Julie & Julia

So, have you seen the previews for Julie & Julia? If not, you need to check this out: Julie & Julia Trailer

Anyway, in the movie Julie is inspired by food and decides to cook her way through Julia Child's cookbook and blog about it. It gave me the idea to do the same thing, but with The Joy of Cooking. My Grandma Jen gave me the 75th Anniversary edition of this book a few years ago for Christmas and it is my favorite and most cherished cookbook (and I have many!). The 75th edition even includes a note from Julia Child herself. So, it must be meant to be.

Each month I will choose a chapter to experiment with and cook some of the recipes from that chapter. And then I will blog about it. I start next week. Stay posted :)

Love you Jen!

SCUBA Workouts??

So, last week I was talking about my new gym and how they wanted to know what my fitness goals were. And I tried to come up with some, but was told my goals were not original or specific enough. So, I started thinking that I want to be stronger. I really want to be able to carry 2 full tanks at once and of course my gear. So far, this has required multiple trips up and down the dock or Matt gets loaded down like a pack mule. Either way, I want to be able to carry my own weight in one trip. I plan on doing rescue training soon and I will definitely have to get stronger for that. Or start going to Judo so I know how to toss around people twice my weight. Anyway...

Yesterday, I was again asked my fitness goals (moving from a white card to a gold card - woohoo!) and I told the guy specifically what my goal was...

They are now customizing exercises for me so I can achieve this goal. He even went so far as to ask me how much the tanks weigh and the position that they are carried. I can only imagine what these exercises will be - a simulation - I am sure.

'Hold out these 50 lb weights at both sides, now hold them out a little - you don't want the tanks knocking into your knees and ankles - and walk... Oh, here comes the steps to the dock/boat/bar/etc. - now do some lunges. And don't forget to breathe.'

I can't wait!

1st Annual BBQ

Thanks to everyone who came out for our 1st Annual Summer BBQ! We had a great time and hope you all did too. If you couldn't make it - don't worry, we will have plenty more festivities :) Remember our Halloween Party is coming up...

Landscaping Done!

At least done with the professional work - Matt and I will also be adding our own touches. Eventually Matt will take the Christmas light clips off the roof too.

Landscaping Progress

As of 12:30pm today:

What has Mel been up to?

I know... I have not posted in awhile - the blog has been dominated by Matt. Well, I've been busy - in addition to my usual scholastic and professional activities, I've been working on some other 'projects'.

1. Gym - I finally joined a new gym. And I love it. I was asked to make some fitness goals... and then I was told that my goals were not original enough - not even my push-up and pull-up aspirations. So, here goes... I want to be able to carry my own weight when it comes to SCUBA. And I am not talking about the 14+lbs of lead to get me down, I am talking about ALL of my gear AND both of my tanks - full tanks - and of course the 14+lbs of lead. I want to be able to carry all of this in one shot no matter how long the dock. I am anxious for the next time I am asked for my goals - I think it is a pretty good one, and original.

2. Dyeing - I recently learned how to dye yarn and roving. The technique I am experimenting with uses a crock pot to 'cook' the dye. It's a lot of fun and the end product is always a bit of a surprise. There are more controlled methods of dyeing, but I am really liking this one. So, if anyone has an old crock pot they don't want anymore - let me know.

(blue and green blend shown below - haven't named the colorway yet)


3. Pottery - After many years of wanting to do the pottery wheel, I am finally taking a class for it. I even found a buddy (Mariellen) who has also been wanting to learn. So far we have had only one class, but it's been fun. However, I don't think there is any danger of pottery replacing my fiber fetish. (will hopefully get some pics this week :)

4. Plans for a new blog - 'Fiber Fetish' - still in the works.

5. And lastly - my new fiber fetish - I think everyone has heard me gushing about my new little pixie wheel, but just in case, I am now the proud owner of a Louet Victoria spinning wheel. She is a travel wheel, so she folds up and fits in a little travel bag. I just finished my spinning class, and I am *hooked*. I am so excited to start making the yarn that I want.

(wheel and hand-spun shown below)

Summer Cleaning

Mel and I are working hard to get the house ready for the 1st Annual Stanton Barbeque. In doing so, I'm hoping that I learned the lesson to mow the lawn every 7 to 10 days in the summer, otherwise it's twice the work. Probably not though. Barring rain, we're going to have the landscaping done at the house tomorrow. We're excited to see what it looks like. Here are a couple "before" pictures; we're hoping the after looks much better.

New Patio

Our new patio was finished last Thursday, just in time to enjoy the summer heat. Mel and I grilled some hamburgers and ate our first meal on the patio tonight, and we were only bit 2 or 3 times by mosquitos. Next time we'll set up a citronella wall.

4th of July

After a long day of weekend work for both Melonie and me, we went over to Jeremy and Melissa's neighborhood to enjoy some good food, company, and fireworks. Little did we know that the fireworks display would rival a major theme park. Attached is only a small sample of the evening's festivities.