Double Decker

What a weekend! I had such a good time in Oxford. I can not believe it had been almost a year since I'd been in Mississippi. I was so excited to see old friends, eat Oxford food, and enjoy the beautiful weather browsing art and listening to bands on the Square. I really wanted to buy some art, and I found a painting I loved of a cotton field (symbolic of my good ol' home state), but I didn't have an extra $1000 in my wallet. Now it's time for everyone to come visit me in Nashville!

Friday night at the Grocery

Megan, Maloree, Me and Charlie

Maloree, Megan, Me and Alicia

Keith spent the whole weekend doing house projects. I returned to find new landscaping, a bird-proofed chimney, and a microwave vent. He worked so hard! I got home early Sunday afternoon so we took the canoe out for the first time this year. It was so relaxing... minus Keith steering me towards a snake, briefly losing my shoe in some muck, and getting nailed by a tree branch. Can't wait for trip #2!

Photo Friday

I'm going to Double Decker in Oxford this weekend...

DD 2008

... to see these people!

Ole Miss Law friends

The Birds

About a week ago a nest appeared above our front door over night. Keith knocked it down and put a strip of nails above the door, but a few hours later the determined bird rebuilt its home. With Keith out of town the nest stayed from Monday afternoon-Friday. When Keith went to knock it down again we found eggs. So, needless to say, the nest will remain unti the baby birds are born.

Not only is there a bird nesting above our front door, but Darcy and I got back from our walk last night only to hear a loud noise coming from the living room. We ran in to discover a bird in our fireplace! Luckily, the glass doors are shut so the bird is trapped in the fireplace and not flying freely around the house, but it is unnerving nonetheless. I gave Keith's parents a call, but it seems the only options for me (and the poor bird) are either for it to figure out a way out or die. I'll be out of town this weekend so hopefully the bird will be gone upon my return Sunday.

Weekend Recap

We started this weekend meeting friends for dinner. I was so excited to see Ann Claire and Angie and finally get to catch up a little bit. Us girls had a great time at our 2 hour Mexican meal. Oh, yeah, and Keith and Will were there too. :)

Darcy went to the groomer for the first time on Saturday morning. It did not go well. I felt so bad that morning because she was super excited we were up and moving around early. When we dropped her off she did not want to go with Timothy and we had to stay while she warmed up to him a little bit. Not long after Keith and I got home we got a phone call. Darcy was terrified and would not let the groomer get near her with his razor. He ended up chopping off all the hair he could with a pair of scissors. Needless to say she was traumatized.

Here's a pic of her showing off her new 'do Keith and I bought our house last July, but it was on Saturday that we finally got around to painting the last room. Now, the guest room is (mostly) ready for visitors! Come stay with us... Keith makes great waffles!

Our reward to each other for all of our hard work on the house was a dinner date at F Scotts in Green Hills. The food was good, but even better was the jazz band playing in an adjoining room.

Sunday was yet another rainy day. We spent some time on the couch before getting inspired by my new issue of Cooking Light. I know I mention a Cooking Light recipe in every other post, but seriously, I love it. Also, Sunday nights have seemed to turn into cooking nights. Last night we had strawberry/avocado/jalapeno/lime salsa and chicken enchiladas. YUM! The last few times I have chopped a jalapeno I haven't been able to put in my contacts the next day because my eyes would be stinging so bad. Keith sweetly offered to do the chopping this time. Unfortunately, he had a few scraps on his hands from working on the gutters and the jalapeno juice burned his hands the rest of the night. Next time we're using rubber gloves!

It tasted much better than it looks!

The past few weekends have been so nice. Keith and I have been able to spend a lot of quality time together and of course we've gotten a few more things done around the house that have been on our list. We're about to get busy again though. I'm making a trip to Oxford this weekend, Wedding Season 09 Part 2 is kicking off in just a few weeks, and of course Greece!

Bo

Today the Obama's new dog, Bo, was all over the news. It makes me sad that they accepted a dog gifted to them by Senator Edward Kennedy and his family instead of checking petfinder (which has 17 Portuguese Water dogs listed) or contacting a Portuguese Water dog rescue group. Even more sad, the number of Portuguese Water dogs churned out by puppy mills and then later dropped off at shelters is sure to increase now that the Obamas have popularized the breed.

Rescue groups across the country are really struggling right now. Recently Keith and I emailed Proverbs 12:10, the rescue group where we got Darcy, to give them an update with pictures and thank them for all of their hard work. Within minutes we received a response thanking us. The staff at Proverbs 12:10 are all volunteers and sometimes they get discouraged with the number of rescue animals, vet expenses, food bills, etc. Emails like ours keep their spirits up and remind them of why they do what they do (or so we were told). In addition to encouraging words and success stories, organizations like Proverbs 12:10 need donations. Food/treats, crates, toys, and leashes are always easy and obvious choices. Or write a check- it's tax deductible!

April Update

So far April has seen birthdays, Mule Day, homemade dinners, Cirque de Soleil, Easter, and 7 months of marriage (today)!

For Jan's birthday we grilled out at our house. We had a Cooking Light recipe- they never fail. Salmon with maple-lemon glaze is a must try!

On Saturday, April 4, Columbia, TN hosted Mule Day. Keith, Aimee, and I made the 45 minute drive to see the parade. Apparently people come from all over the country to have their mules in the parade. It was hilarious! Great mule and people watching in the town where President James K. Polk's Ancestral Home is located. The most exciting part of the day was on our way out of town. We were stuck in Mule Day traffic when we noticed some smoke over the hill. It turned out to be a truck on fire! As we watched the truck began rolling down the hill into traffic, but was stopped by a utility pole, which also caught on fire. Thankfully, the fire department was on the scene quickly and no one was injured.

Keith and I have been on a cooking kick. One night I told him to pick any recipe for us to try and his choices just so happened to be Greek themed. Woo hoo- 39 days and counting!

Grilled chicken with veggies and feta, bean and tomato salsa, and pita bread

Last weekend we celebrated our 7th month anniversary by going to Cirque de Soleil. I loved it! Keith just thought it was ok. The performers used everything from a trapeze to ribbons to a bicycle and contorted themselves in all kinds of crazy ways. It was really amazing and a great date night!

Happy Easter from the Cronins!

Doesn't Darcy look happy... ha!

Photo Friday

Happy Easter Weekend Everyone!