Brother Saves the Day

I'm all gimpy right now from foot surgery and can't really do much that involves putting weight on my foot. My brother, his daughter Lily, and thier dog Missy came over Saturday to entertain Holden, Laney, Bagel, and me. First the kids and the dogs played a while then he took me to Walmart to buy a Wii. I moved around in the motorized scooter while he pushed both kids in the basket. I feed them gummy worms through out the trip to ensure good behavior. We came back home and my brother made us a pizza for lunch then nap ime for everyone. Lily got the big bed (my bed), Holden slept in his crib, I was on one couch with Missy and Laney, and Matt was on the other couch with Bagel. After that the wild ones got up. They played really well the rest of the day. Matt and Holden built things with his mega blocks and Lily destroyed them. Then we bundled everyone up and went outside to run off some energy. After about 30 minutes of cold we had to come back in although Lily, Holden, Laney, and Bagel disagreed. Jeremy got home soon afterwards and we had a pot luck dinner with spaghetti, philly cheese steak sandwiches, french fries, and shrimp. Pops rode his bike over to hang out with the babies and eat. It was a really great day even though I couldn't walk much. Thanks to my brother!!

Ginny Lane Bar and Grill

Tonight we ate at Ginny Lane's in Orange Beach, AL. We have been here for six days and eaten out at least once if not twice a day and this was by far the best we have had yet and probably the best we will have.

It is located at the Warf, which is cool in itself. There is a huge farris wheel to ride, which is great if you have kids. There are lots of cute shops, a coffee shop, gallery, and a zip line for those dare devils.

Ginny Lane's has mostly seafood along with a variety of other things such as pastas, beef, pork and chicken. Everything on the menu is what you can find most anywhere but with their own personal touch and their own touch is what makes everything magnificent. We started with one dollar draft beers and six dollar a dozen oysters. Then moved onto entrees which included the Orange Beach Grouper and Fried Seafood Platter. Yes most restaurants at the beach have grouper and fried seafood platters but not like these. The grouper was cooked to perfection with Orange Basil Aioli served with grilled asparagus and mushroom risotto. My husband's platter consisted of beer battered fries, wonderfully fresh coleslaw, and fried shrimp, oysters, grouper, and scallops each battered differently and fried just right. For dessert we had the bread pudding which is plenty for two to share. The pudding had big hunks of warm bread with a sweet white cream sauce covered with cool whip and fresh fruit. They also have a nice selection of dessert martini's. We ordered the white chocolate martini made with three different liquors so just as delicious as alcoholic.

I must say everything from the location, to the atmosphere (they also have outdoor seating), to the great service, and the most melt in your mouth food was the best we have experienced on our trip. I give them a three thumbs up!!! I think we will be back tomorrow for lunch.

Holden's Big Day

Holden had such a busy day. After his morning nap we packed up and went to the zoo with Jorie and Iris. Dad and Holden cooled off in the water afterwards. When we got home he ate dinner then helped dad mow the backyard. Finally he started calming down after his bath then to bed. From what I hear tomorrow id suppose to be equally good. First fishing in the morning, then nap, off to great grandmaw's to pick up his boat with dad then who know what else.

Mothers day out....with babies!

Jorie and I took the kiddies to the Pink Palace yesterday to see the dinosaurs. It was okay but glad it was free wouldn't have been worth paying for it. Of course it may have been for other people but if you have small children just make your way downstairs to the mammals then hope right upstairs to the animated dinosaurs. The rest is mostly fossils which are cool but not to two year olds.

The mammal exhibit was small but they really like it. Although, thanks to my job, Holden has seen most of those things up close anyway. I did find it cool, (most would be offended) that in that exhibit was some creature with a dead bird in its mouth. Hey, that's what nature is about.

The animated dinos were upstairs. There were about five different ones and very cool. ***Heads up the woman guarding the dino exhibit says, "you can take pictures but not use your flash b/c it fades the dinosaurs." Well, everyone used their flash, not to mention you have to to get a picture b/c the room is very dark. So wait till she is occupied, which is quite often.

We left the museum after only 45 minutes and headed over to the zoo b/c it was free as well. Didn't see too much b/c it was very hot and animals were all inside and b/c it wasn't planned the kids had no sunscreen so we couldn't stay long. We will be getting a family membership for us to share. It's only $80.00 and after three visits will be paid for.

Fishing is Hereditary

He is 16 months and already going fishing with his daddy.

Rabbit Drama

Long story short I work in a vet clinic and we do wildlife rehabilitation. On Wednesday someone brought us two baby orphaned rabbits. I usually don't participate in wildlife mainly because I'm sure I will kill it or my son will kill it or my dogs or my cat....you get the picture. However, I decided to take them on and nurse them until they could be released. In my defense baby rabbits are suppose to be very hard to keep alive.

Wednesday night and Thursday they did great. I had a heating pad on them to keep warm which I thought got too hot so I stopped use and I also syringe feed them about four times a day. I kept them in a small soft side cooler with some towels and zipped it up most of the way. I sat the cooler on my kitchen counter so none of my animals could get them.

Early Friday morning my husband got home from work around 3am and woke me up because one of the rabbits were missing. So we each took a flashlight and played CSI for a while looking all over the house. I did think my pets could have gotten him but very unlikely considering the cat was outside and the dogs never left my room that I knew of while I was sleeping and I usually wake up to them jumping off the bed. After twenty minutes of searching we gave up. I made myself a glass of water and as I watched the water flow down my sink I thought, "Oh shit! He might be in garbage disposal." I reached down there and felt fur, then immediately screamed. Mostly because I wouldn't remember the last time I used the garbage disposal and was unsure if the rabbit was in one piece. My husband got him out for me. Other than being wet he was fine. The rabbits spent the rest of the night in their soft side cooler in a big deep tub so they could not exscape.

Friday morning I was leaving a two day vacation and going with a Vet so I decided to just take them with me. They did very well the rest of the day Friday and most of Saturday. We checked on them Saturday afternoon around five and they were both hopping around. We even took their picture with a MyJones Soda so we could enter it in their label contest.

Saturday night we went to a wedding on the beach then out to eat came back and they rabbits were barely alive. Both on their side freezing cold. I left the their heat source back home because they hadn't needed it. I still dunno if they got cold and that caused all this or if getting ill caused their temperature to drop. So anyways I decide to warm up a small towel in the microwave. BTW I have done this before without this effect. It may have been in there 30 seconds tops and we start to smell it. The girl I went with grabbed the towel out of the microwave and threw it out the door. Let me back up a minute.....when we arrived at our hotel that night there were a bunch of nasty creepy guys sitting outside smoking and drinking so when she threw the towel outside she barely opened the door because we didn't want to have to interact with them. Also we were both sure the towel was NOT on fire. It just looked like we had left the iron on it. We had to warm these guys up and fast. So I started ironing hand towels. As soon as I ironed one I would wrap them in it the start ironing the other and switch out. I did this for about thirty minutes until they were warm enough to leave to go pick up a heating pad.

Here it is about 1am and we are booking it to Walmart the closest thing open b/c they don't have Walgreens on every corner there) in our PJs to get a heating pad. We finally get one get it home and one rabbit is sitting up looking real good the other one still looks bad. I put the heating pad in the cooler with a towel over it and left them there while we slept. ****Also, side note, does anyone know where to get a heating pad that doesn't have auto shut off?**** Woke up four hours later to get ready to leave and they both had died.
Yes sad ending but still a comedy!

Shrimp Cocktail Deluxe

Yummmy!!!!!!! Pretty much just overload guac with shrimp and coctail sauce but oh so good.

Plum Cake

My first try and it was really good. Remember I'm not a baker.

Cake

1 Box yellow cake mix

8 Plums

Cinn

Brown Sugar

Glaze

1cup confection sugar

3 tbsp butter

3 tbsp milk

1 tbsp van

Peel and pit 3 plums. Put them in a food processor and make a puree. Mix cake mix according to dircetions on box. Add plum puree to cake mix. Peel, core, and slice up remaning plums. Arrange on top off cake mix. Sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar. Bake 350 for about 30 minutes. Then mix all ingredients for glaze together and pour over cake while still hot.

Yumm!!! You can make the whole thing from scratch if your feeling really Martha Stewardy but I wasn't. The glaze is optional but very worth it. Use may also use the 50% less sugar cake mix, which I did, and can't tell a difference with all the sweetness from the plums.

Cute Cop

You thought I would have a picture of my husband?? Yeah right, this cop is much cuter.....and scarier!!

Holden's New Toy

I have been looking for one for a while and Sunday more good old Target had one for $25. It's a water table. Pretty much a container that holds water that is lifted off the floor (aka a clean clean portable toilet.) It also has some water figures to play with and a slide for them but he didn't care as much about that as he did to just be able to splash in water. He played in it while Laney played in the hose and the other dog sat on the couch inside and watched. Apparently she doesn't like water...huh...guess I'll be getting a squirt bottle to keep her in line.

Dinner

I got this idea out of a Rachel Ray magazine but tweaked it for my own liking as always and made it easier. I love her recipes and even though she has some 30 minute ones they also have 30 ingredients and not stuff you keep around alot. So here it is. I call it Bruschetta Open Sandwich. Mostly because it reminds me of the bruschetta tomato bread they use and may still have at Bahama Breeze. I just turn it from appetizer into meal.

I took cheesy bakery bread, kind of like what you get at Subway, added Swiss cheese, steak (just barley sear fajita strips in skillet first), tomatoes, and basil. Cook in oven until cheese is fully melted. UMMM!!!!! YUMMY!!! Hint: I cook the fajita strips in Port Wine and they are still a little under cooked when I put them on the bread b/c you don't want them to get too done in the oven. Also drizzle some olive oil on your bread before adding on toppings.

There are so many variations of this that you can make. I also made it with Feta and Goat cheese. I'm sure it would taste good with chicken and shrimp too. Always keep the tomatoes and basil though.

Daddy Day Care

My husband didn't know I was getting off early I guess. I hope that doesn't mean he always does this. Although I'm sure he does otherwise my son wouldn't smell like he just got out of the bath and have on different clothes when I get home.

New Floor

So I finally got my new floor. Go ahead dogs and go play in the rain, stomp through the mud and tramps through the house. No more steam cleaner for that just a mop! It is much louder but much cleaner and even though I swept up half a Shih Tzu after only one week at least I know I got it all up; nothing hiding out in fibers collecting smells.

Odd Dog

I woke up this morning with something breathing on my head from behind. I turned to quickly to see my dog sleeping above me and my husband's head above the pillows. How odd.

Holden's Bday

Holden had his first birthday last week. He started by hanging out with his guests, then opened presents, cake time, came home tried out some toys, then stretched out on the floor with the dog for a nap.

My baby's First Birthday Cake

I think I did a good job even though I'm not baker. The last picture is waht we started out with and the first is our final product. My friend Aimee came by and helped. It took 6 boxes of cake mix, 18 eggs, 4 countainer of marshmallow fluff, 4 boxes of cream cheese, a box of fondant, a huge tub of icing, a box of assorted food coloring, and six hours but we made my baby his first Backyardigans birthday cake! He tested it first for everyone to make sure it was worth serving.

Fat Girl Snack

So it's late at night and your craving sweets as every fat girl does and of course that Smart Ones key lime pie was aweful last night and a bowl of bran flakes with splenda ain't gonna cut it either. You need real sweetness. I have found the answer. The 100 calorie Nutty Bars. They are one of the very few things that tastes like the real deal. You get 12 of the for under $2.00 at Walmart.

First Hair Cut

Holden got his first hair cut this weekend and dispite my choke hold I learned from restraining animals at work, it went pretty well.

Holden and Laney

My two children playing together. Check out my side bar for more pictures of them.

First Snow

Holden's First Snow! I'm sure he appreciated being sick and me taking him in 28 degree weather but I had to have his first snow picture.