A lazy weekend in June

This was the first weekend in a while that T and I had nothing planned and would both be in town. We made plans to have no plans and it turned out pretty good. I know why we keep ourselves so busy, I get bored pretty easy.

We went to dinner at Ruby Tuesdays Friday. I have eaten at Ruby Tuesday's for lunch several times (salad bar, minis) recently but we couldn't remember the last time we had dinner there. After eating there Friday, we remember why. Overpriced food that tastes like it was frozen, heated in the microwave, and put on cute square plates. I think eating fresh food has really spoiled us because crap food, tastes just like crap. After dinner, we decided to check out Traders. Traders is the dome shaped hut on the causeway. We have passed it countless times and decided we had to see what it was like. Apparently it was the owners birthday, and man were they having a party. The building it self was really cool with a round bar in the middle and an upstairs above the bar so that you could sit and observe whatever was going on below. There was a band that turned out to be pretty good and very classic. I enjoy meeting new characters. Here is a picture from the rafters.


Saturday I cleaned up around the house, and we ran some errands. We had a little grill out Saturday night - T made a great pork tenderloin and I snapped fresh green beans and made mac and cheese.


The mac and cheese recipe was so easy and I guarantee it tastes better than anything you mix out of a box. The cornmeal I added by mistake, but it turned out pretty good!

Mac and Cheese
8 oz box of elbow noodles - boil, drain, and set aside
Melt 1 T of butter in a saucepan and add 2 cups of milk
Add 2 t of flour and 1 t of cornmeal. Stir until thickened.
Add 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese and mix in noodles.
Pour in baking dish, add a little more shredded cheese on top and bake for 20 minutes in 350 degree oven



Sunday we went to church and headed over to Pensacola for a friend's bridal shower. Taylor rode with me to hang out with a friend that moved other there not to long ago. On the way we decided to stop for lunch at the Derailed Dinner. It's a truck stop in between the Eastern Shore and Pensacola and man, did they go all out. The entire restaurant was themed with cars, trucks, trains. You could even eat in an old train car. I felt like I was on an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. The food was excellent! Here is Taylor at our table, a tailgate. (and yes, that is a mini flat screen tv)








By the way -- It's a boy!!!!

Living Simply.......

I have long enjoyed reading people's blogs, learning about their experiences, getting a glimpse of their view, sharing in their lives. I have wanted to create one for our family for a while, and given the lazy days of summer - I found the opportunity. Of course Taylor and I are blessed with an amazing large family, but for now, "our" family consists of the two of us and our dog, Mac.

I have titled this blog "Living Simply" and hope that theme carries throughout them all. I always wondered, "Who in the world has time to do one of those blog things?" But given the distance I live between my family and most of my friends, what better way to be able to share our lives? I want to share our activities with every day life. Since Taylor and I both live simply we enjoy the basics - friends, food, fun.

I made the poll of your favorite summer fruit after a conversation with my best friend, Jessica. She is a "mommy in the making" (we find out the sex this weekend!!) and we talk often throughout the day. I am sure this will not be the only inspiration one of our conversations gives this blog......

Taylor and I both love music and luckily live in a place where you don't have to go far to hear great singer/songwriters. You also don't have to go far to get great food - a local farmer's market is my favorite Sunday afternoon stop, and until now (thanks oil spill) all the local seafood you could eat.

Anyway - I guess I will begin the blog announcing our recent sucess of "living simply". We hung a clothesline in our backyard. Something I thought would be not only "green" of us, but also very southern. I remember my grandmother's growing up. We also have been using our ceiling fans more and our A/C less - both of these I think contributing to a power bill of $70 dollars this month!! It was almost half of last years!

We have made it a point to be conscious of every dollar we spend. That way when a fun event comes up (Ray Lamontagne in Nashville, taking my precious nephew to Disney World, etc) we can go full blast. Hopefully, this will pay off (pardon the pun) for our future. Well, I guess I will go get a dinner ready made fresh from local goodies, listening to great music, and having a wonderful time!