Appreciate What You Have

Another Myrtle Beach week has come and gone (no relation to shark week). However, this year was extremely different for many reasons. For starters, our usual condo is under repair. The condo company set us up in a different location in North Myrtle Beach (we usually stay in the Surfside area). Our regular condo is nothing fantastic but compared to the NMB place it is freakin' Shangri La. Within a matter of seconds I discovered a deep and profound appreciation for our Surfside condo. The NMB condo was teeny tiny. It still had two bedrooms and two full baths like the other one but everything was so small. The place had no storage and most disappointing of all; no balcony. I consider a balcony to be essential at the beach. The NMB condo did have a pool area but this turned out to be another draw back since we could hear people partying at all hours, mostly screaming kids, and DJ Disco Wednesday. The other major difference on this trip was the rain. It rained every. single. day. This presented some complications as to how to fill our days. We did lots, and lots, and lots of shopping. My dad hates to shop. He only got to play golf one day and we could only play miniature golf one night. It looked like this trip was going to be the only one without any mini golf but the rain finally stopped on my last night there and we played in the puddles. We also only had one day on the beach. I managed to get sunburned and attacked by the waves which means I fit in all the normal beach visit requirements in one day. I was able to run every morning and walk on the beach each morning but the rain usually started around 9am and on into the evening. The food was great, as usual, and I enjoyed shrimp and grits, salmon, mahi mahi, an oven baked pizza, and plenty of hush puppies (not all in one meal though--I do have some self-control). Anyway, enough talk and onto some photos. One cloudy morning we did make it to the Alligator Adventure at Barefoot Landing. I have to say this trip was the highlight of the whole week. When you first walk into the park you are greeted by this sight, at least a hundred Juvenile American Alligators. They didn't do much.

Just lying around looking lazy. 

Or lying on top of each other.

These birds are Laughing Kookaburras. They had interesting beaks and pretty blue feathers.

Notice anything interesting about their diet? They are carnivorous. I know owls eat mice and such but these birds didn't look like they ate more than berries and such.

The tortoise pen had a few very large specimens. This big guy in particular was very entertaining. He came out of the house at almost a gallop speed.

Here's a shot of him next to Ralph. This tortoise was gigantic and very friendly, he even let you touch his shell.

This big croc/alligator (sorry reptile experts, I don't know which is which in all my pictures) was all my himself except for the boat.

We watched a feeding demonstration. I took some video of this scene as well. They were feeding them chickens (grocery store kind) and the noises their jaws made was intense. The crowd really liked the show.

The park had two albino alligators and they were in a fairly dark and dank exhibit.

You can see the pink eye in this shot.

This little one was named Bob, short for Bobbette. It's a girl alligator born without her tail. This is the number one birth defect for alligators. Without their tail the percentage of survival is zero. Bob is only 4 ft long and weighs 80 lbs.

Living on the lake allows me the chance to see plenty of ducks, geese, and herons. I've never seen a duck with this kind of coloring before so I had to take a picture.

The park also had two tigers and two bobcats.

They had plenty of iguanas, frogs, and lizards to see as well. This one is the Rhino Iguana and it was huge.

Shortly after the feeding demo the rain started again, and didn't stop for the rest of the day. It was really pouring.

See the alligator shaped gables? This park was very detailed and all the kids (including myself) really enjoyed the place.

The juvenile alligators were extremely active in the rain. We watched them swim around and get into minor fights.

Those were the highlights of the park visit on Thursday. On Friday we went to see a movie (ParaNorman, it was cute and little weird). The rain was still going after the movie was over so we shopped in the mall which included a Bass Pro. They're selling a gun called the Zombie Eraser. I had to take a picture for Jeff.

Myrtle Beach is known for many things: the beach, the shows, the golf courses and...the gentleman's clubs. I think we found the smallest one in the whole area of Myrtle Beach up the street from our condo. I took a picture while playing mini golf. I bet there's only room for one dancer and she probably mixes and serves the drinks and runs the place too.

Our first mini golf visit was at Hawaiian Rumble. It wasn't great but we had a fun time. The volcano emitted fire every ten minutes.

The second mini golf place we tried was Mutiny Bay. Michanne and I tend to favor the pirate themed courses. I think this one was more enjoyable that the Rumble. Do you see the alligator in the water? Those guys are just everywhere in Myrtle Beach.

 So, that raps up the trip. I probably won't be able to go next year but hopefully our Surfside condo will be ready for business so my parents can enjoy it.

A Lot of Help...

and a little blood. That's what it takes to make this cutie pie bag.

Jeff's mom came down this weekend. I was in Atlanta shopping with Barbara on Saturday but on Sunday I forced Virginia to help me make this bag. I've had this fabric since last December with the intention of making a new gym bag. I have two gym bags. One is for my clothes and shoes and the other is a smaller bag I take into the gym with my towel, water bottle, bleach wipes, headphones, iPod shuffle, MP3 player and chapstick (I know, I'm high maintenance). This is my old 'take inside gym' bag. 

Very handy but I think I'd like to use it for quick grocery store visits instead. So I checked out this book from work, traced the 'city tote' pattern a week ago and purchased the lining fabric and interfacing fabric (what, what?) yesterday.

It was now or never so I worked steadily for about 4 hours. Virginia got me started on the more difficult techniques and supervised the rest. I've never sewn darts before.

I stuck myself multiple times and got tiny bits of blood on the fabric.

It was all worth it because I love it. It even has a pocket!

I really like the fabrics. Michanne bought the same blue ikat in December and I went back the next day and bought what was left. 

The fabrics make a nice pair. Now that I've made the bag I could make another with less confusion but I feel more confident just making pillows. If Virginia hadn't been there to help I'm certain my sewing machine would be at the bottom of the lake by now. Oh, and here are some cute puppy pictures.



This is mostly what Remy and Sandi do when Jeff is gone. I'll be leaving for Myrtle Beach in a couple days so I'm sure the trio will be living it up while I'm away.

TLC Shame

I'm not really one to watch reality TV. I've never seen an episode of the Bachelor, The Amazing Race, Big Brother, The Biggest Loser, and I've never watched an entire episode of Dancing with the Stars. I do watch cooking shows and DIY shows so I'm not sure if they count as reality TV. However, I have been watching TLC's What Not To Wear for many years and I think it is considered a reality show.

The format of the show has changed the past two years. It seems the goal is to make the make-over subject cry as much as possible. I liked the show better when they just cut them down with snarky comments about their lack of style. WNTW segued into watching 19 Kids and Counting. I was pretty addicted to this show for a while; even DVR-ing new episodes.

I quit cold turkey last year and I haven't seen any of the new season. I consider it proof of my will power but then I moved on to Sister Wives, Hoarding: Buried Alive, and Toddlers and Tiaras.

I've only seen a handful of Hoarding and Toddlers because I can't stomach more than that but I think I've seen every episode of Sister Wives. The worst part about watching these vacuous programs is the bad dreams I have afterwards. They're very creepy, just like the shows which make me feel bad about the human race. Next up is Here Comes Honey Boo Boo (airing this Wednesday night).

All the shows are like train wrecks, I can't look away even though I know it's wrong to linger. Now that I've confessed my reality TV shame it is obvious that I do actually watch reality TV, the really trashy kind.

I Go Out Jogging...

Before the sunlight, out in the twilight. If you're not a Patsy Cline fan my lyrics might not make sense but I bet my mom appreciates the reference. For the past month I've been able to jog in the mornings before work because of the longer summer days. However, the days are clearly getting shorter. I waited until 10 after 6 this morning to jog and it was still pretty dark. I took my flashlight with me to walk the driveway and then put it in my mailbox. Most of the people in my neighborhood don't pay the power bill for the street lights. There are 3 houses on the whole street that have their street lights on. So, I'm jogging along and out of the corner of my eye I see this big black thing coming toward me. I yelled ahhhh and then realized it was a dog. He's at least 40 pounds and is some kind of pit bull mix. I have no idea who he belongs to. People in my neighborhood just let their dogs roam free. A few weeks ago he interrupted a weekend walk by jumping all over me while he was soaked and muddy. This morning he just kept running in front of me and next to me and behind me. He was a nuisance but I was kind of glad to have him along. He wasn't hurting me and would probably scare off anything or anyone that came near. Another dog inside some one's house went crazy as I jogged past so my companion abandoned me to investigate. I also saw a deer run across the road at this time. I usually see deer, rabbits, chipmunks and foxes on my morning jogs and sometimes during my evening walks. By the time my jog was over the sun finally made an appearance. I may need to get some appropriate jogging apparel if I continue with the morning jogs because the drivers in my neighborhood do not share the road. Hitting the gym at 5pm is not ideal for me so I'd like to continue the morning jogs a while longer.

Weddin' Stuff

Things have really calmed down at Casa de Newton since the wedding. A lot of people have asked me, "how's married life?" and I usually respond, "stress free". We're not planning a wedding or vacation out of the country anymore. The first month back was a big adjustment because our pace slowed so much. Then school started and I threw myself into class work. I did manage to print the wedding photos I liked (many, many bad ones in there that I wouldn't print if you paid me) and I purchased a photo album for them.

I got it at Khols. I didn't even know they sold photo albums there but Barbara set me straight. This past weekend I also hung our wedding tree.

I purchased the frame at Ikea the same weekend I got the photo album. I decided to go ahead and hang the pretty tree this weekend (again, with Jeff's help). It goes so well with the decor in Sandi's room and it's such a happy picture and a happy memory.

Trees Stink?

The answer is a loud and smelly yes. Some of you may know this already but I cannot stand the smell of Bradford Pear trees when they are in bloom. The smell is cloying and chocking and reminds me of vomit and fish. They look beautiful but they stink something awful until the leaves come in, which is also beautiful. Well, this weekend I visited my folks (sorry mom, I had to post about this) and as soon as I got out of my car in their driveway I wanted to run for the front door (or shut myself back into my car).

The smell from this tree assaulted me immediately. I actually have a lot of dislike for this tree. It leaves sap on your hood and windshield and every now and then bees treat it like Florida (a warm place to retire and die) and you have like, a dozen dead bees on your hood. It does provide shade for the house and some privacy but I think this smelling business might be the final straw.

Do you see that stuff oozing out? That's what smells so bad. If I could describe the smell I would say it's somewhere between hot poo and dead deer. A stinkfall of hot poo and dead deer. Foul stuff. Oh, and per request, here is a picture of Remy.

We had more bad weather yesterday. We did not put Sandi in her thundershirt and she stayed under the bed for hours but Remy stayed with me on the couch resting and waiting out the storm. I finished my last assignment for class this week so now I just have to wait for my grades (commence fingernail biting).

Thundershirt

I know I've mentioned before how scared Sandi gets during thunderstorms. The same thing happens with firecrackers and gunshots (yes, we hear gunshots near our house a few days a week). Sandi usually lets us know the weather is about to get bad before we even see a cloud in the sky; her tail tucks between her legs, her ears stick up on the sides, and she starts to pant and shake. If the storm is really severe she goes under the bed and stays there for hours and sometimes she needs help getting out. My friend Jennifer told us about the Thundershirt.

Their logo is so cute, the little dog is trying to comfort himself with a hug. It's supposed to ease anxiety for pets. We decided to go ahead and get one this past weekend. We've had thunderstorms nearly every day for two weeks now and will continue at least through this week. We tried it Monday night.

Sandi was still shaking but she didn't even try to go under the bed and I consider that to be a big improvement. She likes to stay in the bathroom because we can turn on the fan and the noise of the fan drowns out the thunder. Remy doesn't seem to mind storms or gunshots or firecrackers. He hates the water hose, power tools and the lawnmower. He runs for cover, usually into Jeff's truck because the doors are always open.

Ants!

The yard and the house have been taken over by ants! They're not crawling all over us or anything but they have made themselves comfortable in nearly every room of the house. The only place that seems untouched is our bedroom and I've got a feeling it won't be long before they occupy it as well. It all started over a month ago in the usual places of the kitchen and bathroom. Jeff sprayed and we waited and they seemed to be gone. Then a couple days later they'd be back again. One evening out on the deck we noticed hundreds of ants were crawling along the garden lights from the tree to the deck. We left them up after the wedding. They look so pretty at night that we thought we might leave them for a while.

We decided we had to take them down and hoped that would put an end to the ant problems. Nope. They attacked our kitchen, especially the dishwasher, they attacked the dog bowls, they've been coming from an outlet behind my coffee pot, they're all over the covered porch, the driveway, and yes, they're still on the deck. Right now I'm watching them crawling around in Sandi's room in a corner behind my floor lamp. They want my clothes! We keep spraying a waiting to see if that will help. Has anyone had issues with ants in the house? Do you have any suggestions? I think what's confusing me the most is that they're not getting to the food or water sources (maybe some of the water). There is nothing of interest to ants in Sandi's room (other than my aforementioned clothes). I found them on my desk this morning. And on my new moose. I am beyond irate at this point.

Dream Kitchen

I had another fun trip to IKEA yesterday. The campus from the 4th through the rest of the week; hooray!! Barbara was happy enough to join me on another IKEA trip. I went there specifically to get a couple large picture frames for our wedding tree artwork and a map of St. Lucia I purchased on eBay. I also wanted to check out their bedsheets. I did purchase two frames, some cheap wash clothes and a set of 6 drawer organizers. One of the many things I love about IKEA is how the set up entire rooms so you can see how different pieces of furniture work together. If you've ever been to an IKEA you'll remember pretty living rooms, offices, closets and kitchens beautifully assembled from floor to ceiling; and with artwork. They had my dream kitchen expertly displayed and arranged.

I don't love the layout. Galley kitchens are no ones favorite if space permits a larger design. I do love the white bead board-esque cabinets, the glass front cabinets, the black hardware, the oven range hood, the double ovens, the farm house sink, the butcher block counter tops (I'm not a big fan of granite for some reason), the crisp white tile back splash, and I absolutely love the paint color. I had to take pictures for future reference. Another item I had to take a picture of was their new unfinished furniture.

Jeff is adamant about getting real wood whenever possible. These were reasonably priced and ready for stain or paint color of your choice. The 3-drawer dresser at the front end is only $79. The drawer pulls could be gussied up also to make them more unique. IKEA has so many wonderful things to fill any room of a home.