Keeping Busy

I started cooking this afternoon and Don came right in and took over, and started telling me what I was doing wrong. Here he is cooking porkchops with rice, tomatoes, onions, and bell pepper.
He loves the new knife we bought - if there's chopping involved, I can't keep him out of the kitchen.
We let this bake for one hour and it was scrumptous!
My friend Mary Rose was in town recently and I told her how much Sam and Jack like Thomas the Train. When she went home she made them each a precious pillowcase with Thomas material. Ashley and I delivered the pillows to the boys today and they were a big hit. This is Jack with his flyaway hair riding his pillow like a horse.
Sam enjoying his pillow.
Ashley and I ended the evening with a very cold walk. The wind was blowing so hard I found it difficult to breathe. She wouldn't cut me any slack and made me continue until she was finished!

On occasion Don will tell the kids stories of his first job working at a pizza shop in Pensacola. He made pizzas and delivered them to the Navy base and to sailors on the Navy vessels that came into the port. After we ran errands yesterday and checked in on the repairs to Ed's house in Lakeview, we came home and Don made three pizzas for dinner. They were pretty and delicious too!
Checking out the home repair project.

How do you say New Orleans!

Getting started...This evening the family got together to boil crabs for Ed and Roxanne who are visiting from San Francisco. Mark, Tiffany's fiance, did the boiling and although I did not eat any crabs, I heard over and over again how fabulous they were! We also had po-boys, chips and dip, brownies, and king cake. Everyone had a good time visiting, especially the little girls, Kaitlyn, Savannah, and Emma.
Boilin' at its best.
Ready for eating - oohh, they smell devine!
Blue Plate Mayo on a ham and cheese po-boy - gotta love that!
Hugs for G.G. (my mother) from Emma and Savannah.
Emma in her favorite spot, Uncle Donnie's lap! Don had a great day and loved having everyone over. He worked so hard getting everything ready for the boil. Later in the evening I was outside emptying crab trays and saw him through the window cleaning the kitchen!!! He's got more energy than all of us - that's gotta be a good thing!
Savannah and Kaitlyn enjoying a snuggle.
Steaming hot boiled crabs spread out on newspaper outside, and po-boys and king cake inside - New Orleans at it's best!

Ed and Roxanne
Douglas getting ready to eat!
Drew and Larry putting a dent in the crab population!

Newly engaged, Lorie and Chad.
My brother and sister-in-law, Larry and Kathy.

Spring Fever

Today Don and Drew worked on reconstructing our barbeque pit. Don built it many years ago and it needs some attention or it will fall in on itself soon! Can you believe it's early January and they are both in shorts. It's so warm here that my bushes think it's spring and they are sprouting their new growth. I know we had one day of winter this season because it snowed...other than that, I think it's been a mostly warm and muggy season...we're over it and ready for spring.

Running Some Errands...

This morning we got up and I told Don we had some errands to run. I had to go to the grocery to restock after the holiday cooking. I didn't tell him we also had to go to the mall. He HATES the mall, so I figured I would tell him once we were on our way! We happily headed out to "pick up a few things" at the grocery.
First things first, we had to get some gas or we were not going anywhere. Getting gas these days is not nearly as painful as it used to be.
Oh Lord, this was his face when I told him I had to go to the mall to pick up a shower gift for Drew. It's was 10:00 AM and the shower was for 2:00 PM - and Drew had not yet gotten the gift. I always enjoy a trip to the mall and getting some walking in is good for Don, so I offered to pick up the gift. That does not look like a happy face.
Shake to go! Luckily he was prepared and had taken a shake with him.
Then he found a nice place to relax while I shopped ~ he was happy again!

We Live in a Dog House

I fixed the required New Year's Day lunch today, black-eyed peas and cabbage along with sweet potato casserole, brisket, seven layer salad, cornbread, dinner rolls and lots of desserts. Drew's friends, Paul and Tori, flew in from Pennsylvania and joined us for the day. We enjoyed our meal together, talked, laughed and had a good time. When I finished cleaning the kitchen, this is what greeted me when I wanted to go rest in the den...something is wrong with this picture!!! I think there were some scraps involved in these holiday comas!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Happy New Year to our family and friends ~ we wish you a happy, healthy 2009!!! Don and I stayed home and celebrated the 27th Anniversary of our first date...the night he told me he did not want to get serious!!! Little did I know he was right ~ after all we have been through, he still makes me laugh!!