Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Good Old Fashion Flyers

Saturday while watching poor Auburn get their little hineys spanked, a sweet little puppy wandered in the yard. Well, actually I saw her playing with the neighbor, but then the neighbor went inside and left her. I knew that was strange since she has two other big dogs who stay inside.  That told me puppy didn't belong to her.  I went outside, and she came running over to me.  After a few minutes of begging Stephen to come out he obliged and came out to see.  We knew she belonged to someone because she had a nice collar on, but who? I kept checking on her, and sure enough she stayed around. So, we put her in the backyard and named her Puppy. She was so fun and sweet; I loved having a puppy again! But, we had to find the owners. I made a few homemade signs to hang, three to be exact. We asked a few other neighbors if they knew her...nope.  Of course it couldn't be that easy.  Stephen made up some professional flyers, too.  She stayed over night in Stephen's kitchen, and she was so well behaved.  I think he had to get up with her a few times, but she was housebroken so that was nice! Moving to the happy ending, the owners called us Sunday around 5:00! I was so excited! They saw my homemade sign! I love that the homemade sign worked, not the Facebook shout-outs, not the trip to the humane society, not the professional flyers, nope, my homemade sign that looked as if a third grader had made it! That was luck, and I know that all the before mentioned attempts helped as well, but I was just so excited to have her return home. They were so thankful; the mother had tears in her eyes. Their three sons were so happy to see Ethel (we later found out), and we were told Lucy (their other dog) would be happy to see her as well.  How sweet...Lucy and Ethel! It brought warmth to my heart! It was so nice to be able to do something good for someone, even though we may have been put out of our comfort zone for a minute, it was definitely worth it!

Sweet Ethel :)

Friday, November 4, 2011

Bred Into Me

I'm not a big nut gal.  I don't care for them in my cakes, cookies, or brownies. But, this year my pecan tree has produced beautiful pecans! This is the first time since I've lived here that it has, and I am so excited.  Growing up, we always picked up pecans from our trees, and froze them for future use. I never asked why; it was just what we did. Now, I can't help but to pick up and save them. I've even been able to fill up my cute basket I got for picking blueberries... Now, I just need a nut cracker, so I can get them in the freezer for "future use"!

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Fall Fail

Halloween morning I got up to get the house ready for Trick-or-Treat night. I decided I need to rake some leaves; however, I have never done this before, so I thought it was a good idea. I raked and raked and was so proud of myself. It was so fun and so fall, until the next morning. I couldn't move, and you couldn't tell I had raked. Fail.

Halloween night was so much fun; it gets better every year. We invited my parents, Granddad, Sister, and her boyfriend over for dinner. I made an assortment of ghoulish treats, but I didn't manage to take one picture! :( It was so busy once everyone started getting there and the trick-or-treaters started knocking on the door.  Anyway, I made mummy dogs, monster mash dip, and deviled egg eyeballs. They were so good and simple! Mummy dogs are hot dogs wrapped in strips of crescent rolls, monster mash dip is a sort of taco dip I created, and deviled egg eyeballs are deviled eggs with a black M&M  in the center. Yum!
excuse my cheesy grin, i was excited!
 We had approximately 200 kiddos, and they were so cute and sweet. I was even known as the "Popcorn Lady"! They get so excited about miniature bags of popcorn; it's so sweet. I look forward to this night every year, and this year I even dressed the part with a witches hat. It was great. Next year will be even better, and I'll remember to take more pictures, so it'll look like more people were there besides me!

Monster Mash Dip
2 cans re-fried beans
1 can Rotel
Colby Jack cheese
sour cream
1 package taco seasoning
-Fill the bottom of a baking dish with the two cans of beans, next add the Rotel (drain mostly), then add a thick layer of cheese.
-Mix up about a cup of sour cream and about half the package of taco seasoning
-Bake the beans, tomatoes, and cheese mixture about 15 minutes on about 350 degrees, then remove from oven and add the layer of sour cream mixture and top with a little more cheese, then return to oven for about 5-7 minutes.
-Enjoy with Tortilla chips! :)

Monday, October 31, 2011

Happy Halloween!

Today is a wonderful day! It's Trick-or-Treat night! I look forward to this every year, and this year I even got special permission to miss my class. My area has tons of kids come, so it's really a big deal. I'm even going to have my parents and granddad over for a ghoulish treat! ;) And, Stephen is such a good sport. He plays along beautifully; I'm a lucky gal! Check out our pumpkins! I love them!

ON HALLOWEEN

The witches fly
Across the sky,
The owls go, "Who? Who? Who?"
The black cats yowl
And green ghosts howl,
"Scary Halloween to you!" -Nina Willis Walter

Happy, Happy Halloween!!!

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Update

I'm still here. My life has been flipped lately. I lost my job in August and started grad school the next week. I had already planned to start school before I was laid off, so I'm looking at it as confirmation on my plan. Just wanting to let you know where I've been and what I've been up to. There isn't a whole lot of time (mostly money) to cook, decorate, create, etc. I miss it. I'll be getting back to it; don't give up on me! I'll be back in the swing of things as soon as I get comfortable in my new life. I'm so excited to see what the future holds. Stay tuned to see what unfolds!

I've been working on my crocheting skills. I have a project to show you, but my camera broke... Story of my recent life! :) I'm not letting it bring me down, I have plenty to be grateful for! Smile because it's October! My favorite three months are here! I hosted a Willow House party last week and had so much fun decorating for Halloween/fall. I have some wonderful recipes to share, too!

Saturday, September 17, 2011

WINNER

Congratulations, Kat! You won (through random.org's True Random Number Generator) with your comment, "Let's get scrapbookin' with Baby Mine. I love these!" Kat, be looking out for an email from me!

Great news is you're all a winner with this great discount for $10 discount off the purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software and a $10 coupon for the  MyMemories.com store- a $20 value! Use code STMMMS25865

A HUGE THANK YOU for all of you who entered! You've made my first contest a great success!

Friday, September 16, 2011

Contest

Today's the last day to enter my contest for a free digital scrapbooking software from My Memories!

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Digital Scrapbook Software & GIVEAWAY


I have been so excited to share with you this new software program.  My Memories Suite is a fantastic digital scrapbooking software which offers so much more than just scrapbooking! With My Memories Suite you can make scrapbook layouts, photo books, cards, videos, anything you can dream up! Then, you can either print right from your home computer, send to the professionals, or turn it into a JPEG. I personally think this scrapbook software is awesome and so much fun! I’ve always enjoyed making photo books and online scrapbooks, but they got to be so pricey and time consuming.  With My Memories Suite it was so easy from the beginning and there are so many different options, I think you’d love it! Take a look at my flyer I created.
 
It was so simple to use, and it offers a wide variety of options. There are tons of layouts on their site and many that come with the program. I was pleasantly surprised with how very easy it was to create your own scrapbook pages, photo book, or a flyer all from your own computer!

Now the good part!
My Memories Suite wants to give away their Scrapbook software to one of our readers!

How to enter: Go to www.MyMemories.com and pick out your favorite layout or digital paper back then come back and comment telling me which one by saying “LET'S GET SCRAPBOOKIN' WITH…
Extra entries: you can follow their Twitter, Facebook, or go tell your friends about this contest! You’ll earn an extra entry for each. Comment telling me you did so.
Contest ends on Friday, September 16, 2011 at midnight CST
  
And yes, I really am hosting a Willow House party. I'd love for you to come!! :) 

Monday, September 12, 2011

Everyday Re-Creations Contest

Don't forget to go to www.everdayre-creations.com and enter our contest to have your recipe posted on the blog. Just let us know what your favorite recipe is and why (we don't need all the recipe details yet, so no worries). Once the winner or winners are picked, you can cook it for us and write your own post or we'll do the cooking and posting for your and give you a shout out for the idea and recipe!! We are just looking for your 'everyday' (no pun intended, well maybe a little) dinner recipes. Happy cooking!!!

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Very First Giveaway

I am so excited to be hosting my very first giveaway! Check back Tuesday to see what great deal I will be offering and what my special giveaway will be! 

Get excited and check back!

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Go to Everyday Re-Creations Now!

Do you have a favorite go-to recipe? Do you have a great week night recipe that you think the world needs to know? Then enter it! We have a contest going on right now where you can enter your favorite recipe then if picked, you could either write your own post about your recipe or you could come cook it with us!

Go enter now! Everyday Re-Creations

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Football and a Wedding

Today I'm stuck in a beautiful hotel room watching football all by my lonesome, but it's worth it! I get to attend the wedding of some dear friends, Blair and Alyson. Stephen is one of their groomsmen, and so he's off doing groomsmen duties. I get to relax, crochet a little, and catch up on my reading all while watching the Auburn Tigers. Oh, and you may not know this, but I am now a graduate student of Auburn. So I can officially say Warrrrrrrrr Eagle, Hey!!


Best wishes, Blair and Alyson!


Thursday, September 1, 2011

Celebrity Sighting

A few weekends ago, Stephen and I turned down a weekend at the lake to go see these guys.


If you don't know who these guys are, you should be ashamed of yourself. It's Troy and Jacob Landry from Swamp People.  Swamp People is a documentary- reality style show on the History Channel about their life style of gator hunting. It's fantastic. It's safe to say that it is our favorite show, and Troy is our favorite hunter! So, we knew we had to go.  We stood in line for three and a half hours to get one photograph and an autograph. It made a wonderful memory. I can't believe we did it. We almost gave up a few times, but prospered on! =) I got to speak to him for a second, and he was so sweet! Aww! I just love em!

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Whoomp! There It Is!

I realized today that I haven't shown you how far The Bacon Level House (TBLH) has come.  Oh man, oh man, I can't wait to show you. You are going to be in awe. My parent's should have their own show or something.  Just wait until you see how far it has come....










Baseball Cookies

I love baseball season; I always have. I guess you could say it’s my sport. It’s the one game that I actually know what’s going on, and can somewhat carry on a conversation about. I first came up with this idea in college, and I was part of the “Diamond Dolls”. I have made these cookie sandwiches at Christmas and used sprinkles on top before, but it hit me during baseball season that these were the perfect shape and color and with just a little something special they can easily become bona fide baseballs!

These are some of the easiest no bake, cutest baseball cookies you will ever come across. Maybe I’m biased? They take a few extra minutes because you have to wait for each step to dry or melt completely, but they are so worth it! I've made these twice for Stephen's baseball team this summer. *Quick Plug* The Opelika 13 Yr Old All Stars are going to the World Series this weekend due to their winning State last weekend! Woo Hoo! Wish us luck!


Your ingredients are simple:
Ritz crackers
Peanut butter
Almond Bark
Food color pen

First, pull out your almond bark. For this example, you will need vanilla flavored. It’s delicious. Don’t be afraid of this stuff. If you don’t know where almond bark is, it’s in the baking aisle right next to the chocolates. Tip: It melts very easily, so don’t leave it in your car during 90 degree weather. Just saying…

Pull it out of the fridge, if you did leave said almond bark in the car and it melted, to bring to room temperature. If not, it should already be at room temp. Get to breaking it up. I did this with a large knife and shaved off pieces. This may be the hardest step, but it’s not really hard just time consuming. Count this as your daily arm workout.

Now we must create a double boiler. If you are like me and don’t own one you can create one using varying sized pots. This technique is not suggested or correct or anything you will ever see, but it has never let me down. I add some water to one pot and turn on low and insert the other pot right on top.

Technically the water is not supposed to touch the second pot. Just be careful not to let the water boil and remember to stir constantly. I hear that it’s extremely easy to do this step in the microwave, but I am a creature of habit and the first works for me, so why change? While your almond bark melts (you can take the smaller pot out of first periodically if you need to do something else) build your cracker sandwiches.

Then, place one sandwich in, flip to coat and remove. This step needs to happen fast because the peanut butter will melt out. I used a spatula in the left hand and tongs in the right. Flip with the left; insert and take out with the right. You get the picture. You’ll figure out your own technique, and it’ll go very quickly. Once all your sandwiches have been dipped, let dry completely.

At this stage, get out your Betty Crocker Food Decorator pens. They work the best. It’s like food coloring in marker form. They’re great! You will need red for this. Now place little X’s in a backward parenthesis shapes, and voila! You instantly have delicious, beautiful baseballs!

Friday, July 15, 2011

Changing My Perception

The four of us (Stephen, Martha, Pixie, and I) have a new friend. He could almost be called a pet, but to be a pet that would mean that I would have to feed him or change his water or let him out...you get the point. This is the best kind of pet, a friend. At first, I was scared to death, and I'm still a little skittish of him and his kind. I don't want to touch him, or have him touch me, but I do get worried about him, so that must mean my feelings are changing for this little guy. This is Dennis. Dennis Hopper.


 After having this little friend show up on Stephen's back steps nightly for a few days we decided we needed to name him. Make him an official part of the family. We went back and forth and back and forth. We came up with some good ones...and some not so good ones, Stephen. My last and final vote was for "Sir Wart of Hoppingham". You must say this with an accent; any kind will do. Stephen liked Dennis Hopper. Telling our age difference, I didn't even know who that was. Somehow it stuck.

We enjoy going out every evening to see if Dennis is out there. Sure enough, every single night for the last month or so there he is. The girls don't bother him, and we speak in passing. Don't want to get too attached; I'm sure once summer has ended he'll go back to wherever he came from, but until then we'll enjoy our nightly summer buddy.

Monday, July 11, 2011

True Friendship

I think today was a perfect day to run across this video. I found a picture while looking around Pinterest. I didn't believe it, so I had to go see for myself.  This is so touching. The video of the reunion brings chills and tears. The looks on their faces are pure joy; they are so happy to see their friend.



I also enjoyed watching some of this interview.



Happy Monday! I hope you have a wonderful week!

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Any Night Can Be A Party

Last night, I had three of my favorites that I don't get to see often over for dinner. I didn't take the first picture, but I want to share the recipes. They were fantastic, in that quick and easy sort of way. I had never made either before, which is risky, but I knew these wouldn't let me down.

First, I made Ham and Cheese Crescent Rolls. I got them from a Pillsbury email. You buy crescent rolls, Cheddar slices, and sliced ham. Unfold your crescents and roll them up with the ham and cheese stuffed inside. Just lay 2 pieces of ham in it then cut the cheese to lay on top of that. Bake for about 15 minutes at 375. They were delicious! We even discussed how easy they'd be to swap up with other ingredients.

Next, I made Paula Deen's Pasta Salad. It called for a lot of things that I didn't even entertain the thought, but it was probably one of my favorite pasta salads ever. It was one lb of pasta with a balsamic vinaigrette based dressing. I even bought a block of Parmesan cheese to shred myself. That was a big girl step... I had never done that before, but it was totally worth the four dollars. She suggests adding tomatoes, olives and mushrooms.

Dressing: 1 cup balsamic vinaigrette dressing (I used Newman's and probably will next time, too) 1/4 c of mayo and 1 Tbsp of sugar. Whisk this together then pour over the noodles. Then, shred the Parmesan on top.

I was so nervous about having friends over on a weeknight, but it made everything so friendly and casual. My house may not have been perfect, and the food wasn’t the fanciest, but we all enjoyed each other’s company.

Moral of the story: invite friends over on a weeknight even if it’s for hotdogs! It leaves less time to plan, but also leaves less time to stress. I will definitely be having more weeknight dinners!
Forgive the terrible quality, and it is obviously not a recent picture

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Reality Check

Yesterday, I had to buy gas.

I'm making an amendment to my rules.

Gas doesn't count.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Coupon Failure

Yesterday, I went grocery shopping for a few items. Only a few, I promise. I had one small buggy full. You know those half sized, double-decker things? Anyway, I had already mapped out the sale items, and I had my coupons ready. I didn’t have pockets, so I took my coupon organizer-thingy. {That is a technical term.} My previous grocery shopping experiences with coupons I’ve always had Stephen with me. I’d hold the coupons, he’d push the buggy and then I’d hand him the coupons we were using to put in his pocket. This method works great. Yesterday, I went it alone.


So, I’m pushing the buggy, holding my organizer-thingy and scanning the aisles. I start to go through my coupons {while still in the organizer-thingy} and it starts to open on me because it’s an accordion type folder. Next thing I know, most of my coupons go flying to the floor. They go everywhere. Thinking back on it, it was quite hilarious. At the moment, it was not. I almost panicked. So, trying to remain all calm and cool, as I usually try to do when in public, I grabbed them (after a few minutes of crawling around on the floor) and stuffed them back in. I guess I’ll spend this afternoon re-organizing.

I’m not getting the hang of coupons, but I’m not ready to throw in the towel just yet.

(Saving) Dollar Days


With the economy where it is I thought I’d challenge myself to saving more money (or not spending any- but that sounds lame, so I’ll say saving).  A friend gave me the idea of giving myself $50 a week to spend, then saving the rest… but I am going to take that one step further and allow myself $25 a week.  What?! Twenty.Five. Dollars. For. One. week?? Is that to include gas, food and life, you may ask! Yes. I am as nervous as you are. It may not be possible, but then again it may. Now, the rules: If I don’t spend the full $25, it can carry over. Keep in mind I’m on the road for one hour every day, and I have a gas guzzler.  Get a smaller car, you suggest?  This one was given to me by my wonderful parents= no car payment.  Case closed.  That’s it. It’s June 13th. I’ll do this for the rest of June.  Here goes nothing! I’m scared!  I’ll keep you updated on my progress. This doesn’t mean I’ll start living a boring life; it just means I’ll have to be more creative in my activities and meal planning. By meal planning I mean sandwich making.
What are your saving money tips?

Friday, June 10, 2011

Not Ashamed

I have poor taste in TV; just ask anyone who knows me. I love Home Improvement. I love The Nanny. I especially love Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. These are without a doubt the very best shows to go to bed to. For your enjoyment, I will share with you one my favorite clips. I laugh every time.

Have a happy weekend!

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Confession

I don't like basil.

That feels good to say out loud. I feel so much better. Thanks for letting me vent.

I really enjoy the smell of basil, but I can't eat it. I tried. I was shocked, because for so long I figured I liked it. I really had never had it though. This weekend, Stephen and I went to a concert in Atlanta, and we went to a restaurant called The Big Ketch.  It was great. I discovered I do like raw oysters, and they brought boiled peanuts to lightly munch on while we waited. Boiled peanuts. Free. I was in heaven. There wasn't much light munching, but there was a lot of throwing peanuts toward my face. I caught most of them. I ordered a shrimp salad. They brought me orange-basil vinaigrette. It was horrendous. Next year, I think I'll figure out a different herb to plant.



This was afterwards; please excuse the sexy hot, sweaty look.
We love this hotel. They offer a free limo service to and from the show.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

The Disappearing Blueberry

Oh, this summer heat is fantastic isn't it? I just love how all my plants act like big babies in this weather. I water them thoroughly (daily), and by the next afternoon they're all acting as if they're about to die. All withered over.  I can just hear them crying out to me, "Mama, waaaaah, I'm hot! I'm tired! I'm thirsty!" I mean come on, grow up already!  It's true. They cry.

So, (daily) I go out and water them. I snip back pieces that need snipping. I drag the water hose from one end of my house to the next, then carefully roll it back up (daily), and all without complaining.... I did get to try my first blueberry the other day.  It wasn't ripe; I was too eager. I spit it out.  However, the last few days I've had one blueberry that looked to be just about ready to pick. The just about ready to be picked part was key, so I left it out to ripen a wee bit more. The next day it's gone. Every time. Not parts of it eaten; it just disappears. Maybe someone is coming by and picking it?  Maybe my yard bunny jumped up and picked it? I keep hearing it's the birds, but I feel that the birds would leave some sort of evidence. I think it's my plants playing tricks on me. Or, there is a blueberry snatcher on the loose. Either way, I don't think I'm going to get my baskets of blueberries this year as I had hoped.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Mi Jardin

I'm so pleased with my garden this year. Stephen helped me one day plant these flowers out front, hang my fern and plant a Hydrangea (not pictured). My mom helped me with the Jalapeno plants, and I planted the Basil. Do you want any? I plant it just because, but I don't ever use it. Any ideas what to do with it? We have an abundance of misused herbs; that should be a crime.   My parents also planted my back flower garden with three blueberry bushes and a Dogwood tree! They have blueberries on them; they aren't blue yet. It has been such a joy to see them grow. I can't wait to have blueberry smoothies and muffins all summer long!



We also celebrated seis de Mayo! (Get it, because we celebrated the sixth instead of the fifth?)



Check out how my window garden is coming along!

You Asked For It

Okay, so you didn't ask me directly for it, but I'm sure you thought about it!

Here's an update on my parent's "little" project. It has come such a long, long way.  Right now, the main focus is on the outdoor kitchen area.  An outdoor kitchen is what inspired this idea.  My dad wanted a place to grill and eat outside, but he needed some sort of structure.  < Insert genius (?) idea from my mom on moving this house over. >

He originally thought about building a small barn type facility that would allow for one bedroom, small gathering space and a small kitchen.  This fits that description perfectly, and it already has the exterior complete. The interior is a whole different ballgame!

Back to the point- the outdoor dining area is main priority.  The area has been built up, and the concrete has been poured.  Next, it will be covered in rock.  It's finally starting to look like something.  Dad says we will be able to grill out for the 4th of July...we shall see! Stay tuned!

First, I want to remind you what it used to look like.



It's looking great! I can't wait to use it! GREAT JOB, DAD and MOM!

Friday, May 13, 2011

Fun Fact Friday: Coffee Grinds

Today I will tell you about what I learned this past week. I've learned that not only do coffee grinds keep slugs at bay, but they are also good for your soil.

This is very green. Maybe I'm becoming green? I think I'm more of an army green.

Whatever your reason, it helps the environment out and it helps your plants out. I hear that coffee grinds especially help out with blueberries, hydrangeas and azaleas, but that "may just be a myth".  You can read all about it here.

Also crush up your egg shells and throw them into your soil.  Great for the environment, great for soil and slugs can't crawl over the sharp edges.  If you wonder why I'm hating on the slugs right now, it's because they can kill your plants! You can also set out a small container with beer in it at the base of your plant. Slugs (like me) like beer. They will crawl in, drink until their hearts are content and die. 

I think I'd rather not waste beer on the slugs, so I'm testing the coffee grinds.




Not sure if this is what they're suppose to look like. Here's hoping they'll turn blue soon!

And for your viewing pleasure:
My Potholder =)

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Not All It's Cracked Up To Be??

No. 3 on my "30 Before 30" List is going to the Kentucky Derby wearing a big ole hat and drinking a cold mint julep from my silver mug.  Seeing as how no one thought I was serious when I said I wanted to go to the Derby, I decided to have a practice round this year.  Luckily, besides the humonganguous rosemary bush Stephen also has mint in his yard, spearmint and regular.  He has been telling me for months he had it,  I didn't believe him, so I thought this would be the best time to try it out! Now we have all the perfect makins' for a true Kentucky mint julep.

Derby day I woke up, took a shower (shocker, if you know anything about me, you know I hate taking a shower), put on my pearls, lace top and my big two dollar Target find floppy garden hat. I was ready! I had taken some mint from Stephen's garden and began to make my mint simple syrup. I used 1 1/2 cup sugar, 1 1/2 cup water and a bunch of mint. You know I eyeball that kind of stuff. Brought to a boil then let it cool in the frig.



Stephen and I went to the ABC store (he wouldn't let me wear my hat in) and picked up a bottle of Early Times Kentucky Whisky. We wanted this to be authentic, so we used the recipe from KentuckyDerby.com.  We placed our bets, or so we thought, and went to make our drinks.




So, the recipe calls for 1 Tablespoon of your simple syrup mixture and 2 ounces of bourbon. That's not a very big drink, so we tried to use the same proportions.  We also added more crushed mint and crushed ice. Topped it off with a fresh sprint of mint, and it was ready to go down. Man, it was pretty! Probably the prettiest of all the libations I have ever re-created. I even set up a little photo shoot for it. I was in love. That is until I took my first sip....YEEE-UCCK! It was like an explosion of sugar at first, then you realize it's a shot of whisky. Every sip was like that. I managed to force down maybe a 1/4th of my glass, but sadly I couldn't handle it. Our relationship came to an end after the race was over; you know about two minutes later.



Now, let's rewind about five minutes. We made our drinks, watched the National Anthem and got ready for the race. We get a call, the website is down and our bets didn't go in. We didn't place big bets, but we wanted to have something in it, so it came down to the wire. About one minute before the race began, our bet goes through. We have a few dollars on the favorite 8. Dailed In and few on 15. Midnight Interlude. The race begins, we are so excited. Imagine us: Me- jumping up and down screaming, with my hat on and a full glass of mint julep; Stephen- sitting in his chair calmly saying something like let's go.  Two minutes later, it ends. It's over. That's what all the hype and preparation was for. We win nothing. 8. Dailed In gets 8th place and 15. Midnight Interlude gets 18th (I think). 18th out of 19 horses. Do we know how to pick em or what.

notice the rosemary behind me
Regardless of the let down of the drink and the let down of the race, I enjoyed it! I think it was so much fun. I can only imagine what it would be like to be there surrounded by all the celebrities and beautiful fashion. Oh, be still my heart. Animals and big hats. I love em. I do love them both. Maybe next year.

so not even a 1/4th