Gulf Coast Oil Spill Part 2

Since we arrived mid afternoon to our condo on our first day at the beach, we decided to spend those few afternoon hours by the pool instead of on the beach.  It was the second day that we were ready to lay out in our blue rental chairs.  Emily got up early and walked down to the beach to choose our chairs.  The rental guy told her that the media's coverage of the oil spill had nearly ruined his rental business.  We were about to find out how true that was.  The first photo was taken from the balcony.  You can see the discoloration.

The next three photos are of what is being called "oil mousse."  It was clearly visible from the balcony of our condo, but I wanted a close up view as soon as we hit the beach.

This is a tar ball that was near the oil mousse.

More photos to come!

Gulf Coast Oil Spill- Part 1

Wow, I cannot believe that I haven't updated my blog since FEBRUARY! Ok, yes I can. Life is busy and crazy. My friend Emily and I planned our first beach trip to Gulf Shores. We'd been watching the oil spill closely and thus far, the effects had not been severe in Gulf Shores. However, noaa.gov's website did predict that the oil would reach the gulf within days of our arrival.  Before we left I kept in regular contact with the realty company I'd booked our condo through.  I was also doing beach sessions while I was there, so having up to date knowledge of the oil spill was crucial to me.  Before we left our realty company offered us an extra night for basically nothing.  So, we left on Wednesday instead of Thursday.  Here are pics from our first day, June 9th. It was really surreal to see, in person, images I'd been seeing on the news and internet.

Most days, the crews were finished by mid morning and moved on to another part of the beach.  They worked hard to clean the sand and tiny tar balls that washed up.

February 2010 Snow!

Ok, so we didn't get as much snow as they predicted (alarmists!), but we DID get snow!  I'd say 2-3 inches.  There were areas around us that got more, but we werent as lucky.

We went with Jay and Emily for a drive out in the country and (of course) we stopped for a few pics.  Thankfully my friends will take the camera from me at time, or else there'd never be pics of me with Bobby!

Emily did a GREAT job!

Here's our sweet little house all covered in snow.

We stopped at Second Street Bean for lunch (and a cinnamon red hot latte...YUM!)

And, oh did my sweet baby noodle love the snow. I may have my "mommy goggles" on, but I think she is SOOOO stinkin' cute!

And here is my honey with our girls.  Don't you just love their new jackets?!?!  CUTENESS!!

Ok, it's time for some corn and crab bisque and a nap!  Happy Snow Day!

The Craziest Weather EVER

I have seen more snow in the past two years than I've seen in my ENTIRE life!  School is cancelled tomorrow because (as you can see below) there is a 100% chance of snow.  They are predicting 5-9 INCHES!!!

Hey, is it still considered a "chance" when its 100%??  :) 

Anyway, camera batteries are charging, we've stockpiled food, and Wookie and Jewel have new little jackets to wear for the occasion. We're ready.  Bring on the snow!

Baby Food!

The babies are getting SO big! It's amazing to watch them grow. They have changed and learned so many new things each time we see them. It was a joy to spend a few days with them at the beach and to wake up to their laughter and "talking."

The girls are now eating baby food along with their formula. It's so cute to watch them. Anna is still getting used to the new texture and taste of food while Macey (two months older) is a pro and enjoys making the "stink face" when she eats. Too cute, these two!

Starting the New Year off at the Beach

We went down to Gulf Shores and spent the weekend with friends. The guys went salt water fishing while we (the girls) did our own thing. Here's two pics taken from the balcony of the condo. Man, coming back to reality sure isnt fun! :(

Hey, Ya'll, it's appetizers Part 2

This has nothing to do with the recipe that follows. I just like my Christmas mug. I sip warm apple cider from it while I cook. Good times.

This recipe is for Tomato Tarts. Again, super easy...VERY tasty! Here's the recipe:

1 sheet of frozen puff pastry

olive oil

1/2 cup grated white cheddar cheese (couldn't find this in my podunk town, so I used mozzerella)

4-5 plum tomatoes sliced 1/4 inch thick

salt and pepper

fresh thyme

parmesan cheese

preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with vegetable oil or cooking spray. Allow puff pastry to thaw for 20 mins. Unfold the pastry and use a 1 1/2 or 2 inch biscuit cutter, cut rounds out of dough. Place the rounds on the baking sheet. Prick the surface of the rounds with a fork (I forgot this step in my first batch...huge mistake!) Brush each round lightly with olive oil and top with white cheddar (or mozz in my case), then with a tomato slice, then sprinkle with a pinch of thyme and a little parm cheese. Bake for about 15 minutes. Let cool for 2-3 mins before serving.

Here's what my prep looked like. Can you believe with all the cooking I do, that I dont have a biscuit cutter?? I do, however, have this muppets glass that I've had since I was a kid. It's always been my biscuit cutter. Cute, huh?

This is what these yummy babies look like when they are ready to go in the oven.

And here's the finished product. Even my neighbor (who doesn't eat tomatoes) gladly picked the tomato off just to eat the puff pastry. It's THAT good, folks.

The husband is already begging for more.