Garden Update

The garden is growing like crazy! Tony’s garden is growing fast too, or so I hear. I haven’t seen it since the first of June and would like to go over and take a look for myself.

Juliet Hybrid

I’ve picked a few of the sweet 100 tomatoes, which are the really small ones – like cherry tomatoes; and I’ve also picked one of the Juliet hybrids, which are a little bigger. One of the large tomatoes was almost ready for picking when an animal started eating it. I think the problem is squirrels and I’ve got to get some netting to put around the plants. I had this problem last year too and thought it was a rabbit, but now I think it is squirrels.

Sweet 100s

Saturday when I looked out the door, I noticed what I thought was a green tomato laying beside the garden in the yard. Sure enough, when I walked out there, it was a green tomato with teeth marks in it. I guess a squirrel picked it off the vine and started to take it off, only to abandon it in the yard. I imagine it was a bit too big for the squirrel. Yesterday when I got home from work, I looked out and two tomatoes were lying by the fence. These squirrels are getting really brave, I’ll tell ya. So, one of the projects for this weekend is to buy some netting so that I may be able to enjoy at least one tomato before the season’s out.

Tomato - captured and attacked by a squirrel

I’ve also already picked a jalapeño and used it in some salsa I made this past weekend. There’s a bell pepper that will soon be ready and a couple of more jalapeños will soon be ready as well.

So, that’s the garden update for today and of course, here are a few more photos of The Tide, just for Candy.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

I wanted to share of couple of things with you that I really love right now. Of course, my love affair with these things could wane at any time, but for now I really like them and want you to like them too.

Gigi’s cupcakes are really yummy. When Gigi’s first opened in the fall, I admit, I wasn’t thrilled about the cupcakes. Being a baker myself, I thought the cupcakes weren’t that great. The first time Tony and I had a cupcake from there was right before they were closing on a Tuesday night and I had a chocolate and he had the Boston Crème. I really didn’t want chocolate, but since it was closing time and that’s all they had to chose from, that’s what I was stuck with and I didn’t like it all that well.

I decided to give them another try and liked it so much better the second time around and I have been back many more times. The cupcakes are a little expensive at $3.00 each, but when I want a treat and don’t want to bake a whole pan of something, I will stop by there and get a cupcake… or two.

This past Saturday, after doing the grocery shopping and saving more money than I anticipated, I decided to stop in to Gigi’s to see what they had to offer. The menu changes every day and they also have flavors of the day which are not on the daily menu. Well, to my surprise they had a lot of my favorites and Tony’s favorite too (Boston Crème). So, I bought four. By the time I took the photos below, I had already eaten one of the cupcakes. The icing is a bit much and I usually don’t even eat half of it. Gigi’s is located on Whitesburg Drive in Huntsville and they have other locations in other cities as well. The next time you’re looking to treat yourself stop in and pick up a cupcake – you will be pleasantly surprised.

Boston Creme (bottom left)

Red Velvet (top right)

Tiramisu (bottom right)

The other favorite thing I wanted to tell you about are these new candies from Wonka, well, actually Nestle, since Nestle makes Wonka candies. They are called Wonka Exceptionals Fruit Marvels and they are delightful! I saw these when I was checking out at Wal-Mart last week and I decided to grab a tin to try. I don’t know what it is about the candies at the check out but if there is a new gum or candy that catches my eye, I will always get it. So, I picked these up and had forgotten about them until Sunday morning when I was sitting in church. I opened them up and the first surprise was how large they were. I thought they were going to be much smaller than they actually were. The second surprise was when I put them in my mouth and realized I had discovered a wonderful treat and my new favorite non-chocolate candy.

The outer shell is a hard candy with a sugar dusting and inside is a chewy morsel. Seriously, I didn’t think I would be able to stop eating these they were that good. I picked up the pomegranate flavor, but they also come in tangerine. I haven’t seen these at other stores yet so look for them at Wal-Mart and try not to eat the whole tin in one setting. I dare ya!

Monday Movie Review - Grown Ups

Last night Tony and I went to see Grown Ups, starring Adam Sandler, David Spade, Chris Rock, Kevin James, and Rob Schneider.

Tony and I both love Adam Sandler. He has been one of my favorites for a long time. His old movies, although at times crass, are absolutely hilarious I think. No matter how many times I watch them I always end up laughing. His newer movies are equally as good, even with a more grown up (no pun intended) tone. He’s also very believable as a serious actor in movies such as Spanglish and Funny People. I’ve seen almost ever Adam Sandler movie and have never been disappointed; so, I was excited about seeing this film.

I had seen a lot of reviews prior to the film saying that this one was a bust. As I’ve mentioned on here before, a lot of times, movies with ensemble casts are often not that great; so, I wasn’t sure what to expect and went in hoping that the film would have more laughs than just the scenes from the previews.

As soon as the movie started, I was laughing and I didn’t stop until the film ended. Overall, there’s not a strong plot throughout the film, but it was fun to watch and a great film to see if you want to just go and have a good time. Watching this film is literally like watching a bunch of friends get together and have a good time and I could see this gang of friends ending up together at the lake every summer. This was also a good family movie. There were lots of kids and teenagers when we went and there really isn’t a lot of swearing in the film, which makes it a great movie night for the whole family. If you’re looking for a good laugh this upcoming holiday weekend, check out this film; you will not be disappointed.

Tony's take: pretty good.

When Life Gives You Lemons

Well, folks, I’m sad to inform ya’ll that my and Jackie’s trip to Atlanta this week has been cancelled. It seems that it just wasn’t in the stars for us to go, or I guess it was all part of God’s plan, or something along these lines.

Yesterday, Jackie’s was informed by her ex that he wouldn’t be able to keep their kids because he was planting crops. We thought we may have to cancel; but thankfully, Jackie’s parents’ came through and agreed to keep the kiddos for her so she could enjoy a weekend away and so the trip was back on.

This morning, not long after I arrived at work, I got an email from my friend Virginia. Virginia and I were sorority sisters at Alabama and we were planning to stay at her house for the weekend. She and her husband and their kids were going to go to Six Flags with us and we were all going to have a large time. Virginia’s email informed me that Mike’s grandmother passed away last night and so they had to cancel on us.

So, apparently, as I said, it just wasn’t in the stars for us to head east and enjoy ourselves this weekend. I am very sad for Mike. Ya’ll please keep his family in your prayers. Apparently his grandmother had been sick for a while and at least she is now no longer suffering; but it is still very hard to loose a loved one.

Of course, selfishly, I’m also sad for Jackie and me because we were looking forward to having a weekend of no obligations and lots of roller coasters; but, we will reschedule and do it another weekend later this summer; so, we’ll be okay.

Funny, the first thing that crossed my mind when I got this news (after feeling sad for Mike, mind you) was, “what am I going to cook for dinner this weekend?” Does this consume the thoughts of anyone else or is it just me? I swear it seems as soon as I’m finished with one meal, I start thinking about the next, and I only have two mouths to feed – technically only one mouth since Tony and I are neither married nor live together. But, since he eats the majority of his dinners at my house, it’s two. I was really looking forward to not cooking for anyone this weekend and now it seems I need to intimately study the Publix weekly deals and plan some menus. Any suggestions?

So, now my weekend will be filled with yard work and cooking and cleaning and all the other fun things I do on the weekends. I hope to catch a small reprieve and possibly hit the pool with Jackie and the kiddos this weekend… that is if it doesn’t rain.

Jiminy Crickets and Other Ramblings

I feel like I work at a bait and tackle store these days and this is no exaggeration. I don’t know what it is about the office area where I work but it seems to be infested with crickets and other sorts of wonderful bugs and the incessant chirping is about to drive me batty. It also makes me wonder if this bug invasion is what led me to be sick last week. Who knows; maybe I should just catch these critters and hand them over to my dad so they can be swallowed by a Tennessee River bream; which I can then in turn eat. Hmmm…

In other news, I took down the curtains in my bedroom over the weekend and washed them along with my bed skirt and the blinds in my bedroom. My bedroom has a door that leads to my front porch which I never used but I cleaned the doors and what do you know it’s like a whole new view. I guess I didn’t realize it was so filthy. Let me tell you when you own a house it seems the work is never done. There’s always something else around the corner that needs repaired or cleaned or cut or painted or you get the picture. I’m exhausted just thinking about it all.

What are ya’ll watching on TV this summer? I’m still watching Deadliest Catch, one of my most favorite shows of all time, and I have a feeling that this week is the episode where Captain Phil dies, and I just know I’ll be crying like a baby. I just love that man. There shouldn’t be many more episodes left, which makes me sad, but there’s always next season.

I have also started watching a show on NBC called Persons Unknown. The previews for this show intrigued me and so I recorded the first episode to watch and haven’t missed one yet. I am hooked. The show is about a group of people that have been kidnapped and taken to a remote location. They cannot escape and they do not know why they are there. Every week there is so new twist and turn to the plot and I literally cannot wait for the next episode to come out. I’m not sure if this show is getting good ratings or not, but I will be highly upset if NBC pulls the plug. It comes on Monday’s at 9:00 p.m. Central and if you want to catch up on the first three episodes, check them out here.

I also started watching the reruns of Glee, which are awesome. I don’t know why I didn’t start watching this when it came out last fall, probably because I figured Tony would make fun of me; but readers, this show is really fun!

I love Sun Chips, but the new bag is too loud and it’s rather annoying. You definitely can’t sneak around eating those.

LeTour de France starts one week from Friday and my prediction is a win by Frank Schleck. I think Tony is going with Contador (aka Pistolero) this year. Regardless of who wins I am looking forward to seeing Dore Holte run alongside the cyclists on the mountain stages. I sure hope he’s there.

Well, I guess that will do it for random thoughts today. Jackie and I are headed to Atlanta on Thursday for an adventure at Six Flags and who knows what else; maybe a baseball game. I’m not sure if I’ll be back with you tomorrow; but if not, I hope everyone enjoys their week and weekend and I’ll catch up with you next week!

Happy Father's Day

Me and my Daddy after an Alabama victory at LSU!

I hope all the father’s out there had a Happy Father’s Day! Every year for the past three or four years, I have cooked meatloaf for my dad on Father’s Day. I realize that meatloaf may not sound like a delicious dish to most people out there; but my dad loves the meatloaf I make. Since no one else in the family really likes it, he requests the dish every year on Father’s Day and I guess you could say it’s become a bit of a tradition.

My dad’s parents, my mom’s dad, my parents, brother and I all enjoyed lunch together which also included, creamed potatoes, fried squash, green beans, coleslaw, cornbread, and deviled eggs. It was a really good meal if I do say so myself! I meant to take photos of everything and everyone but I wasn’t feeling great yesterday and just wasn’t up to taking photos.

What about everyone else? Do any of you have any Father’s Day traditions? I suppose because there are a lot of absentee dads out there, Father’s Day doesn’t get as much respect as Mother’s Day. So, I just want to give a shout out to my dad, Steve, who is the best father a girl could ask for! He has taught me so much and is always there when I need him. I have been blessed to have such a loving, caring father in my life and I hope all of you have the same.

It's A Rather Boring Week

Hello Readers! There’s not much going on in the life of Nat these days. This past weekend was busy, but mostly with errands and cooking and cleaning and mowing the lawn, which you all probably do as well and therefore don’t need to read about.

In other news, I’m sick with a sinus infection, or at least I’m pretty sure that’s what it is. I use the Neti Pot every day, which I’m obsessed with; and ever since using it every day, I’ve not had one sinus infection until now. I coughed on the way to the gym Saturday morning and had a feeling something was coming on; I realize that sounds strange but we all know our bodies pretty well I think. Yesterday was the onset of the first sinus infection of 2010; thank you heat and humidity! So, I’m headed to the doctor this afternoon to confirm my suspicion and hopefully get some drugs.

My friend Erika told me today that she heard you were not supposed to use the Neti Pot every day. So, I guess I’ll have to cut back my usage and see how that goes. In the meantime, I have a stuffy head and want to be sleeping right now.

Since there may not be much material this week on the Chronicles of Nat, I thought I would pass along some other sites for you to peruse.

Word To The Mot is written by Jackie’s niece Brooke, who is living in France for the summer. She’s updating everyone on her adventures there – try not to get too jealous. Leave her a comment of encouragement; I’m sure she would appreciate it.

Culinary Concoctions by Peabody is a food blog that Erika introduced me to a while back and has lots of yummy desserts as well as a witty story to go along with each dessert. Call me crazy, but I think if I met Peabody in “real life” we would be great friends.

My Milk Toof is another blog Erika introduced me too; it’s a little odd, but in a good way and you may find it as interesting as we did.

Stuff White People Like is a site I came across a year or so ago and it totally cracks me up. Go back and take a look at all the past entries and tell me it’s not true!

I hope to be back to regularly scheduled blogging this week. Maybe there will be something noteworthy to tell you about. In the meantime, check out these sites and recommend some others in the comments section and have a great week!