part Deux

2009-06-20T08:48:00.000-07:00

Blackberries! These are some of the berries that we picked... it is the end of the season or so and there was not much to pick!We purchased some milk and cheese as well as the peppers and sweet potatoes. I can not wait to eat these!! These are the peppers that smell so good and the sweet potatoes are still covered in sand. =D

Blackberries

2009-06-20T08:25:00.000-07:00

This morning, Mikey and I, went to Smith's Nursery in Benson to pick blackberries. We also picked up milk, hoop cheese and some chow chow. Then off we went to the Clayton Farm and Community Market and picked up green beans, peppers, sweet potatos, rye bread and shoofly pie. The peppers were so incredibly fragrant. I forgot my camera so all I have are pictures of the flowers and the garden.

Ode to a Lettuce Leaf

2009-06-07T16:41:00.001-07:00

Oh, glorious lettuce leaf,
how I wish to eat you.

Herb Bed

2009-05-19T03:23:00.000-07:00

Here is the herb bed that Michael made, it only has four plants in it.. Pineapple Sage, Basil, Lavender and Rosemary. Pineapple Sage smells soooo good!!! I also took pictures of the stakes we have up for the beans and the snap peas... who else thinks it looks like two A's or one M? Aww... how sweet. =^)

Garden

2009-05-16T14:07:00.001-07:00

Hello again! The garden is coming along... I crammed to much into these little beds but who cares because I have stuff growing in them. We bought material for one more bed like these and one smaller for the herb collection.

2009-05-03T11:55:00.000-07:00

We also started our raised beds for the vegetable garden. We bought three 2"x12"x12' boards and had Lowe's cut them to make two 3'x6' beds and filled them with organic compost and top soil. Michael did all the work to make them and I have asked him to make me a couple of smaller ones for herbs and such.

2009-05-03T11:47:00.001-07:00

And almost a year later, we final bought a new camera. Romeo, Juliet and Miss P.

Bedtime

2008-05-29T10:44:00.000-07:00

Everyone at the Taylor Household is doing great. In fact, Romeo and Pooh slept in the same bed last week. He slept on the foot of the bed and Pooh slept between us. They are doing much better. Romeo is a bundle of energy and we go out and play everyday. Yesterday, Michael had taken him out and when they came back in, Romeo tore through the house, jumped on the couch with me for some love and promptly leaped to his love seat for playtime. He likes to get into bed with us and he stays for about thirty minutes before he runs out to sleep on his couch with his blanket that his Memaw made for him. It is a fleece blanket with puppies on it. He is figuring out chase and fetch, so that is fun. He sits pretty and lays down when asked too... well, most of the time. And boy does he talk. I don't mean bark, he talks to you. He is such a good boy and definitely warns us with that bark that someone is out there. I promise to get pictures up!

Flea Markets and Nightmares

2008-05-19T06:04:00.001-07:00

Hello! Memaw and I took Romeo to the Flea Market this weekend. I bought a new Fenton milk glass peice for my little bitty collection and Memaw bought a new flag for her yard. Romeo did really well with the other dogs and people. Lots of folks wanted to love on him and he was eager to let them. He is such a flirt. He had a few moments of anxiety, I think, when we are around alot of activity. I gave my Mom the leash, stayed in sight of him to make my purchase. He didn't care for that and barked until I made it back to him. He continued to bark even after I got back as if to say, "Don't do that again!" He settled down when I asked him to stop and rewarded him with some good smooching and loving. He really likes Memaw and keeps tabs on her if she walks away from us. As I said, he did great with the other dogs. There was one, however, that brought out the fact that he is submissive by choice. Mom and I turned a corner and we saw a dog that took a very defensive stance at seeing Romeo. No other dog had behaved this way. He lowered his head in a challenge and stared at Romeo. Romeo puffed out his chest, pulled his head up proud and confidently walked in front of Mom and I, got close to our legs and stopped. He would not let us pass. It wasn't until we reassured him that it was okay to pass that he allowed us to continue. We praised him for being such a good boy. On Saturday night, he fell asleep on the love seat when Michael and I went to bed. I was half asleep and thought I heard him growl... naturally, I thought it was Michael snoring. Haha. Well, I heard it again only it was more menacing with some snarling. Romeo was asleep but growling and then he barked waking himself up. He whined a little bit so I went over, reassured him that he was okay. He followed me back to the bedroom, crawled into his bed and I tucked him back to sleep. Oh! And he hugs. He jumped into bed with me Sunday morning, got up close and put a paw on my shoulder as I was on my side. So, I put an arm around him and announced to Michael that we were hugging. I think I might have heard a chuckle and a "Oh brother." I hate leaving him during the day so we spent thirty minutes on the couch snuggling before I had to get dressed. I am thinking he is a Momma's Boy and gosh am I in love.

Romeo!!

2008-05-16T10:43:00.000-07:00

Hello again! It is official, Romeo is the newest member of the household. We feel confident that Pooh will come around in time and learn to accept the puppers. We just don't feel that his one chase amounted to much and he is easily distractable and has done nicely with a few commands. When I refill his water bowl, he liked to jump but he now understands that in order to get the water he must sit. At first it was a hand signal but now he mostly does it because he knows the rule. He is a smart little guy. I am going to sign us up for some doggie classes at PetSmart so that we can learn to communicate with each other effectively. His Memaw wants to see him this weekend so we might go to the Flea Market and let him socialize a little bit. If we don't do that, I am going to see if my Brother will come out for a BBQ and bring the kids. I think he would enjoy chasing around my Nephews and Neice. So now I am thinking that Romeo needs a middle name... Romeo Horatio Taylor? Mmm, maybe not. I love Shakespeare, I am a huge fan so his name is absolutely fitting. I will definitely get pictures up once my camera works... which may never happen so I guess I need to by a new one. =( We are going to introduce him to the neighbors dogs maybe this weekend. Maggie and Roscoe are sweeties and I think they might enjoy each other as a playmate. That is all for now! Thank you Tracey, Sheila and all at GSRA!! We will keep you posted.

Kitty Chase

2008-05-14T11:27:00.000-07:00

Okay, so last night Romeo decided to stalk Pooh. When she took off, he took off after her. She slipped under the baby gate and laid down on her bed. She feels safe in there and he hasn't tried to get past it. He does go looking for her so we will have to find ways to distract him when we believe him to be the tiniest bit interested in her. We will also use the whole play with the kitty while he on a leash. She loves to chase her ball and it would be an opportunity each night to use this method to try to train him to "Leave it". He really is a sweet dog, we worry what could have happened had he caught up to her. He was scolded and immediately laid down. I definately think he is trainable - he does not bother her most of the time. I think we need to do more to pull his focus on us as his entertainment.

On a sweet note, he did snuggle in bed with me this morning. Michael said, "Come on Pooh, lets leave the love birds alone." Hehe.

Play Time

2008-05-13T07:55:00.000-07:00

So, Romeo has decided that he does want to play with the kitty. She was pretty startled yesterday when he wagged his tail vigorously, put his front paws down with his butt in the air and proceeded to bark at her. She hissed at him when he bounced his paws off the bed but she didn't run. Later in the evening, he was lounging on the floor and she walked right passed him to snuggle with Michael. Even though she was startled earlier, she seems to feel safe with him in the house so that is positive. The baby gate is working great, she gets her own room with the litter box and her food. We couldn't find a gate with the little cat door so we raised the gate to allow her to slip beneath it. Hopefully he will leave the gate alone as she enjoys twitching her tail at him from a distance. He did really great yesterday being home with her and was exicted to see me after work. We went for our walk and played in the yard. Last night I woke up to check on him as he wasn't in his bed - he was snoring on the couch. This morning before work we played in the house, he tossed his football around and looked for the kitty. When I left him this morning, he was relaxing on his blanket.. I am sure he will spend the day chasing the cat and sleeping on the couch. He is such a good boy.

Romeo

2008-05-11T16:36:00.000-07:00

"My bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love as deep." - Juliet to Romeo

On Friday, we brought Romeo home. We, not he, are on trial this week. He has a tale of triumph, evil versus good. He smote down, with the help of GSRA and The Campbells*, those that would do him harm.

He is incredibly sweet and laid back - in fact, we believe, it is his calming nature that has made this easy for Pooh. She still hides but since he doesn't give chase, she has had the time to acclimate to him. Of course, this hasn't stopped her from hissing from a distance and going up and over the couch to get to the kitchen. He is not fond of our laminate flooring but we provided him some carpet runners that seem to help his confidence to make it around on his own. We have spent most of our time on the porch, enjoying the breeze and being lazy. He takes Amy on a walk twice a day, when possible, and she thanks him every time he makes her walk all the way around to the driveway rather than the shortcut through the grass. We laid out on a blanket yesterday where Romeo proceeded to pounce on Michael and lay in his lap. We enjoys his squeak football and has found some interest in tossing milkbones in the air before eating them. Yesterday we went to the park, PetSmart and today we went to CVS. He saw lots of people, cars and got some wind across his ears.

We have found it very hard to leave him alone. When he is sleeping on his blanket in the living room, it is painful not to get down with him and snuggle.

We did have a startling revelation today that we did not think of.... we were watching Saving Private Ryan and when the gun fire started he ran around through the house. We didn't understand at first but, duh, we changed the channel and he calmed down. No more action movies for us and well, that is okay.

We hope that at the end of the week, he will want to stay.

*The Campbells - The wonderful and fabulous Foster Family of Romeo's.

Maximilian Octavius Taylor

2008-03-28T07:36:00.001-07:00

This is Max, he is the newest addition to the Taylor Household. =D

Curtains!

2008-03-23T08:35:00.001-07:00

So, I put curtains up. The first picture, obviously, is without. And the second is with curtains... YA!!

House Pictures

2008-03-19T10:04:00.000-07:00

Enjoy!

Moving Day!

2008-02-29T10:55:00.000-08:00

Today is moving day! We closed on the house this morning and are in the process of moving our boxes and furniture through the weekend. YA!!! Will post pictures, I promise!

The Applewood House

2008-02-10T07:18:00.000-08:00

Well, it is done! We are homeowners! We signed the papers yesterday and the sellers accepted the offer. Woohoo! As soon as Michael wakes up, I will ask him to post them so I can link the pictures.

House Hunting

2008-02-05T10:18:00.000-08:00

So, we decided against the Tudor as there is just to much work associated with it. We will have to accept that we need to find a newer house. So, we are going to start in Clayton and work around the counties to see what is available. This weekend we have about 11 houses that we are going to see. No more of this one a week crap... ugh. Who knew that house hunting would be so annoying.

HousesHousesHouses

2008-02-01T08:36:00.000-08:00

So, we are working on buying a house. Specifically, this house a 1935 Tudor located in Louisburg, North Carolina. We have been approved for the home loan but we don't know what to do next as it is unfamiliar territory. I receive alot of mixed opinions given that it needs some cosmetic fixes and it has no AC. We think that a solution has been found until such time that we have AC installed which could be a few years. Mostly the opinions have been positive. We are going back to see the house this weekend with family so that we can take more pictures and get more informed opinions.

Christmas!!!

2007-12-14T15:18:00.001-08:00

They are a little blurry but you get the idea!!

Gangrel

2007-12-14T14:49:00.000-08:00

We miss you, Stinkyboy. I miss your snuggles and love, Sweet Boy. March 1996 - November 23, 2007.

Elna C Shocklee

2007-12-14T14:41:00.000-08:00

We miss you, Grammy. July 2, 1918-October 25, 2007. Photo taken on her birthday, July 2, 2006.

Happy Anniversary

2007-10-06T17:28:00.001-07:00

Happy Anniversary, Michael! I love you!

Not So Haiku Sunday

2007-10-06T17:25:00.000-07:00

bump bump
i need to pee
road trip

Not So Haiku Sunday

2007-09-23T18:51:00.000-07:00

right sides together
or wrong sides together
meet the stitch ripper

Corduroy Bag

2007-09-23T18:45:00.000-07:00

Here is the project of the weekend. I found about 1.5 yards of corduroy on clearance and I found about 3 yards of the lining at the flea market for five bucks. The bag is supposed to have a pocket but I couldn't figure it out.

Not So Haiku Sunday

2007-09-16T16:11:00.000-07:00

I dub Sunday, Not So Haiku.

thinking it is cold
he turns down the car ac
baby that is love

Beginnings...

2007-09-16T15:56:00.000-07:00

Here it is.. another blog.