Wally the Bassador

I arrived home yesterday to find a package addressed to Howard.  We are expecting a motion light in the mail so I figured that's what was in the package.  When Howard opened it, I was even more excited to find this:

It's a magnet board featuring Howard's favorite dog, a Bassador.  Well, it's more likely a Basset Hound Dachshund (see below for update) but for our purposes, we will call it Wally the Bassador, the dog who resides with Howard's parents back in NoVa.  He misses Wally so much...he's even known to sleep with Wally on the dog bed on the floor on occasion when we return home to visit.  Anyhow, it was an awesome gift from his brother Dave and his girlfriend Jenn.

And here is my rather poor attempt at capturing an amazing sunset from the front porch.  I SERIOUSLY need help with my photography skills.  This picture doesn't do the sunset any sort of justice...I should really just remove it now but we all know I'm too lazy for that.

*Update - Apparently I'm also too lazy to check what kind of dog I'm even posting about.  Thanks to Ashley for clarifying the picture on the board is actually a Dachshund.  BUT!  I'm still calling it Wally the Bassador ;)

I WON!

I won a giveaway a little while back and just received my photos in the mail last week.  Shannon hosted a giveaway for her friend, Carrie's Etsy shop and I won =)  I was only supposed to receive one photo but due to a understandble delay (getting engaged and moving across the entire country) in sending them out, I received three instead!  The first picture is an 8 x 10 and the next two are 11 x 14.  I cannot wait to get some frames and hang them.  

From the Front Porch

I see this almost nightly.  I know the picture quality isn't great - in fact it's downright terrible but I'm still learning how to use the new camera I received for Christmas.  Patience, dear friends.  If you look really, really close, you can see some more deer in the background.  There were 17 this night.

Poor Hippo...

Apparently my dogs don't share the same love for hippos as I do.  Such a shame.  At least they left his head alone.

Weekend Update

I was all set to post some pictures but I just realized my camera battery is dead.  So words will have to suffice for now. 

This past weekend was beautiful.  It was over 65 both days!  We slept in a bit on Saturday which was nice.  Howard has finally figured out that if he allows the dogs to sleep with us, they won't be up at 7:30 in the morning whining at the door to be let out.  Instead, they are perfectly content sleeping the day away with us. 

We made our way to Paducah and powered through stops at Kohl's, Lowe's (my new most favorite store in the world...for realz), the car wash, the shop for an oil change and then finally made it to Outback to celebrate Valentine's Day since we were too lazy to go out last weekend.  I love me some Outback.  When the waiter came by for our drink orders, he asked if we wanted an appetizer.  Howard took the liberty to shake his head while continuing to stare down at the menu.  I let it go thinking to myself, he's right, we definitely don't need the Bloomin' Onion (key word: need, because I most certainly wanted one).  The waiter came back and took our orders and the menus and walked off and that's when I couldn't hold my tongue any longer.

Me:  Soooooooo, no appetizer huh?
Howard:  Do we need one?
Me:  Well, noooo, but it's Outback...
Howard:  You mean you want a Bloomin' Onion?
Me:  Sorta, I don't know, I guess...Yes.I.Want.One.
Howard:  Oh good!  I want one too but I just didn't want to be the one that said it.

And the waiter just happened to walk by at that exact moment and ask if we needed anything.  Why yes we do actually, a giant heart attack in the form of a Bloomin' Onion please.  The week after V-Day only happens once a year people.  You gotta celebrate the right way.  With a massive coronary.

Sunday, we slept in again and then I made my weekly trip to Wally World.  I know I've said it before, but I really miss Wegmans.  I would go over there after work when I was only feeding myself and pick something out to make myself for dinner.  This was one of my go-to's.

So imagine my delight when I saw them in the fresh seafood section at Wal-mart.  No, seriously, imagine it.  And then quadruple it.  Because that's how excited I was.  I was heading towards the checkout counters when Howard called requesting the following items:  hot dogs, buns, baked beans, graham crackers, Hershey's chocolate bars and marshmallows.  I didn't know what he had planned but I knew camping really wasn't on the agenda for a Sunday.  I nixed the S'mores makings (because I hate s'mores - that's right Rach, another food I despise, just add it to the list) and he said he didn't really care about them either.  When I got home, he was in the backyard with piles of sticks and branches he had collected from the fence line.  He was planning a bonfire =)  Man, I love the country. 

I went inside to make lunch and unpack the groceries.  And then I got hooked on Ocean's Thirteen (which is the only movie where I find Brad Pitt attractive...FYI) and ended up staying inside for a while.  When the movie was over, I headed outside and couldn't believe all Howard had done.  Then I felt really guilty about sitting on the couch for the past couple of hours.  We had bought clothesline to hang on the existing clothesline poles so figured the least (and easiest) thing I could do would be to hang the lines.  What I wasn't expecting was the wasp nests inside the poles.  I spent the next hour with my trusty stick I snagged from one of the numerous piles and the hose trying to flush the nests out.  Oh the fun!  All the while, Howard was just enjoying his hard day's work feeding wood to the fire, laughing at the apparently hilarious faces I was making while concentrating so intently. 

While clearing out some of the brush/trash on the tree line, Howard found an old birdhouse.  I bet in it's hay day, it looked something like this:

But it looks nothing like that now.  However, it's still been attached to our shed.  It matches the shed since they are both in about the same condition - weathered, worn and beat to hell.  Just the way I like 'em. 

We never did get around to roasting hot dogs because it began raining.  They will have to wait for this Sunday's bonfire :)

Snowmen

My brother's snowman puts mine to shame....Especially considering he had so little to work with down in Atlanta. 

And the Winner is.....

HEATHER!!  Congrats Heather :)  The gift card will be emailed to you later this afternoon.  Treat yourself to something fun!! 

Here is Heather's comment:

Heather said...


I would buy books and maybe a movie. I want 500 days of summer! <3 you

Thanks to all who entered!! 

Amazon Gift Card Giveaway Reminder

Just a reminder to enter for the FREE $35 gift card to Amazon.com.  Entries must be submitted by 1 pm CST tomorrow (Tuesday). 

Crazy Coincedence

Friday night when Howard came home from work, he handed me two cds (Zac Brown Band and Cage the Elephant) I have been wanting for my Valentine's gift.  He told me he got them at a little hole in the wall store in Murray near his office.  The guy had recommended another artist to him but Howard couldn't remember his name.  Said it was something like Jeff Bingham.  That conversation pretty much ended there. 

Later on, we were watching the opening ceremonies for the Olympics and the new "We Are The World" remake came on.  I was amazed at how many artists where contributing.  However, when the camera panned over the singers, I recognized someone but couldn't place his name.  He was the older man with the scruffy, grey beard.  And because I'm neurotic when it comes to these things (see here), I had to figure it out.  I set out to googling the song participants on my phone but I couldn't find a complete list.  At this point, Howard decides he wants to figure out the name of the artist the guy told him about so he grabs my phone from me.  I sat there thinking and thinking until it finally came to me.  Jeff Bridges!  Man, I was proud of myself.  But not even a minute later, Howard laughs and says, "Well I figured out who it is.  It's Ryan Bingham.  He did some songs on the movie Crazy Heart.  Guess who the star of Crazy Heart is?  Jeff Bridges."  So random that the people we were both searching for were connected.

The next morning we were doing some stuff around the house and we had CMT playing in the background and guess what song came on?  "The Weary Kind" by Ryan Bingham, the theme song to Crazy Heart and of course the video starred Jeff Bridges.  So weird!

What's Wrong Here?

NEW GIVEAWAY =)

I had so much fun with my last giveaway that I'm in the mood for another one!  Up for grabs now is a $35 gift card to Amazon.com. 

I'll make entering simple this time since a few people (I won't name names) had some issues with the previous directions on how to enter. 

Just leave a comment stating what you would use the gift card towards purchasing.  So, so simple.  One comment per person please. 

I'll close the contest Tuesday, 2/16 at 1 pm CST and pick one winner via a random generator.

Good luck!!

Stay Tuned...

For another giveaway contest tomorrow!! 

Apparently I Never Learn

I forgot my popcorn was in my drawer when I left on Friday and this is what my drawer looks like now...

Jack & the Puppy Bowl

We turned on the Puppy Bowl for a little while after the Super Bowl (Yay Saints!) was over.  This is how Jack sat the entire time it was on.  He was glued to the screen.  Oh, and I'm pretty sure Howard was about to flip me off for taking his picture.

Saturday

Howard and I had a late night Friday so we decided to sleep in on Saturday.  When we woke up, I decided I felt like going to a nice lunch somewhere since we were already heading to town.  We ended up at Olive Garden and the food was delicious.  Next we went over to our friend's house to get some more stuff they wanted to give us for the house.  They are moving to New York this summer and are trying to de-clutter.  They've already given us a pool table and tons of decorative house stuff and I couldn't be more grateful.  I've realized we really have nothing! 

We passed by the house shack on the way there.  I know I've blogged about it before but I can't for the life of me find the post.  This old, black woman has built a shelter (and I use that term loosely) out of anything she could get her hands on- old wood, pallets, metal scraps, car doors, etc.  She has no heat, running water or electricity.  Saturday I decided to take a picture when we passed by so I could post it here.  I had my camera all ready and then I saw her outside standing next to her barrel of fire she uses to cook and stay warm.  And she was staring at me.  With a cold, death stare.  With her crazy, voodoo eyes.  I slowly raised my hand to wave but she just kept on staring at me as we drove by.  When we got to Kevin & Lisa's, I told them about it.  Lisa asked me if I had seen any dogs or cats running around which I hadn't.  She said the rumor is the woman keeps strays around for a couple days and then cooks them in the barrel of fire and eats them.  I'm scarred.  Permanently scarred.  For life.  I couldn't think of anything else for the rest of the day.  The very thought of it has my stomach churning right now.  And if you're anything like me, you're feeling the same way now.  You're oh so welcome.

We left Kevin and Lisa's with my car loaded down and went to meet Matt & Ivy at the bowling alley.  And like usual, Matt kicked our asses.  I at least took second both rounds.  We've decided to do bumper bowling next time to level the playing field a bit.  After bowling we went over to the bar for a little while.  Then we finally headed home.  When I rounded the corner and the house came into view, I realized I had left the garage door wide open all day long.  The door from the garage to the kitchen was unlocked as well.  Nice going, Dana.  Howard, very aware of my paranoia, says to me, "I suppose you want me to go in first and search the house to make sure there isn't anyone hiding in the closets".  He knows me so well =)

Winner!!

Thank you to all that entered the giveaway!  The winner has been chosen by a random generator.  Here is the winning entry:

Amanda said...


this is my comment. i always look forward to a Lucky? post...

February 2, 2010 1:08 PM

Congratulations Amanda C.!  Email me with your shipping information and the cookware will be shipped to you shortly :)

One More Day!!

Less than a day left before a random winner is chosen!  Enter now for your chance to win :)

FREE Giveaway Reminder!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway for your chance to win Le Creuset cookware!  Contest runs through Tuesday at 10 am CST :)

Some Random Stuff

*  Last night, I let Howard have the remote control.  What a mistake that was.  He landed on some show about a monster in Kentucky.  A monster. In Kentucky.  Actually they called it a "Hillbilly Beast".  Um...  He told me he was only going to watch 3 minutes of it.  Riiiight.  They went on and on about the multiple sightings of this mythical creature for one hour.  The enormous size of it, it's potential to cause harm, the various areas it's been seen, etc.  Some scientists morons were trying to recreate the exact conditions where the beast was photographed to be able to judge the exact size and they determined it was around 10 feet tall and 3 feet wide.  I was so bored, I was reading my OWN blog for entertainment.  In the last 5 minutes of the show, they realized, whoops, we had the distance wrong and this great monstrosity of a beast is actually just a bird.  A freaking bird.  An hour of my life down the drain.  Howard is never allowed to make fun of one of my shows again.  EVER.

*  Once I claimed the remote back (permanently), Howard went down into the basement with the dogs to play fetch with a ball.  It's not much fun for Copper though who isn't fast enough to beat Jack to the ball.  After about 5 minutes, Copper came up the stairs, hopped up on the couch and plopped down in my lap.  I heard Howard yell the following at Jack (who he calls Ratty):  "No Ratty!  You're not playing fair!  No more ball for you until you learn to play well with others and share".  Let's just remember Jack is a DOG.  I highly doubt he is going to get the complexities of sharing is caring.  I couldn't stop laughing though.

*  Our newest Fievel at work is evil and very, very bold.  We have staring contests and he wins.  He will literally sit on the floor 3 feet away from me and just stare directly into my eyes, daring me to make some kind of move.  He has eaten everything in my snack drawer, including ketchup packets.  Two days ago I brought in Easy Mac for lunch and didn't end up eating it.  I actually forgot all about it.  I came in yesterday morning and opened up the drawer to put my purse in it and found this:

He nibbled into the packet of cheese as well.  He even nibbled into my last lollipop.  I believe that this is actually a crime punishable by death.  And that's why my boss is out buying traps right now. 

*  Speaking of my boss...The man had no idea what string cheese was.  I was snacking on a string cheese yesterday when he came into my office and a puzzled look crossed his face. 

Boss:  What in the world are you eating?
Me: ....Um...string cheese...
B:  What?  What do you mean string cheese?
M:  I mean string cheese...
B:  Where do you get it at? 
M:  At the store...
B:  Do they cut it like that at the deli counter?
M:  No...it's in the cheese aisle.  Like, next to the shredded cheeses...You do know what shredded cheese is, don't you?
B:  Yes, I know what shredded cheese is.  I've just never seen cheese on a string before.
M:  Wow...

*  John came running in my office earlier this week screaming something about Hot Rod.
 
John:  Dana, I need a favor!  I need you to write Hot Rod up RIGHT NOW. 
Me:  Why John?  What did he do?
J:  Well, ya see, I was outside the breakroom pissing and that mother {expletive deleted} son of a {expletive deleted} {expletive deleted} snuck a firecracker out the door next to my foot and it went off like BOOM BOOM BOOM and I pissed all over myself! 

The fact that this conversation occured earlier this week and I am just now posting it because I just now realized this is not a normal conversation that should be held in my office concerns me.  Am I really beginning to look past these insane moments and consider them everyday occurences?  It really may be time for a new job...

*  Mike and his wife went on their annual cruise a couple weeks ago.  Before they left he decided to shave off his mustache and goatee to look more presentable.  When he returned to work and walked into my office, I was shocked to see his appearance.  Apparently Mike has been using "Just for Men", the white man's version.  However, Mike is not white.  But his lip and chin are!  The stuff stained his skin white underneath where his hair had been.  It's actually pretty creepy looking.

*  Don't forget to enter the giveaway for your chance to win some Le Creuset bakeware! 

Free Giveaway!!!

I know this blog is usually always all about me.  But today is different.  Today is all about ya'll, my loyal readers.  I am having my very first FREE giveaway!  Lucky? in Kentucky has partnered with CSN Stores, an amazing web-based company with over 200 stores selling everything from mailboxes to this:

And this is what I have chosen for my giveaway.  I am in love with Le Creuset.  IN. LOVE.  And I think you should be too.  You (not me, since I can barely make Easy Mac) could make all sorts of recipes in these baking dishes - like Buffalo Chicken Dip, Scalloped Potatoes or Green Bean Casserole.  If you're like me and can't cook, you can give it as a gift to someone who can...and then promptly tell them to get in the kitchen and whip you up a meal.  I love them because they are just so dang pretty to look at.  I imagine something like these Le Creuset baking dishes would magically make me a better cook (a girl can dream).

One lucky reader will have this item shipped directly to her...or him (any male readers out there??)  Here are the details:

Le Creuset's Square Dish is truly an all-in-one dish that you can use for baking, slicing, serving, and storage. Poterie Stoneware can be used in the oven, broiler, or microwave and will not absorb odors or flavors. The durable finish resists chipping, scratching and staining. This beautiful and colorful piece has sure grip handles to go straight from baking to tabletop, making an impressive presentation.


Features:

Bonus 5" Baking Dish
Bold Kiwi color
Does not absorb odors and flavors
Oven and microwave safe
Durable, non-porous enamel resists chipping, scratching, staining
Convenient grip handles
Refrigerator and freezer safe
Specifications:
Material: Stoneware
Dimensions: 9" W
Capacity: 1.5-Quart
Cleaning and Care: Dishwasher safe

All you have to do to enter is:

1.  Leave a comment on this post (It's that easy.  I'm just a simple, country girl now).

2.  Leave a comment letting me know you have begun following my blog or that you already do (The city girl in me is has to make things more complicated).

If you do both, you will have two entries posted below.  Easy enough, right?  Nope, here comes that city girl again...

3.  Leave a comment letting me know you have posted the link to this giveaway on your blog or you have forwarded the link on to someone else.

If you do all 3, then you will have 3...yes, count 'em, 3! entries posted below for your chance to win the prize!

The period to enter the giveaway will run one week and end next Tuesday, February 9th at 10 am CST (I would make it Monday but I have a feeling I will need to recuperate from Super Bowl Sunday).  I will pick a number at random using an online generator. 

Good Luck!!

Snowy Weekend

We finally got some snow here on Friday and I was very excited.  The snow didn't start until around 1 pm but that didn't stop every school around here from closing that morning.  They don't have the capacity to plow every road like NOVA does so they are extremely cautious when it comes to sending children to school when snow is expected.  I was let off work around noon and promptly headed to the beer store to stock up :)  The snow was already piling up when I got home.  Howard didn't get off work until around 3:30 and had to drive about 20 mph the entire way home which turned his 30 minute commute into over an hour.  And then he had a very rough time getting up the hill which is our driveway.

When we woke up Saturday morning, we had about 7 inches.  I took some pictures before the yard was trampled by us, the dogs and the "Horse with No Name".  Yes, the horse still comes around.  And we don't even care anymore.

 













We decided to take the dogs outside and build a snowman as well.  Building a snowman is much harder then I remember.  But we sort of accomplished it...

The dogs had fun playing in the snow but they were ready for bed when we came back inside.  They both zonked out pretty hard.

Sunday we had no choice but to venture out because it was the last day of the month and we had to clean out the rest of our apartment.  Our road had only been plowed half-ass by a local farmer so it was really icy.  A very narrow, icy road makes for a treacherous ride but made it safely to the highway eventually and from there it was smooth sailing.  As of this morning, the road still hasn't been plowed and it was still a scary ride into work this morning.

I hadn't seen the apartment since the morning of the 16th when I left at 6 am to go to the new house before anything had been moved.  Let's just say there was a lot of crap still there that Howard had neglected to bring that day.  It took us 3 hours but we were finally able to get everything in the car or the dumpster.  The car was packed yet I still insisted that we stop by Walmart for groceries on the way out of town because the tiny grocery store near our new house has NOTHING.  Seriously.  The only vegetables I've seen are onions and potatoes.  The only fruit has been bananas.  I can't live like that!  Upon walking up to the doors at Walmart, Howard declared he was buying since I had been spending a lot of money on decorating the house.  SWEET!  He went to pick up a handcart and I just shook my head while pulling out the big boy cart.  The look on his face said it all.  He knew he was doomed.  He told me a couple times to remember how packed the car was and we should only be getting the basic necessities.  I explained that he has always been good at Tetris and he would find a way.  $177 later and we were out the door :)  I highly doubt he will EVER go shopping with me again.  At least not on his dime.