It's been quite a while, hasn't it? I'm sorry for the lack of posts. Sadly, I start out most of my entries with some sort of apology. I am terrible!
I'm sure you're tired of staring at those roasted carrots. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures to share this time around. "We" (a.k.a. Sean) lost the USB cord to our digital camera making it more difficult for me to upload pictures to my computer. So I'll just have to paint pictres with my words. Since it's already past my bed time, I give you a quick run-down.
1) Tomatoes. Well, they died. I transplanted my beautiful green seedlings to a 5 gallon pot and the poor things toasted. I swear we watered them! And I planted them in special organic mushroom compost. So, I've decided never to try seeds again. Next year we'll just cheat like everyone else does and buy a plant. In other gardening news, my basil (which was BEAUTIFUL) decided to take a turn for the worse. Some disgusting insect made its way into our home and began feasting on the basil. It was also laying clusters of tiny black eggs on the underside of the leaves. We banished the basil to the back deck and he's not looking so good these days.
2) Weather. Still Hot. Still lovin' it. I had a dream that the trees were turning colors and it made me sad. I know the cooler fall weather hasn't arrived yet, but I'm already getting depressed just thinking about it. I folded up my white pants and bathing suits to put them away for the winter, and there was just so much sadness in my heart.
3) Neighbors. Sean and I were invited to hang out with our cool neighbors again, and they shared with us that they're having a baby. They also want to introduce us to another young couple that moved to the neighborhood. Our little street is turning out to be a pretty cool place to live. We also discovered our new community center. It was remodeled and has been open for a year, but we were never brave enough to check it out. Finally, we gave it a shot and I really love it. They have belly dancing classes on Saturdays that I definitely want to try. There's also an indoor pool, track, basketball court, and work out facility that's full of brand new equipment. And to top it all off, a community garden full of veggies, herbs and flowers. I am so impressed!
4) Vacation. Over Labor Day weekend, I took a girls trip with my very good friend Sherri and another friend of ours Jennifer. We made the 8 hour drive down to Destin and enjoyed the sand and sun for 3 days. We barely had to leave the resort because there was so much for us to do. We did get out a couple of times to try out some local restaurants - we had so much good food! I managed to get a nasty sunburn on my back (only because I didn't apply any type of sunblock). I also got to visit with Ken, and it was good to catch up with him for a night.
5) Movies. Most recently Netflix sent us Notes on a Scandal starring Dame Judy Dench (love her!) It was a pretty intense kind of mind-freak movie. I enjoyed it, although I found myself wishing someone would get murdered. Does that make me sick? I just felt like the movie was lacking...something. I don't know why I felt that way. The whole movie was full of scandal.
6) Books. I finished Eat Pray Love, and if you haven't read it then you SERIOUSLY need to. now I'm on Water for Elephants. It's interesting so far, and I expect it to get even better. Right now I'm still in the "I don't totally know what's going on, but I'm going to keep reading..." phase. I'll let you know if I make it to the end. Sometimes I don't always continue. If a book doesn't grab me, I have no problem putting it down and never touching it again.
7) Cooking. Probably the one thing I actually do enjoy about fall/winter is the food. I love warm, hearty meals like roasts and stews. And since our social calendar slows down during this time of year, it allows me to get back into the kitchen and try some new things. Today while reading my Southern Living collection, I got really excited about making Chicken 'n Dumplins. It's one of my all-time favorite meals, so I hope I can do it justice. Last Spring when I had surgery, the first meal they served me was Chicken 'n Dumplins for lunch. I had only been out of surgery for maybe an hour or 2, and I couldn't even hold my eyes open. But I remember being excited about the food! Sean had to hand feed me dumplins, and I remember thinking, "Oh yes, God does love me!"
8) Family. Today was my Mimi's 80th Birhday and we had a small party for her at her church in Murfreesboro. She's still going strong! She wore a birthday tiara and a pink feather boa, which suited her nicely. She's always been a princess at heart. Brenda & Ab came up from Alabama, and Hope brought her baby John Abner who I had never met before (even though he's almost 1). He is plump and adorable and has cute curly hair. On the other side of the family, my Nonnie is recovering from a hip replacement surgery. I really need to get down there this week and take care of her. I haven't talked to her in almost a week. The first week after the surgery, she was flooded with food and visitors. Now that they have probably died off, I need to get down there and help her out. And finally, my mother-in-law had her first booth at a bridal show today. Her company, Belles Fleur, is custom wedding designs, so I hope the bridal show drums up good business for her.
Mr. Grasshopper. Also giant, but not deadly.
