High Five for Friday

I skipped a Friday post...I hate it when that happens, especially when I actually had something to talk about.  If I skip a week it's more than likely because I didn't have time to put a post together..and then sometimes I skip because my week was so boring low key that I would put you to sleep with my lameness..No one wants to hear about how I was in my pj's by 5:00 every day, or how I spent an entire Saturday afternoon in my house clothes having a Red Box marathon...Seriously..that's only exciting when you're exhausted and need the down time, but major snoozefest to write about..and most definitely to read about..So, on occasion I spare you.  You're welcome.

Turkey season...still.  

Trey was home one weekend because he wasn't feeling well/he had a bad grade, so he staked his hen in the backyard..

Then he decided to put the hen and the Jake in the front yard.. Random...I know. The Jake is the Mojo Shake N Jake, so he would hide in the garage and make it rotate and fan out trying to freak the little neighbor kids out.  I promise we have a life.

and thennnn.. here she is again..
I feel like I have spent enough quality time with this hen that she deserves to have a name, and her own room.

and...hmmm..

We are the Random family.  It's nice to meet you.

Kyle and I had plans to grab dinner together last weekend.  I was on a run at the Green when he called to tell me that at the last minute he found out he had to spread fertilizer on a farm near my house, and he wasn't going to make it for dinner.  After my run I called him and was like..."Sooo, how about you come pick me up and I ride with you to spread fertilizer?"  I was totally surprised when he said yes..because he has never said yes when I've asked to go to work with him.. I rushed home just in time to let my dogs out for a second and refill my water bottle.  Then I heard him coming down the road...I hopped in and off we went.  

We did a little 45 acre farm...the sun was setting, it was beautiful.

Then we went back to the shop, and made it to dinner after all...Except we were both dirty, so we just went to an old diner in town..The perfect little impromptu date.

My clothesline is up...I L.O.V.E it!!!

Saturday morning I woke up bright and early to toss my sheets in the washer. I couldn't wait to get them on the line.  My neighbor snapped this picture and sent it to me..My dogs like the line too.  :-)

Kayla and I had our monthly girls' night...This time we went to a new nail salon and had pedis..then went for dinner and drinks.

The plan was light dinner and heavy drinks..We always plan our dinner dates based on where the best drinks are... Don't be judgy.  I tried something new..Strawberry Mango Tango..  It was amazing..I don't remember everything in it..key words for me were vodka, fresh mango and fresh strawberries.. at Ruby Tuesday's..  Yum yumm!

I took this on one of my runs..

I love running in the country..

We had one day in the upper 80's and I was itching to go for a run..In between work and picking Trey up from school I decided to go for a run in my neighborhood, which then led me outside the neighborhood...You guys would be proud of me because I saw a snake slithering across rocks in a ditch, and I actually held it together... Possibly because I was on the main road...and at the same time I noticed the snake there was a car coming towards me..My instincts were to scream and jump away, but had I jumped I'm pretty sure I totally would have thrown myself into oncoming traffic..and I wasn't going to give the snake the satisfaction of my death by automobile..So, I held my breath..talked to myself for a few minutes..and have since tried to erase the vision of the long black, slithery, cold blooded creepy reptile out of my mind...It's still there.  Yuck.  I came home and crashed out on the deck floor.  I was hot..sweaty and feeling good. Sometimes even a short run can make you feel like a rock star!

I got a new patio umbrella...I had my eye on it for a few months...I basically stalked the umbrella section often.  One day I was in Lowe's and noticed it was the last one left in the color I wanted, so I snatched it up.. and by snatched it up I mean that if anyone else decided to go for the umbrella at the same time I did, they may have gotten an elbow block - black Friday style..  Not that I've ever been black Friday shopping..I avoid it for that very reason..I'm not a violent person..violent people are scary...I'm just saying.  All threats aside, I was pretty determined that umbrella was going home with me that day..I hoisted it into the miniature shopping cart, and paraded victoriously to the checkout line.

Anyway, I don't even have patio furniture, except for the really huge pallet table Kyle made for me last year..I tossed my table and chairs set a few years ago..buuut..thanks to my beautiful new umbrelly..my deck now has shade..my fern and my herbs won't die from too much sun..and my dogs have it made in the shade.  Who needs patio furniture?  <quietly raises hand and smiles>  It's not a priority..Besides, if I want to sit still for a minute I'll hop in the hammock..

Thanks for stopping by..hope you have an awesome weekend!

xo

Carrie

A Little Dirt Never Hurt..

Don't you just know I was as happy as a little songbird this week.  I finally got to get my hands dirty.  We tilled the garden two days in a row to get the soil nice and loose to ensure a good root system for the plants.

I kicked off the week with sore arms and blistered hands..and I absolutely loved it.

Brodie is not my ideal garden helper.  He really just wants someone to throw his ball...alll the time.  

He's cute, so he gets away with it.

Potatoes...the only thing I have planted in the garden thus far.. Last year I had a basket full of dud spuds, which was so disappointing.  I did my homework this year and planted them on time and deep...I know last year my potatoes were just an inch or two below the surface..my number one mistake..It is recommended to plant them about 8 inches deep.

I have strawberries blooming from last years plant..

Today I planted herbs..

Lemon Verbena, Lemon Thyme, Spearmint, Kentucky Colonel Mint...

Parsley, the Chives are from last years plant, Dill and Sweet Basil

I planted flowers in all of the window boxes, as well as my side bed.

Tossed a few Impatiens and some Snowstorm Giant Snowflake in these tiny pots. I placed them on the bottom shelf of the stand that holds one of my herb containers.  How cute is my custom painted Westie pot!?  It is from Chick Design Boutique on Etsy.

I have a few more flats of flowers, and some Lavender to plant this weekend.  My fingers and toes are crossed hoping that we don't get drenched with rain tonight, otherwise it will be too wet to plant my fruits and veggies tomorrow..That's the plan..Lord willing. 

Thanks for stopping by!

xo

Carrie

Baked Tacos

Early this morning as I was staring blankly into my freezer with one eye open, I suddenly remembered..that it's Tuesday..easiest menu day of the week...it's taco Tuesday in the hiz-ouse!!  What a glorious day it is when Mom has declared that tacos shall be served!  We love us some tacos.  If I ask Trey what he wants for dinner, his answer is almost always "something meaty and cheesy." so tacos are always a no-brainer.  It must be a boy thing.

Recipe found on Pinterest from Mommy I'm Hungry food blog

Ingredients

2 lbs ground turkey

1 small onion diced

1 small can diced green chilies

1-2 packages of taco seasoning (I use 1.5 for 2 lbs of meat)

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

1 16 oz can fat free refried beans

2 cups shredded colby-jack cheese

Hard taco shells

Pre-heat oven to 400

In a large skillet cook onions over medium-high heat, until soft

Add ground turkey, or whatever meat you decide to use, and cook through.

Drain/rinse any excess liquid

Add green chilies, refried beans, tomato sauce and taco seasoning.  

Mixing well, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes. 

Spoon the taco mixture into the shells, then place in a 9 x 13 baking dish.  

Stacking each shell against one another to help support it upright. 

Sprinkle cheese over the top

(Writing this post is making me sooo hungry!)

Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

The shells will be soft on the bottom...I use a spatula to pick each one up, so the shell will not tear.

Well, that was torture..I can't wait for dinner!
These tacos are the jam, trust me!!

Enjoy,

Carrie

High Five for Friday

Hola Friday friends.  How excited are you that it's Friday?  I am soo glad, but mainly because I don't have to get up before 5:00 a.m. tomorrow.  I finally convinced one of my friends to get up and workout with me in the mornings, under the condition that we have to meet up waay early so that she can make it to work on time.  Yawn.  I've been one tired puppy this week. Once 6 or 7 p.m. rolls around..you can usually find me in the fetal position hiding under a blanket somewhere in the house.

This week I added squats into my routine.  If you are a Pinterest frequenter, then you've seen the 30 day squat challenge around there a few dozen times.  I'm not doing the challenge, per se...I'm just doing them.  Period.  If I were doing the challenge, I would have to say that the challenge would be physically being able to walk the next day.  Ouch.  After day 4 it's not so bad, but I can most definitely feel it..which keeps me going..so if you're like me and starting something new, don't give up..just push through!

Tonight is the Clarksville- Montgomery County Humane Society's Spay-ghetti dinner.  If you are local, you should go.  They even have a drive-thru, so if you're not feeling it you don't even have to get out of the car..  The food is always wonderful..spaghetti, salad, dessert and a drink.  The proceeds go towards building the spay-neuter clinic.

I have had the windows up in my house all week enjoying the crisp Spring air.  Every evening, a little after midnight, an owl in the woods behind my house wakes me up.  I love the little guy, or gal..it sounds so pretty. It's all fun and games until it wakes the dogs up though.  Trey decided he wanted an owl call to converse with the owl.  Oh for the love of Nancy.  Sorry neighbors.  I try to be neighborly and cease all owl calling by bed time.  I'm fairly certain I heard a peacock carrying on last night, but I could be losing it too.

  

Last Saturday I had a full day.  Kyle and I ran the APSU breast cancer awareness 5k.  This was the first time we have gone running together since New Years Day..He totally smoked me.  It's whatever..I've been working on improving my time, and my non running husband was out of sight.  I did have a good run though, especially considering it was mostly uphill/downhill..and I improved my time by 53 seconds.

The MS walk was later that morning, so we hopped from one to the other.  After a quick shirt change, I went to walk with my sister, who was recently diagnosed with MS.

Since it was such a lovely day I wanted to take advantage of it.  Trey was gone hunting again...which I later found out was not a very productive hunting trip..Bless his heart.  He's like his Mom and can fall asleep anywhere.

So, Kyle and I spent the day together just doing random stuff.  We drove out to the Mennonite farm in Guthrie, Ky., which is where I get some of my garden plants, and also where I buy my flowers. 

I just wanted to drop in to see how the plants were coming along.  

The little baby impatiens were so cute with just two blooms.  This farm is like my dream scenario.  The women are the only ones you see working on the plants in the greenhouses, the clothes are hanging on the clothesline, the cows mooing, the dogs sleeping in the shade.  The simplicity of it is so dreamy.

This guy visits my feeder every morning..

The grass is freshly mowed, and all the beds have new mulch. 

My ferns were delivered this week..my monkey grass has been clipped.  Everything is so green and new.

I LOVE Spring!!

I'm one step closer to having my clothesline up.  Tuesday we dug the holes for the posts...well, Kyle dug the holes...I just dumped the extra dirt in the garden...held the end of the measuring tape..

and played with the dog.

As it turns out I'm not too far from simplicity afterall.
Have a great weekend!

xo

Carrie

H54F

Hey there Friday friends.  With this warmer weather we've been having I have gardening on my mind.  This week I went over the results from my most recent soil analysis to make sure the soil in the garden has the right amount of nutrients for another successful season.  I need to turn the dirt up one more time, and then it should be good to go.  I have made my list of veggies, fruits and herbs..I'm so ready!

I wanted to wait until May to "formally" announce this, buuuut, I can't wait..Lynn and I are official...we will have a booth at this years downtown market.  We'll have fresh produce from our very own gardens, we'll have my homemade bread, and my homemade sugar scrub..There are a few other things that are a possibility, but I know those things are definitely going to be at our booth, with our main focus the fruits and veggies..We'll even have a ton of fresh picked blackberries mid summer..picked by us, of course!!  We're super pumped, so you guys will have to come out to say hi..and take home some goodies..and some homegrown goodness!  

I picked up these gorgeous hydrangeas from Kroger this week..

They are my absolute favorite, and I just love having fresh flowers around the house.

I have been gathering ideas for landscaping around my deck..It's been bare long enough.  Hoping to get started on that project soon.  Funny how the sun pops out for only a week, and my to-do list gets even longer! I love it!

I got my first pedi of the year..it was amazing!  Those are some happy feet.

Color is OPI Cajun Shrimp.  Why am I so drawn to that color? I pick it up every time.

Brodie and I spent an afternoon in the hammock together. <3

There's a new recipe coming to the blog soon..and it is sooo good!!  I had company this week, and made this deliciousness for dinner.  Can't wait to share it with you.  Looking at this makes me so excited to be able to use my own spinach, tomatoes and basil soon!!

My husband and Father-in Law built a clothesline for me. I have wanted one for years, and was so excited when Kyle told me they were really going to make it.  Hopefully it will be up soon..I so can't wait to crawl into bed with the freshest sheets ever!  

Thanks for stopping by...hope your weekend is awesome!