Technology Discoveries of the Week

1.  Podcast Discovery - iTunes Celebrity Playlist - I love reading celebrity playlists on iTunes, but the podcast of this feature takes it up a notch.  It basically consists of this:  A celebrity makes a playlist and explains why they picked each song after playing a short clip.  I have been reminded of some tunes I had forgotten, but also found some new music!  I enjoyed listening to The Fray's playlist this week - they introduced me to some Peter Gabriel songs I hadn't heard.

2.  App Discovery - Skygazer - When I look at the sky, I think all stars are either Orion's Belt or the Big Dipper.  Those times are about to change!  I downloaded Skygazer for my iPhone & it is amazing!  It uses your location from the GPS and the compass to show you a picture of what stars should be in front of your eyes & what the names of the constellations are.  Orion would actually be in my vision right now if the sun weren't out.  I am very excited about this app!

3.  Post Discovery - Old Fashioned Floats - The Kitchn website posted an amazing article yesterday about different types of ice cream floats to make!  And after reading the post, I am dying to have a float party.  I must make a Purple Cow soon...... Be sure to read the comments section - people had a lot of delicious ideas to contribute!

Becoming an Organic Farmer

Rowdy's new career aspiration is to be an organic farmer.  Since he has never planted anything edible, we thought it might be a good idea to start experimenting with vegetable gardening before he leaves the law office forever.  We live in the trees and have no space in the ground to plant, so we are attempting container gardening on our porch!  We have a successful herb garden out there that Rowdy's mom put together for us last summer.  We started squash, tomatoes, cilantro, and strawberries from their seeds and I am happy to report that everything has come up except the strawberries (I think I missed the season).  All 3 successful plants showed signs of growth after in 10-12 days.  We are going to plant beans and eggplant this weekend - they are supposed to be easy!  I had no idea I would enjoy this so much, but I look forward to checking on my plants and nurturing them each day.

 Our little helper

Gaye Gaye also bought us a super book  - Easy Container Combos: Vegetables and Flowers.  The woman who wrote it tried over a thousand ways to plant vegetables and flowers & gives wonderful basic instructions with pictures.  I still have a lot of questions, but this has been a great starting point!  I don't know if we will save money or even produce plants that are superior to anything we can buy, but I love working with my hands outdoors in a productive way.  More updates to follow...

Our squash at 3 weeks.... the bottom 2 are the failed strawberries. 

I Miss Cassette Tapes

On my way home from work recently, I heard two beats of a song I probably haven't listened to in 20 years.  Yet, I found myself belting out every lyric (even the back up singers echos) to Out of the Blue by Debbie Gibson.  And when it was over, I waited in my head for Foolish Beat to be the 2nd track on the tape (didn't that song totally sound like Wham's Careless Whisper?).  I love my iPod and even CDs, but I love the bonding cassette tapes provide.  You knew the order of the whole tape, how much space was between each song, and the lyrics to even the worst quality songs artists could put out.  And your friends knew them the same way too.  The iPod has caused me to be so lazy about my music - I really listen to the same set of songs over and over because I don't want to push through and get used to something new. 

Anyway, here are the 3 tapes I probably know in my sleep (I did not include any soundtracks in the list - maybe for another day?):

1.  Paula Abdul - Forever Your Girl - I am not an American Idol person, but I loved some Paula back in the day.  The Way That You Love Me is my personal fav, but Straight Up was amazing too.

2.  JJ Fad - Supersonic - "We are the home chicks that are rockin' your world" - I remember staying up until 5 am playing the original Mario Brothers on mute and listening to this over and over.  I just got a sick slumber party feeling thinking about that. 

3.  Bangles - Different Light - I made my mom wake me up to this by pushing play on Monday mornings because I wanted to hear..... Manic Monday.  I do love a theme.  I was extremely outraged that year because U2's, With or Without You beat out Walk Like an Egyptian for the #1 song of the year.  And Sledgehammer by Peter Gabriel had beat it out for the #1 video.  What a wasted New Year's Eve of countdowns... Oddly enough, I now listen to Peter Gabriel and U2 on a very regular basis... and hardly ever pick the Bangles.... hmmmmm. 

Honorable Mention:  Belinda Carlisle, Belinda; Bryan Adams, Reckless; and Madonna, True Blue

What cassettes do you miss??

Biographies

My last round of reading included two enjoyable biographies - I recommend both highly for different reasons.  Jumping Through Fires by David Nassar is a story of an Iranian/Alabamian's journey into Christianity.  I love reading people's stories, but this one was particularly touching to me because it involved teenagers reaching out to others.

Home Game is written by Michael Lewis (author of the Blind Side and husband of former MTV News Reporter, Tabitha Soren) about being a young father.  I laughed my way through it because I can see so much of Rowdy and myself going through the same trials as new parents.  I particularly enjoyed  reading his thoughts about the question, "How's Dad?", to men when their wife is in labor.  No one cares about the dad - even if they are hungry (or in our case - happen to be wearing uncomfortable shoes).  After watching the Blind Side this week & reading Home Game, I am looking forward to more of Michael Lewis!

Birmingham Golden Birthday

I love Golden Birthdays!  If you are not familiar with the term, it is when you turn an age the same number as your birth date.  I had mine on my 22nd b'day because I was born on the 22nd.  Aunt Sally had hers last week, so we decided to road trip to Birmingham to help her celebrate!  Here are some great things about B'ham:

1.  Turkoyz - This is my favorite jewelry shop ever!  It is located in Brookwood Mall and has simple, but unique pieces for everyday wear.  It is always a hard choice to decide what to get because I usually want about 15 different things.  Here are the cool bird earrings I picked up!

2.  Birmingham Botanical Gardens - I cannot believe this was the 1st time I was able to go here!  Sally talks about this spot often, but I had no idea it was awesome!  We went on the most gorgeous day ever, which probably helped a lot - but I think this place would be amazing any day.  They have several different natural terrians, lots of places to throw out a blanket, paths to stroll or run, a vegetable & herb garden, indoor jungle and desert rooms, and it was free.  I ran out of my favorite type of journal this week and was able to pick up a flowery patterned set at their gift shop - bonus!  Fantastic place.


3.  Ousler's Sandwiches - We had an amazing box lunch at Sally's birthday party at her work.  I wanted a second one.  This place makes chicken salad sandwiches on white bread and deviled eggs that were fab.  Perfect for an antique store golden birthday party.

4.  Aunt Sally - She's our favorite part of Birmingham!  We can't wait to go back and visit her again!

Will I Sleep Tonight?

Here we are on the eve of another Sweet 16 game.  I have listened to entirely too much sports talk radio & am so excited about the big match up with Ohio State - I can barely stand it.  I wish I had ordered that perfect TN basketball shirt I have had my eye on.   Oh well!

This has been a season of drama and excitement in Knoxville from Negedu's heart trouble, the dismissal of Tyler Smith, the Lane Kiffin incident, and suspensions to BIG WINS over Kansas and Kentucky - both #1s.  It may have boosted my love for the basketball Vols to a new level.  Maybe even over football (which I thought would be impossible).  I love that I know each player, I get to watch 2 games a week, and each game doesn't consume a great portion of the day.  This is easy for me to say this year - we'll see if my love is still strong when both teams are excelling.

I thank the seniors Wayne, JP, and Bobby - you made the winter A LOT more fun for me.  The Sneed Family will miss you greatly in 2011.  I love this team and hope they can win it all - which I think they can if Wayne stays out of foul trouble.  

In the words of the great Tony Basilio, "Why not us?  Why not now?"  Please enjoy Wooley's (aka Swiperboy) rap about the Sweet 16 here.  Insert your name at any point to be a Baller Vol.

Running

 

BHS Girls Track 1993

When I am in a running phase - there is nothing like it. My phase started yesterday! I think early spring does it to me. It reminds me of getting ready for track season at BHS - one of my favorite parts of high school. Putting on GOOD running socks and a great pair of shoes... The anticipation of what laid ahead of you at 2:45 in the afternoon was always a little nerve racking - Would the bus be waiting for us to head to Percy Warner Park for an practice of torture? or Would we have a light afternoon of hand-offs and starting blocks? I loved the lazy pace of warm ups, stretching on the football field, and the satisfaction of a good run all done before dinner. Track meets were always a mix of feeling like you were going to throw up and happy exhaustion. They were always satisfying after a good time... The only 3 things I would eat between lunch and finishing my leg of the 4 x 400 would be bananas, Pringles, and grape Gatorade - no Power Bars for this girl! Eye of the Tiger and Gonna Fly Now would be played on my Walkman over and over until my races began - what an iPod could have done for me in those days.

My favorite place to run was McGavock High School in Nashville - it usually meant running under the lights (!!), a big race, warmer weather, and a fast time because it was so late in the season. I think about warming up on the back stretch of that track, hearing the voice of the same starter dramatically call us to our marks, seeing my teammates cheer me on at the 100 mark, hearing Coach Sieganthaler's whistle around the 250 (I could recognize that whistle anywhere), seeing my Dad cheer at the 300, and then feeling the energy deplete as I moved in slow motion towards the glorious finish line. 

I haven't run in 3 years until this week - I am aiming for a 5K at the end of March. Even though I run A LOT slower than I used to - it still feels good to put on a pair of GOOD socks and running shoes.

One Year on Creekside

After living in a one room carriage house for 3.5 years, Rowdy and I relocated to our house on Creekside a year ago today. What an exciting time we have had! This has been such a blessing to live here during this time of being homebound. We have seen all sorts of creatures - from foxes, to turtles, some kind of crazy noise making crane, hawks, neighborhood dogs, beautiful birds (cardinals & hummingbirds are my favs), Cypress Cat, raccoons, deer, armadillo, and possum. Nights are incredible out here too. There is a full moon tonight and it is gorgeous - we sit in the living room with all the lights off on these kind of nights and call it "The Planetarium". The stars are amazing and endless on the moonless evenings. The porches have been a major plus for me - we had not had a place to "knock the paste off" the face and legs since we have been married. I could sit out there all day - too bad it has rained the majority of the last year....

This week we will recount some memories:

1. Youth Group Parties - We have had 2 really fun youth group shindigs "The Un-Prom" (for those of us too young or too old for Prom) - where we saw Phillip climb over the railing and Emily school everyone in darts - the Christmas Party - where we had the "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out" Shooting Gallery, Let Santa Sit on Your Lap, The Moth Christmas Storytelling Hour, and Silent Night charades. Good times.

2. Waking Up in Dollywood - We decided to move VERY quickly (like 3 days) and with the help of our friends and my mom we got it all done in about one day. We all went to bed exhausted and woke up the next morning to find a surprise SNOW. Because of all of the trees - it really looked like we were in Gatlinburg- it was a magical morning! Rowdy woke Mom and I up pronouncing that we were in Dollywood.

3. Hammock - Rowdy was not very patient trying to feel for Wilson when I was pregnant. But, if we sat in the hammock together he felt lots of kicking and moving! So, we decided we were going to let the baby pick his/her name. We thought Wilson had picked out a girl's name for himself...but apparently he was just kicking to let us know he was a boy...

The Pool

It takes a lot for me to get motivated to put a bathing suit on my pasty self in February... but I did it ... twice. Wilson & I have been a little bored with our surroundings, so I got inspired to take him to our indoor pool at the Y. And I wanted to buy him a little bathing suit. They are beyond adorable. The first time, we all three went and he showed ZERO expression - nothing. And this baby smiles at everything. So, I tried again by myself last Saturday, and we hit the jackpot!! Here's why it was so great:

1. W is way into playing by himself - he likes for me to be there, but he doesn't want to play with me very much. This was a great way for us to interact in a play setting instead of something functional. And he let me hold him tightly the whole time... I am getting less snuggling these days.

2. He LOVED watching the other children (and flirting with the lifeguards)- I hadn't pictured that - but he sat in my arms for 15 minutes and just laughed, smiled, and looked. They also have a lot of things that shoot water in the kids section of our pool - he liked seeing all of that action too!

3. Balls/Floats - He loved swimming together to capture a ball and then holding it for a little while before he let go again. They also had a fabulous float he could sit up in while I toted him around to various parts of the pool. He enjoyed traveling around and seemed to kick a lot under the water. The big surprise is that he did not splash his hands at all. Maybe next time?

This was an awesome way to break up the winter blahs and get us out of the house doing something active! We will go back soon! I'll try to post a picture sometime when I can manage a baby, camera, and water....

Ford County

Now that Wilson is actually "sleeping like a baby" - I get to read again - woo hoo! Due to the vast amount of sickness in the household in January - I had February Resolutions instead of New Year's ones. This year I am trying to read a spiritual book in between my normal books in my everyday reading.

I read Stepping Heavenward first by Elizabeth Prentiss - it's a fictional book that portrays a journal of a Christian woman in the 1800s and how her spiritual life changes from her 16th birthday until her 40s. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to women with children especially.

My second book of the year was Ford County by John Grisham. I started reading Grisham in high school and read everything he writes. I love the fun lawyer/mystery/thriller books, but tolerate the rest. I understand that he wants to write something else - I just don't enjoy it as much. Ford County was no different. The short stories concept about a county is Mississippi is neat, but I was not attached to any of the characters & found most of the stories too dark for my taste. If I had to pick one, I guess Casino was my favorite. I'll just wait for the next lawyering book I guess....