Welcome Home Kelly Belly

Look at this adorable little peanut. Granted this picture is probably 20+ years old, but she is still an adorable little peanut. This is my cousin (feels more like a niece) Kelly and she just completed her 6 year stint with the Navy. Her last deployment was in Iraq and we are all so glad she back in the good old USA.

Kelly - Best wished to you and Zoli as you start your new life together. We love you.

Until You've Walked in My Shoes....

Did I happen to tell you that last Thursday I wore two different shoes to work? On top of that, no one noticed. Heck, I didn't even notice until I took them off. I am either:

• Getting old and mentally losing it
• Under too much stress
• Way to distracted

Or my closet is so a complete, disorganized mess.

Maybe, it's all of the above. Ugh!

The Hunt for Dual Power!

Cait and I both love Spray and Wash Dual Power stain remover. Works great. Just squeeze it on to the spot and wash as normal. Considering the abnormal amount of stains Cait has to remove from EVERY shirt she EVER wears, she has become a stain product connoisseur and removal expert. She just managed to get mustard off my brand new white sweater.

Well, we are having trouble finding this magic product. It's not at the grocery store anymore. Cait emailed "Spray and Wash" and they even replied. (I kind of wonder how those green bottles manage to type...ha ha) They say it's still out there but in limited distribution. So, we need your help. Can you help us find Spray & Wash Dual Power? If you can tell us where to find it, we will buy you a bottle as well.

Good hunting!

Just Finished...

Went to bed a tad early last night so I could finish reading The Longest Trip Home by John Grogan (of Marley & Me fame). I'd almost finished it last week, but got to the point where I knew the tear your heart out part was coming up and I wanted some alone time so I could just let go and cry if I wanted to. (Stinky always laughs at me when I cry at movies, TV, books etc.)

And that's just what I did, I balled my eyes out. What a truly wonderful book. I lauged out loud and I cried out loud. What more could you ask for in a book. Being a product of the Detroit area Catholic school system myself, the stories are so vivid and real. Gosh, the pranks we used to play on some of the crazy nuns. It also was particularily poignant as a child of the 70's myself. John's description of his long frizzy hair and big bow tie on graduation day was right on. Can't tell you how many guys wore those big-ass bow ties.

(I remember once seeing Tom Hanks graduation picture. I would have sworn he was in my graduating class. He looked identical to about 4 guys from my class. But I digress...)

This book is all the more relevant fo me as we are having our 35th reunion from high school later this summer. So, I've had the old yearbooks out and have been in touch with old friends I haven't heard from in....35 years.

Anyway, I loved this book and highly recommend it. Don't let my crying deter you, I cry at Hallmark commercials.

Cheers!

Let's start with the fact that I come from a long line of beer drinkers. Must come from my German heritage.

The best beer I ever remember having was when my older brother converted an old refrigerator in the basement into to a tap. He kept it well stocked with Labatt's Blue. Yum!
He eventually de-installed the device when he got tired of supporting all his buddies. (and his mother and sister, I think)

As of recent, I've noticed a distinct change in the type of beers the kids have been drinking . There seems to be a influx of more unique and distinct beers on the market and many of these are being sampled by my family (although hopefully, not Stinky). Here's some of the brands that we've been most impressed with:

1. Blue Moon (Molson Coors Brewery) - This beer was developed on the Molson side of the house. The beer is orange-amber in color with a cloudy appearance because it is unfiltered. It is also spiced with corainder and orange peel in addition to the hops found in most beers. Blue Moon does have a more pronounced orange flavor than many other beers of the style (gently lifted from Wikepedia). Blue Moon has been a favorite of ours for some time now. Delicious with a slice of orange. This is the dessert of beers.

2. Final Absolution (Dragonmeade Brewery) - This local beer is produced in Warren, Michigan. It's Dragonmeade signature product and it is considered a Belgian Ale. The Belgian wheat gives it its banana and clove aromoas. Just found out that this brew has a 10% alcohol content. So careful if you try it. (Right "Doc Hollywood".)

3. Landshark (Margaritaville Brewing Company) - Jimmy has sure turned the whole Margaritaville thing into a profitable brand. This is a smooth lager that goes well with a wedge of lime. Kind of an Americanized Corona. A good summertime beer.

4. Oberon (Bell's Brewery Company) - An American wheat ale brewed with Saaz hops. Spicy and fruity, Oberon is the color and scent of a sunny afternoon (gently lifted from Bell's website).

5. Magic Hat No. 9 (Magic Hat Brewing Company) - An English ale that is a dry, crisp, refreshing, not-quite pale ale. (gently lifted from Magic Hat's website)

6. Shock Top (Anheuser Busch Brewing Company) - This is an unfiltered Belgian-style wheat ale which is naturally cloudy and unfiltered with a light golden color. Seems to be Bud's competitor for Blue Moon. Again delicious with a slide of orange.


To give a more well rounded list, I enlisted the help of my cousin Evan, in Texas. He's a proud beer aficionado, so I asked for a few of his favorite beers. So here's a couple more that are worth a try.


7. Shiner Cheer (Spoetzl Brewery) - Although a dark wheat beer, it boasts an extra taste of Texas. It's brewed with pecans and Stonewall peaches from the Texas Hill Country. This delicious, fruity beer delivers remarkably pleasant peach and apricot flavors, with light spice, caramel and toffee notes. (gently lifted from the Dallas News review)


8. King's Peak Porter (Uinita Brewing Company) - This beer is a deep mahogany in color and has a full-bodied malty flavor. Hints of chocolate malt are easily detectable. Topped with a tan creamy head, this beer has a definite hop character that nicely balances its mild bitterness. (gently lifted from Uinita Brewing website.)

So, the next time you are at an establishment with a long line of beer taps, you might want to venture out to one of these beverages. Enjoy

Ansel Adams You Ain't

If you've been reading this blog for a little bit, you are probably aware that I have been using more of my own photos and almost always apologizing for the poor quality of my photos. Well, yesterday as I'm leaving home, I get a call from work. "Grab your camera, we need building photos." Seriously?? After a 10 minute whining session about what a lousy photographer I am, I finally agree to give it a try.

You know what I found on my camera...a "scene" option setting. You can select what kind of picture you are taking and it helps make the adjustments that I don't know how to make. It was a real "aha" moment for me. (Probably, also a plug for reading the actual instructions.)

So here is an interior photo using the normal setting:

See how all the flash is on the plant in front and not the distant area. I then changed the scene setting to museum (low light available) and got this picture:

I improved on the lighting...now if I could only hold the camera and focus properly, I'd be a much better photographer.

I also found out that my camera has a "panorama" scene setting. Can't wait to try that sucker. (I did actually try that yesterday, but it didn't really turn out too well.)

So, here's the takeaway - the pictures worked fine for the person who needed them and I learned a little more about my camera including how to turn off the stupid date thing. Here's hoping for better photos from me in the future.

Song and Dance Man!

You all know how a couple weeks ago, I got a little shout out on the local Fox station in Austin, TX. It seems like little moments are kind of running in the family as of late.


On May 22, Doc Hollywood's little bro got a big shout out on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Just click on the link to see Chris in action. Chris is a DJ down in Fort Wayne and this video is very funny.

Nice Job Chris!

A Wonderful Read!

I just finished reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. What a great read. I got this book from mom, who just knew I would love it and she was right.

It's all written in a series of letters, which at first made me think - "how am I ever going to figure out who's who", but after a couple letters, you get the flow and find yourself drawn into all the characters. It's set right after the conclusion of WWII in England and Guernsey (of course).

Th other unexpected perk of this book was its large print format, which I found decidely easier on my eyes. Now, I don't wear reading glasses, but at the end of a long day it was sure nice to have this book in large print. It was almost refresing for my eyes. Granted I did have to take some crap from Stinky about reading "my 1st grade reading book", but still worth it.