New addition to the Family!

Some of you may remember our sweet girl Maia

Maia, taken March 8, 2009   1 year 9 months old

She's been with us for a little over 3 years now! Our neighbors (the in-laws) had a little Wire Haired Dachshund named Lucky. He and Maia were the best, most unlikely friends ever. The mornings usually had Maia over at Lucky's house, then mid-day they would each go back to their own house for a nap. Lucky would come visit our side of the pond in the evenings. Then suddenly the visiting stopped. Lucky was missing. To this day no one has any idea what happened or where he ventured off to. He was an old soul. Not too terribly old for a typical Dachshund (we guessed somewhere around 8), but for a little outdoors man who'd been bit by a snake twice in his life, it probably was about his time to go. Jami and I used to (and still do) joke about his voice if he could talk- Clint Eastwood from Grand Torino! If you've seen the movie you should totally understand him! In the weeks to follow Maia moped around not really wanting to play, just mourn the loss of her beloved best friend.

Jami and I had casually talked about getting another dog so that Maia wouldn't be alone all day, but hadn't agreed on it yet. I was checking out Craigs List one afternoon and came across an add for a seven month old pure bred husky. For free. The awesome part is that she had already been fixed! It only took four hours of me begging Jami to agree for me to call and check it out. I figured that she would be gone for sure. Nope! The owners still had her and were ecstatic to know we had another husky. It was a young couple with a 4 year old daughter. The mom is a paramedic and the dad a firefighter, each working 24 hour shifts making no true time for puppy love. Bless their hearts... they were heart broken to have to give her up, but knew it was for the best. We picked her up two days later.... and man is she a big dog!!

Luna, take September 17, two months after she came home

We changed her name from Shasta to Luna, never calling her by her "old home" name. We didn't particularly like 'Shasta' and since she was brand new to us and our world she transitioned to her new name wonderfully.

It took Maia a little while to get used to having another dog actually living at her home and getting lovin' from her humans. Now they play, fight and share like sisters!

Maia (3) and Luna (10 months).  Taken the same day as the above photo.  Luna is already taller than Maia! Hopefully I'll have a better comparison picture, but with my limited uploading ability, this is all I've got for now!

Huskies are wonderful creatures for those who have the time and space for them. They are incredibly intelligent and loving. They're not, however, good for a guard dog unless you count the fear people get just from their wolf-like looks! The biggest reaction you'll probably get out of them is a little head roll or a request for a petting. You'll hardly ever hear one of them barking either. They do howl on occasion, but for my pups, that's almost as rare as the barking. That's good for me! If you hear one of them, you know something is going on!

Just what I've always wanted!

If I'm looking for a sure fire way to relax, piddling with plants works like a charm. My favorite job ever was working for a local plant nursery. I never dreaded having to get out of my cozy bed to work in the hot summer sun or to freeze my tushie off in the Winter. Never did I tire of waiting on customers with endless questions. "I don't know what it's called, but I saw it in the mall parking lot." "Can you tell me what this is growing on my beloved roses?" "I'm no good at this, could you make a list of things that would work in my yard?" No question ever went without a good answer. It felt good sharing plant knowledge with people. I'd have to say that I learned more at the nursery than I did at any other job, possibly all of them combined. If I'm riding with someone, my eyes are constantly darting from yard to yard naming off the plants in my head. This is an excellent way to keep everything fresh and even to learn new plants!

I would love nothing more than to be able to pack up my things at this job and run back to the nursery! The sad thing is, that unless something miraculous happens in the plant world, I would never be able to survive on the wages that they pay. So, thanks to my daddy (whom I'm pretty well convinced is the best dad in the entire world) I now have that favorite job right outside my backdoor!!

I somehow neglected to take a picture of the outside, so this is from the manufacturers website!

She's slightly used (about 6 months worth) by my cousin's ex-wife (another plant enthusiast!). My dad and I have been trying to get this off of him for somewhere around a year and dad finally scored with an extremely reasonable trade! It's bigger than this picture makes it look with it being 12' deep and 10' wide. I'm not too sure on the height of it, but I'm 5'0" and can barely reach to hang a pot from the rafters! The outside is made of fiberglass that will have to be replaced over the years. The frame itself is constructed of galvanized steel which, to put it in Jami's words, will be there longer than we want it to :)

This is the inside of the green house, taken standing just outside the door. You can see how well the frame was built and the old plant hanging gives you a little perspective of the height of the structure. The built in selves are about a foot deep and go around both sides and the back. They're covered with wood which is OK for now, but when they're reading to go I think I'll cover it with something like chicken wire to allow the water to flow from the pots easier. I can also add a fan in the little square on the top middle of the back wall for more air flow if needed during our hot summers. Jami's dad was nice enough to haul in some clay/dirt and level the ground underneath. Since it doesn't have a floor in it, he also brought some old conveyor belt to put down so I won't be in the mud. He's such a nice pa-in-law; he also plowed the garden for me!

Looking out of the door you can see the bed liners we repurposed as bottom shelves. The footers on this thing have it raised up about 5" from the ground so there's an air flow around the entire bottom of it. By placing the pieces of bed liner from tailgates it totally blocks the air and makes for some mighty fine shelving.... even if it doesn't look the prettiest. For the front and rear open spots, we've temporarily placed boards to block wind. Of course I've already been told about 5 times that they will rot away in no time, but they're from an old deck that a friend tore down so I really don't give a flip if they do or not! I've got plenty more stashed out back! You can also see where it's wired up (the horizontal line running from by the door to the window). It's got the switch for the heat lamp (you can see that in the previous picture) and an electrical socket with a water proof cover.

This is looking to the other side of the door. You can see the gap I was talking about very well. This side also has wood blocking the wind for now because I have my pots sitting in the corner and a shelving unit with cover for my fertilizers and such in front of them. The black hose is a soaker hose that will probably come down since it doesn't allow for optimum watering. I don't suggest watering your potted plants this way (putting down a soaker hose in a flower bed is great, though) because not all of your plants are going to need the same amount of water at the same time. It's best to get a watering wand and water your plants as needed.

We moved in the outdoor plants this past Saturday as our first real cold weather came in that night (yea, the first frost for us was in December this year and it got down to 32*.... very chilly for us!!). I checked the temperature around 10am and it was holding a steady 70* inside the building! I'll definitely be planting some seeds early this year!!

Back from Vacation and Unscathed by the storm!

Since I don't have a whole lot going on in the crafting sector right now (at least that I can talk about) I'm going to take you on a little tour of our vacation! I'm going to do this in segments since I have a crap ton of pictures and learned a lot of interesting things while there! Enjoy!

We made it to Puerto Rico on Saturday, August 15 just as I was starting to get sick! Don't worry, I doped myself up with Vitamin C and was able to head it off pretty well (Emergen-C is a wonderful thing to keep on hand!). The main thing we were worried about was if we would have to come home early because of the storm headed our way. The first couple of nights were spend on the far East coast of Puerto Rico in Fajardo... right where that storm was headed! Luckily for us it took a turn and headed farther North than expected! It actually only rained on us one day the entire week!

So... on to the lovely pictures!! I have a copy of our friends pictures and will hopefully remember to bring them in with me- she's got a lovely camera ;)

This was the hubb's first time flying and he was just a bit nervous! I was a bit congested and looking like poo. I can't tell you how afraid I was that someone would think I had the dreaded swine flu and tell me I couldn't get on that flight!! I had it all worked out, though, and decided I would suffocate before I started hacking and coughing in the airport or on that plane!

These are the coffee-holic friends we went with Chelsea and Kevin. You know how you get tired of being around some people within a day or so? Not these two! They're such sweeties. Jami and Kevin have been friends since the womb and he's the guy that married us!

And here's little Lyle all ready and anxious to go. He was super stoked about getting to go to an island! This was just before taking off at the Atlanta Airport which, by the way, is the busiest airport in the world!

As we started getting over the Atlantic Ocean, my dear husband started freaking (only minor). I think the realization that we were not only in the air, but out in the middle of the ocean, got to him just a little!


So here's the fix- an ice cold Heineken in his very own coozie!








Once we landed, got our luggage and the car it was time to get some grub! I had read about the food in Puerto Rico and about the many food stand along the roads, but I was truely blown away at the number of them! They are literally on every corner and every where in between. The majority of them are nothing more than what you would see at a BBQ cookoff! Something like this (note: this is just a reference picture found by a google search) They would have their trucks backed up to the tent to sit on and the open grill cooking anything from pinchos (kabobs) to lechón asado (whole pigs on a rotisserie). The other half is tiny outdoor resuarants with minimal seating. This type of roadside food was the first thing we tried. Just East of San Juan we stopped at Fat Boys, where we plunged into the Puerto Rican culture. As we walked up Fat Boy and both of his parents were sitting on the patio deep in conversation. As soon as they saw they had customers they all stood, smiling ear to ear. I have never felt so welcomed into a place before! His parents spoke very, very little broken English and he had about as much knowledge of English as I do Spanish. We managed to communicate very well despite the language barrier. He was extrememly patient and friendly with us as we asked 21 questions about everything on the small menu. He even gave us samples of several things so we would know better about what we were ordering (which, apparently, is a very common thing down there!).
If only I could remember the names of the food we ate there!! We all had tostones (plantains deep fried, then mashed, then deep fried again- they use these as we do french fries) as a side with our meals. Kevin and I had pork tenderloin seasoned with something amazing (he wouldn't give his secret away to my little grill master), Jami had pork sausage, and Chelsea had some sort of steak. We all sampled each others plates and agreed that this was a meal fit for royalty!



Starting at the center, clockwise: mine, Chealsea's, Kevin's and Jami's.

It's also strange is that the canned drinks only come in 10 oz cans instead of the 12 oz I'm used to!

More to come in the next installment!!

3 years and counting! Ah, wedded bliss!

So, seeing as how this is a wonderful day for me and I'm stuck at work for it, I figured I'd write a mushy little entry! The hubbs and I have been married for 3 years as of today... and we haven't killed each other yet! Ha!

Let me give you a piece of history of us.... way back when (I was in 7th grade and he was in 9th) he was my little sweetheart. We were "going together" through Christmas time and he gave me a sweet little locket in which he put the cutest little picture of himself! In return I gave him a necklace with an eagle (well get back to this later). Anyhoot, like most young puppy loves, we eventually broke up, but I still watched for him around campus and in the halls... just pining away! I eventually moved back to my hometown (which really, wasn't a move at all... 20 miles) and lost all contact with him. Several years later I ran into his sister at her work and we chatted a bit. "See that girl over there?" she said. "That's Jami's fiance." AH! My poor little heart was just as broken as if she had said that the day after we broke up!! Oh, well, it was just a little kiddie crush.

One day I was cleaning up my junk and came across that little locket. I opened it and stared at the little picture for a while. Then I remembered his sister telling me he was engaged to be married. I threw the locket away. Now here's the killer. One month later- I shit you not, one month- I saw him at a bar in town. I was standing in the ever long line to the ladies room and out he walked from the men's room. He looked right at me.
"Jami.... is that you??"
"Yea, Jenna???"
"Aren't you married?" I wanted to go ahead and get this question RIGHT out of the way!!
"Nope!" ALLLLLRIGHT!!!!!!!! I'm sure he could see the excitement in my eyes! He was even better looking than I had remembered! Those bright blue eyes, that yummy tan skin. Oh, I could eat him up! As for that engagement... she apparently had some super snakes and he had broken up with her shortly after I had talked with his sister.

Sooo.... he said to find him when I came back out and that I did! I grabbed another drink and went on the prowl. We hung out the entire rest of the night, and he took me home. I *accidentally* left my hat in the backseat of his car so that he would have to call me the next day to get it. ;) We've been inseparable ever since!!!

Oh, and that necklace I gave him... his mom found it a few just a few weeks ago and it's hanging from our truck's rear view mirror. We car pool with it everyday! Man I love that guy.

And just to make this a wee more mushy, here's a picture from the best day of our lives!!


We'll be leaving for a week vacation this Friday. Kind of a mix between an anniversary vacation and a couples vacation! See that guy behind us in the picture? That's Jami's best friend who married us (no, he's no preacher of any sort!) and who we're going on vacation with! Many, many pictures to come!

Brewing a concoction

I'm trying to make something to help Jami with his psoriasis. I think this mix is going to be pretty darn good for it and I can probably use it on other things as well. I've had the herbs steeping in olive oil in a western window for almost 2 weeks now. I'm about ready to make my stuff, all I need is bees wax. I'm not going to elaborate on this because I may send some in a swap package and I'd hate to spoil the whole surprise!