Camping Ree Style

No, we didn't let her sleep outside in the hammock. That would require one of us to join her and that just ain't happening. She likes to lay here in the evenings when the sun disappears behind the trees.

G's Summer

Wondering what G is up to this summer? He's been quite the busy boy. He bought his first car, with Popo's help. It needs a new engine, so it's a work in progress. He bought new tires & rims for it this week.

He's played a couple of band "gigs." We're going to his 3rd performance next weekend.

Lastly.....he pierced his lip. Not with anyone's permission, just on his own. Here are some pictures of his adventures.

Greek-Style Shrimp Pasta

2 tsp. olive oil
1 lb. raw shrimp, peeled & de-veined
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 small jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained
1 package reduced fat crumbled feta
1/4 cup toasted pinenuts
2/3 cup half & half
cracked pepper, to taste
1/2 box fettuccini noodles, cooked

In a large pan, heat the olive oil on medium heat. Add the shrimp and garlic, cook for 2 minutes stirring frequently. Add the rest of the ingredients (except the pasta) and continue to cook until the shrimp are done and the half & half has reduced, about 4-5minutes. Drain the pasta and add to the pan, stir to combine.

Serves 4-5 people.

I love how fast this dish comes together. It's one of our favorites.

Sprayin'

Like most dogs, Addie loves to drink from the hose. Ree likes to play with the sprayer, so they make a good team!

Flowers From Our Yard

A Joining of Two Fish Tanks

Last night at like 8:30 Hammie comes running up the stairs saying "Daddy, Mommy come quick Ree....Ree um....Ree....um...." Bill ran down the stairs. Once his feet hit the bottom of the stairs Ree came flying up and flew down the hall to her room. Seriously, her little feet did not touch the floor. I watched.

Miss Ree had dumped about 1/4 of a big can of fish food into the downstairs tank. Sound familiar? This is the first time she's done it, but it's the 3rd time such an event has happened in the past 2 years. This was the first time they've been able to reach it since the last time it happened. Bill had forgotten to bring it back to it's top-shelf spot the night before.

Bill went on his usual tirade of how sick he is of the fish tanks, now the fish were going to die, blah. Then Hammie started saying he didn't want the fish to die, please save the fish, blah. So we trudged downstairs. I brought a doubled-up sack to put the imitation Parthenon in so that Bill could catch the fish without them all ducking in as though some fancy fish event was about to happen inside it. Although, come to think of it....there was what appeared to be a confetti shower going on inside that tank. A confetti shower to rival the New Year's Eve ball drop in Times Square.

Bill managed to catch all of the fish and they seem to be getting along with the upstairs crowd. The silver lining to the whole unfortunate event is that my favorite plecostamus is now back where he belongs. He moved downstairs for some reason, I can't really remember why.

So, time will tell about the downstairs tank. I'm not sure if it will be rehab'd or not.

Walking Down a Healthier Road

First of all.....I'm still working at uploading video from the concert. I think I have to load it via a third party like Photobucket, then link to it from my blog. If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear 'em. It's only 1:44 worth of video, for Pete's sake.

The other thing we're working on here is eating better and getting on a consistent exercise routine. When I say we, I mainly mean Bill and I. However, we're also taking steps to get Miss Ree to jump on the veggie/fruit bandwagon. Such as, no you may not have any frozen yogurt until you have eaten some grapes, carrots, or apple. She's not super excited about it, but she's playing along.

Bill thinks a lot of my headache issues are related to the preservatives in processed food. So we're working to cut them out pretty much completely. I've done it before. I went on a major health kick before and during Ree and Hammie's pregnancy. I know once I get going I'll feel so much better that I won't miss it.

It's exciting to see how much Bill is into it. It's weird, but good, to see him eating vanilla yogurt with 1/2 an orange mixed in. About the only way I've been able to get him to eat fruit in the past is to blend it into a smoothie! Last night he made little individual veggie cups with raw broccoli, carrots, and two colors of bell pepper. Surprisingly filling!

Anyway, I hope this becomes a new way of life for us. No worries, I'll still bake treats (since I will know what's going into them), there will just be more healthy stuff to the right and left of them.