A Day Away from the City!

Ryan and Stephanie Garrett joined Leah, Codie and me on a fun trip to SawGrass Sunday.
Our day began when Leah and I met Ryan and Steph at Ryan’s parent’s house. The Garrett’s are so great! They always welcome me with a smile and any kind of soft drink I want! We caught up with them for a chat, talking politics and the economy, and then we were off to Tuscaloosa to meet up with my cousin Codie. Taco Casa is the obvious chosen meeting spot so we had a quick lunch too, a mild combination burrito with extra sour cream, a small messy nachos and a large Mt. Dew! (Taco Casa has the BEST ice!)
After our delicious meal we were off. We arrived at SawGrass, layered up in the lodge, and then gathered in the barn.
Catching 5 horses is no easy task but surprisingly 3 were a sinch, while the other 2 horses we planned to ride bolted to the other side of the pasture! To save time, Leah helped me saddle the 3 we already caught. She put on her first bridle, yeah Leah!! (On the horse I mean) :)
Leah, Ryan and Steph went on ahead of us and took a short ride while Codie and I went to catch our stubborn horses, Dapple Gray and Black Jack, who had ventured a good half mile away. Bringing a scoop of feed was a must to entice the horses. Cisco came straight to us but he is still fragile from foundering a few months ago so we couldn’t ride him, then Black Jack followed. I caught Black Jack pretty easily with the halter while Codie distracted Cisco and Dapple Gray. Dapple Gray was getting a little to aggressive for Codie to catch him and Black Jack is a little skittish so we just took Black Jack back to the barn and came back out for Dapple Gray. Right when we got to where they were Cisco, Dapple Gray and Buddy went flying by back toward the barn… I thought, SERIOUSLY! Thankfully, catching Dapple Gray back at the barn wasn’t hard and we saddled them just in time to join our three friends on their adventure.


Stephanie rode Comet again. Some History… she rode him last year when the grounds were really wet. They were going pretty fast around a tree when Comet’s legs slipped underneath him and he fell on his chest which sent Stephanie flying over his head landing on her chest on the only patch of grass left in that field. I think it scared me more then it scared her!


Ryan rode Whiskey. Whiskey is pretty old and I usually feel comfortable putting anyone on him but he had acted up on their short ride… so he must have been in a dominant mood! In the first few minutes of riding he aggressively wanted to take the lead which was perfectly fine with me! So after walking straight into a barb wired fence he acted perfect!

Leah rode Red, my Dad’s favorite horse, who has become the most dominant horse in the pasture which also makes him the fattest horse!

Codie rode Dapple Gray who has one of the best gaits of all the horses! He also likes to walk at all the other horses’ butts! (Dapple use to wear the dominant crown in the pasture but Red is now the king!)

I rode Black Jack although there in no proof… someone has to be behind the camera! There is my shadow at least! :)

Here is Codie, Steph and Ryan riding head to butt!

Steph's a pro!

Here we are headed west young man!

A blurry shot of Leah and the SawGrass scenery.

After our ride we untacked the horses and cleaned up the barn a bit. Then we were off to have another fabulous mild combination burrito with extra sour cream, a small messy nachos and a large Mt. Dew at Taco Casa!

I loved spending time with Steph and Ryan, they headed back to Nashville after our tasty meal, and my cool cousin Codie, and my handy helping roommate!

Getting away from the city was nice and I hardly minded how chilly it was b/c it was so beautiful!

A Diaper Wreath for Baby Hardy

Whitney Hardy’s baby shower was full of games, laughter and silliness! I love spending time with the CORE group ladies we always have so much fun! For the shower I made a diaper wreath for baby Hardy. I found the directions by googling “Diaper Wreath” and found several websites that basically all said the same things.

• Buy a wreath mold for the size wreath you desire at a store like Michael's


• Unfold the diapers, so they make a long rectangle. Don't unfold the wing parts, just unfold the main crease along the bottom. (I used infant size diapers)


• Wrap the diaper around the wreath, so that the crease is towards the middle of the ring and the top of the diaper sticks out away from the middle. Place a clear rubber band around the top of the diaper to secure it to the wreath. Don’t try to wrap it around multiple times, like you would for hair. Just once will do. (Since I used smaller diapers I wrapped tow separate bands around each)


• Add the rest of the diapers. There are two ways to do this:
  Overlap each following diaper onto the previous diaper, to create a smooth, slightly swirled look for the end result. When you get to the final diaper, you will have to undo the elastic from the top of the first one, so that you can slide the last diaper underneath the edge. (This is how I did it) Or... Squish each diaper up against the side of the previous one, making a bunched appearance. While this looks a bit less finished, it does have the bonus of not having to do anything special for the final diaper.


• Continue adding diapers until the entire ring is covered.


• Decorate the wreath with ribbons. (I used blue and brown b/c that was the theme we used for the shower)


• Attach the gifts. With ribbon by curling the ribbon or crisscrossing the ribbon and tying on the back.


• Add whatever special touches you want, and present a personal and handy gift to the mom-to-be! (I added letters I painted that says “a Hardy Boy”)

**These directions I got from the following website… visit the link and see the pictures that go with the directions. http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Diaper-Wreath**

Here is the finished product of "a Hardy Boy" wreath! I had a lot of fun making it!
The beautiful flowers and yummy dinner

Here is the cake Laura made, isn't it fabulous!!

The baby blue mints that Ashley made were a special touch and the ribbon Jessa tied to the wine glasses are the same that I used on parts of the wreath! I'm lovin' the unplanned coordination!








Campbell, Maghan's dog, really wanted to join the party!

Hostesses with the Mommy-to-be ( I stole this from Ashley's blog... thanks girl!)

(Top L-R Ashley Cosby, Jamie Grizzle, Whitney Hardy, Bethany Faucett, Martina Penter, Laura Davis; Bottom L-R Maghan Craig, me, Jessa Mullen)

Darn that Doggy Deed

Some facts Leah shared with me and some I found as we are trying to deal with Toby’s natural urges while Miami is in heat! (Should you have a weak stomach for doggy deed detailed information please stop reading NOW!)

1. What is the Heat/Season/Estrus Cycle and how long does it last? – (a) Proestrus: Begins with the signs of bleeding from the Vagina. On average, will last between four and nine days. You will normally see an enlarged vulva, and excessive urination. Persistence of Male Dogs will increase but she is yet to mate with anyone. (b) Estrus: Is when the female dog is able to become pregnant and will mate with another dog. Discharge from the vagina tends to be more yellow than red blood. The female dog will mate with anyone at this stage, which lasts, on average, for four to thirteen days. (c) The average is three weeks or 21-days every 6 months. In some dogs, it lasts only two weeks while others go four weeks. The highest chance of pregnancy occurs during the middle of that cycle.


2. A male dog can smell a female dog in heat up to 3 miles away and they suffer! (I truly feel sorry for Toby, I know he is so confused!)


3. Some females are very determined to not be bred, and will attack the male viciously (hopefully this describes Miami, sorry Toby). Other females will breed with every dog in the neighborhood if they are given the opportunity to do so.


4. Do not take her for walks at all, but keep her confined to the fenced back yard for the whole time. The reason for this is that she will urinate frequently while on a walk, just to let the boys know she is available. The males will pick up the scent and follow her trail to your home. You really don't want a motley collection of canine suitors hanging around your house. (CRAP! Wish I had read this yesterday! I took Miami and Toby for a walk last night thinking that it would release tension… that wasn’t the best idea!! Sorry neighbors!)

Miami started two weeks ago on Thursday which is when I put her first diaper on! Toby has only been constantly licking but not much deed action until this Wednesday night when he relentlessly was deeding the air, licking and whining. Because of the whining Leah took Toby upstairs really early but he got back at her by keeping her up all night howling for Miami! Last night Leah had plans to eat dinner with a friend so I had a plan to distract the dogs! When I got home I put Miami’s collar on Toby and allowed Miami to walk about 7 feet in front of us with no leash (she is very obedient so I knew she would mind me during our physical exertion). Toby just followed her in full strength all around the neighborhood smelling and marking wherever she leaked! When we got back to the house I kept him on a leash while I put Miami’s diaper back on. This walk had not tired him very much at all! So, I had planned to give them each a bath and Toby was first! In the bath Toby was very good as long as Miami stayed in the room with us! I then dried his hair and he remained fairly calm. Then Miami’s turn to take a bath… Toby tried to jump in the bath with her but I made him sit beside me the whole time and he obeyed. After I got them dry and fairly calm we sat down to watch Private Practice, Miami on my left and Toby laying on my right. Each time Toby would whine I held his snout shut and said ”no sir!” It would work after the second or third “no sir” so we had some very pleasant couch time UNTIL… I pulled my cover on me and felt something moist! Hum… put the blanket in the washing machine and decided to test to see if that moistness that was not urine came from him. Miami has a diaper on so why not put a diaper on “Sir Humps A lot” and see if that might calm him down or maybe just distract him from his need to do the deed… this really did make a lot of since at the time but looking back now I realize it was a bit silly!

Here is a video of my big failure of the night! I originally made this video b/c when Miami first gets her diaper on she walks really funny… I had no intention of “torturing” poor Toby… I just wanted Leah to see him walk funny! ;(

In this video Toby gets his freedom… notice right after I take off the diaper he starts to do the deed to the air near Miami… if you can’t understand what I’m saying in the video I said “Toby you want this back on, now quit!”

Hopefully I will not be posting about hybrids on the way but I wonder how much a HavaJack would go for? :)

Roommate, Taco Casa, SawGrass and Hillary

Jared and I moved our roommate, Leah Moore, and her Jack Russell, Toby, in this past weekend. Super fun Leah works with me at WMU and needed a place to stay until June which is when her future roommate’s lease runs out. Our fabulous friend Justin Hardy helped us with the Saturday move… he’s the BEST! After some poorly given directions from me (sorry Justin!), our day started around 11ish at Leah’s apartment, we put everything we could squeeze into Justin’s covered trailer, and in the back of his and our SUV! We stopped for a quick bite at McDonalds where Leah and Justin discussed his dog’s breed, a Hungarian Vizsla. Leah lived in Hungry for a time and had always wanted one!
Justin brought his two dogs along for the day so when we got to Wisteria Trace Miami was excited to meet all 3! She and Toby became fast friends! Toby also made fast friends with our neighbor's dogs but we won’t go into detail how! :)
One thing we were unable to fit in the first load was Leah’s bed so our generous friend with a truck, Cameron Penter, let us borrow his for a few hours! Thanks Cam!
With moving day at an end Leah and I planned a fun day at SawGrass for Monday. We left the house with our two sidekicks on our laps and headed first to Tuscaloosa for a quick lunch at Taco Casa for a mild combination burrito with extra sour cream, a small messy nachos and a large Mt. Dew! Then on to SawGrass!
Papa gave us a few chores which we were happy to do while we were there. First was to pick up sweet feed for the horses at the local coop. (Leah wasn’t able to go in with me b/c she has a mild fear of taxidermy… which was EVERYWHERE!!) After unloading the feed we caught and saddled up, Leah ridding Comet and me riding Black Jack (our newest horse). Forgetting to check our time of departure, I’m not sure how long we rode but we did cover a good chunk of the West side of SawGrass.

This is from Googlemap of SawGrass Plantation; I marked the path that we took! :)

Once we made it back to the lodge we let Miami and Toby out to play! Miami is fascinated with Papa’s cat but when she got tired of him she kept following me into where the stables are… luckily she didn’t get trampled on! Toby just wanted to sniff everything he could!! After we untacked the horses and feed them we were off to start our second chore. Sweeping and mopping the lodge floors, which took about as long as the ride! While we were cleaning I spotted this Hillary doll and had to share it with you!

Sorry it's not up straight! Hee Hee!

Riding Horses and A New Roof for SawGrass

Our after Thanksgiving trip to SawGrass was a chilly one! Thank goodness the clouds held the rain in until we were super close to the lodge!

Papa rode his new favorite horse Red (he also calls him Blaze).

Jared riding Comet over Snake Pass! I love this pic... it's a framer!

Beau riding Dapple Grey. He was in front of us most of the ride so the best pics I have of him are him looking back at me.

Here is Beau's right profile shot! :)

Jared at least had a hood on for when it started to sprinkle. See his hands are covered up... I told him to wear gloves. :)

Time to feed!

Meow taunting Miami who was waiting impatiently for us to come back and let her out so she could sneak over and roll in the horse poop! She did NOT smell good for the ride home!

SawGrass's new roof Papa built recently! Nice!

Jared, Beau, and Papa after a fun ride at SawGrass plantation!

I talked Jared into stopping at Taco Casa so I could get my combination burrito, small messy nachos and a medium Mt. Dew, YUM! :)

What a Beautiful Morning (Continues)

Jared and I had a TiVo in 2002, which was before rewinding live tv, scheduling recordings, and recording one show while watching another live was considered a common home gadget necessity. This morning I thought to myself how nice it would be if I could just this one time rewind my life to the night before to SHUT MY GARAGE DOOR!!!
Rewind... After filling my University of Alabama tervis tumbler full of cran-grape juice as usual and grabbing a light and fit yogurt out of the fridge, peach again… I really need to go to the grocery store… I was relieved that Jared was still upstairs getting ready so he would take Miami outside to do her business and I could head to work, stop to get gas and time would still be on my side. The wind hit my face as I opened our back door thinking I sure do love that the weather is now cold enough for me to wear my super cute long twilled black, pink, and cream coat on this beautiful fall morning... Looking up and walking out to my car I wondered did I close the garage door last night or did Jared open it this morning??
Fast-forward… I was almost to work when Jared calls me, FUMING, telling me that his brand new iTouch that he got from work a week ago today for passing his CPA exams was not in his car. Flipping out, I apologized about a hundred times for not thinking about checking to see if the garage door was down last night, as I habitually do. Then he called again to ask if I had taken my beloved Jane, my GPS system, out of his car... he had barrowed her Monday b/c he was going on a business trip… “Nope” I said, a little teary eyed.
I sure am lost without Jane. :(
So, following my terrible Tuesday morning two weeks ago is today, knowing that Wednesday’s Wisteria Thief is still at large.

…what a beautiful morning! :)

What a Beautiful Morning

I took my time getting ready this morning. I was having a terrific straight hair day and had a cute outfit picked out for my work team photo at 2pm this afternoon. Looked in the mirror for a last second do these pants fit me alright confirmation thought then headed downstairs. I let Miami out to do her business which she did in record time. I fixed myself my usual cran-grape juice in my Alabama tervis tumbler cup and grabbed a light and fit yogurt out of the fridge, peach b/c I’m out of the better flavors, said bye to Miami and was out the door. Yesterday I had forgotten to shut our garage door so after walking to my car and setting my stuff down I fished for my garage door opener which was at the bottom of my purse, shut the door to my car and cranked her up. I then proceeded to roll down my window as I often do on a beautiful morning like today, stuck my head out and guided my way out of the driveway when BAM…SPLASH, I just realized I left my Alabama tervis tumbler cup full of cran-grape juice on the roof of my car when I went digging through my purse. The cup hit and poured from the top of my head down my cute black top into the back of my stylish red BeBe pants and onto the back seat of my car. Pausing for a moment to think how on earth I had managed to have such a Terry Hatcher from Desperate Housewives moment... I got out to access the damage to the car. I then ran upstairs to see if there was any way to avoid taking a shower; nope I could feel the ice cold cran-grape juice on my scalp. So, I took the fastest shower of my life, scrunched dried my hair so I wouldn’t have to dry it all the way, threw on an outfit and got to my car with fabric cleaner and a beach towel. Ten minutes later I was backing out of the driveway yet again, now realizing I had not reapplied make-up but kept going, this is just how I’m going to have to look for my picture.
I called Joyce, my boss, and left her a message saying "I’m late this morning it involves cran-grape juice, my hair and my car, something to look forward to; I’ll see you in 20."

Bet your morning is looking much brighter! :)