MckLinky Blog Hop #3 - THREE THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT ME (or US)

This week's edition is a true confessions of sorts... Here we go!

My Fireguy and I were both born left-handed ~ Although my parents thought it best to train me to be right-handed (explains a lot, right?) he has remained a lefty and we had one child born lefty and one righty!








We absolutley love sitting on our patio to enjoy our backyard and will occasionally enjoy a cigar from our favorite handmade cigar store Casillas.

I was a 9th grade cheerleader!!! Yep! That's me on the right (standing). Some of my best memories of junior high were of cheering at basketball games; we did not have a football team...

Heaven in a brick of cheese

My dear sweet is a man of many talents! He loves
to BBQ and has a very large smoker. He has been referred to as the King of anything BBQ'd & smoked!! Hehehe... A couple of Christmas' ago he received a cold smoking tray. I could not see how ANYTHING could be smoked and not melt. Believe me, I was proved wrong... He has perfected smoking blocks of cheese in such a fashion that we cannot keep cheese in the house. He is now receiving blocks of cheese from our daughter and son-in-law to smoke for them! Today at the market with cheese being on sale we stocked up! Also an amazing kitchen appliance that is a must have; The FoodSaver... The cheese will stay fresh and aromatic for weeks in the fridge YUMMY!!!!!

Favorite Things - June

Oh dear, I have done it again!! Almost skipped a month ~

For your entertainment, here are June's edition to my favorites!

Found this little beauty on a whim - Haagen-Dazs 4 ounces of complete heaven!!!

They come in several flavors, but include two of my absolute favorites; Vanilla Bean & Coffee. Unfortunately, at 260 calories per serving I have to really limit my treat amount :-)
Yummy treat tho'...

Next up I have to share such a special little place in my hometown!!

ELLA BLUE ~ This shop has so much for the girl on the go... Nail Bar, pedicure stations, tanning (spray & beds) massages, facials, they have their own make-up line and make-up application classes. All of the technicians are so personable and the shop has such a warm feeling! Check them out and tell them Leslee sent you ~

Finally for June I want to give a shout out to iTunes and their podcasts!! I end up spending quite a bit of time in front of my computer at work and being able to listen to podcasts has helped me keep my sanity! I have found Dr. Joy Brown, The Nutrition Diva and even The Grey's Anatomy podcast. I have even been able to download some of my favorites to my iPhone to listen to while on planes!! So great!

Where's your favorite place to enjoy the great outdoors?

Thought I would get to know you all a little better -

Where is your favorite place???

Mine would be (wait for it...) MAUI!!!!! I love the way that Hawaii makes me feel... No time frames, breathtaking sunrises and sunsets. Fresh fruits all the time and fresh fish ~ Plus fruity drinks with cute little umbrellas in them ~ !!!!

picture taken by ME

Favorite Photograph

~ My little family ~ Taken at Gas Works in Seattle, WA where my son recently moved. Photo was from weekend trip for Seattle marathon and we met son's girlfriend !! Awesome time :-)

Light Up Dress

Any of you that know me and have spent any time around me know my obsession with electronics! I ran across this spify little number that I seem driven to own ~

Here is the story on the dress:

Every time your cell phone rings, your dress also lights up to let you know you've got a call. Well, you and everyone else.

It's the work of British fashion student Georgie Davies, who worked with Sony Ericsson on ways to merge technology and chic trends. "When you're in a mall or 'superstroe', you can never, ever hear your phone," Davies to Reuters. The solution? A short-sleeved, knee-length white dress that's covered shoulder-to-hip with translucent scales that move and blink. Davies plans for the dress to incorporate Bluetooth technology so that it can wirelessly interact with phones.

This would just exemplify my draw to geeky fashion, no?

Photo found here LIGHT UP DRESS

Happy 4th of July

We hold these truths to be self-evident,

that all men are created equal,

that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,

that among these are

Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Thomas Jefferson

As we celebrate the birth of our independence, be safe my fellow bloggers !! Celebrate with Safe & Sane fireworks and don't drink and drive.

More home projects

This summer The Fireguy and I have been working at getting some projects completed around the house. Last month was the room makeover and now we have two more scratched off the list!

The largest and most in need was to re-roof! This one was definitely NOT a DYI project... We had it done which took about 10 days. We went from a 20 year old shake roof to a 30 year guarantee tile. The tile has a bit of green color to it and we really love it. We have already noticed how much cooler the house stays!!! The pics are rather weak (taken with iPhone not new camera...), but you get the idea.



















The second project was to update the flooring in the guest bathroom. Here we went from 20 year old linoleum to a pergo flooring that resembles tile. I have to admit that I did not help much on this one. The Fireguy did most of the work while I was slaving away at my desk (HA!!!). I did have a big part in choosing the color of the tile and the new baseboards. :-) Brings a much needed update to this room.

I think it is safe to say that I am pretty comfortable with our projects for the time being. I have small updates that I am working on, but nothing of the magnitude that we have been doing.

Now, to sit back and enjoy the rest of the summer ~