Natalie's Brainstormers

Can you believe it's been a year already?  Once again we are preparing for Portland's National Brain Tumor Walk! Although I won't be in Portland to join in the walk I am still doing all I can to support Natalie and the Brain Tumor Community. 

Natalie & Me the first year we walked. 

This marks the 4th year our team "Natalie's Brainstormers" has participated in the Portland walk and I am happy to report that Natalie has had a great year and she is feeling better all the time.   There are still ups and downs but we are so thankful and blessed that there are more "ups" than "downs"!  Natalie is one of my best friends and has been for as long as I can remember - so help me help support this foundation that is making strides so people like my best friend can have the best life possible while living with a brain tumor.   

Year 2 at the walk.

Please feel free to join the team in walking, donating directly to Natalie's Brainstormers or passing along our information through email, word of mouth and Facebook. 

Team Page

http://www.braintumorcommunity.org/goto/nataliesbrainstormer

My Personal Page
http://www.braintumorcommunity.org/site/TR/Events/BTW-OR?pg=personal&fr_id=2093&fr_id=2093&px=2374486

Portland Brain Tumor Walk Page
http://www.braintumorcommunity.org/site/PageServer?pagename=BTW_OR_Homepage

Thanks for your support - lets make this year our greatest fundraising year ever (or at least to date!)

Gone Fishing...

Remember for Valentine's Day I made all of those date cards for Scott and I? In case you forgot you can click here to refresh your memory. Well anyway, we cashed in another card last week when he took me fishing!

We woke up with the raising of the sun and set off for our adventure.

Sunrise in the backyard. 

First stop - Hardee's (let me just say the South loves their breakfast biscuits and if you are 65 or older that is where you spend every morning... seriously it is like an old folk club) for a quick biscuit.

Next stop the bait shop where Scott was picking up live crickets which he was to wear around his neck. Blech.

Then off to the pond! Scott's friends was gracious enough to let us use his pond for the morning for a little one on one time with nature.

His and Her catfish lines.

It wasn't but a minute and Scott caught a Brim to use as catfish bait and set the lines. What a joy it was to catch and release fish all morning. We caught Brim, Large mouth bass (the prize of the day) and saw turtles (also known as cooters here... No joke), cranes, frogs and lots of bugs.

My first fish in my adult life!

I loved fishing, but I loved spending time with Scott even more. Moments like this are rare for us so I'll eat them up while I can!

Me and my fisherman. <3

I know some of these pictures are repeats but I love how it turned out. What an adventure we had! I can't wait until our next fishing trip!

Highlights of the day!

Bread Pudding

I had some leftover Mexican pastries that got a little stale and knew they would make a perfect personal sized chocolate bread pudding!

Years ago AJ made this bread pudding with croissants and chocolate that was the inspiration for this little beauty. Here is what I did.

Personal Bread Pudding
2 eggs beaten
1/4 c milk
2 T sugar
1 stale cinnamon & sugar pastry
Splash of vanilla extract
Splash of almond extract
Sprinkle of chocolate chips

Mix all ingredients and place in a small buttered ramekin. Bake at 350 until lightly browned.

Enjoy!

Flea Market

One of my new favorite things to do is go to the Thursday Flea Market in town. They have everything your heart desires and then some! I roped Scott into going with me much to his dismay, he even carried my watermelon (anyone?!)!

Scott packed his angry eyes. He is such a good sport! 

This week everyone and their dog came out to find some hidden treasures. I am not sure if it was because it was the first day the sun showed it's face in awhile or what but it was crazy busy!

Don't these people have jobs?!

I've been going for weeks and have never seen this many people! The market is on the fair grounds and Scott said that it isn't even this crowded when the fair is going on.

Toys, antiques, jeans, chickens, gloves & bathroom essentials. 

Each time I go there are more vendors and this week I happened upon a Mexican pastry booth just down the isle from the horchata & fish booth!!

All of my favorite things!

I can't wait to see what new treasures are to be found next week!

Fire

Scott and I finally put the fire pit to good use! There was finally a break in the weather and we decided to take full advantage of it. To say I was a happy girl was quite the understatement.

To top it all off the lightning bugs were out if full force and we had some pretty wicked flames.

Our fire dancer - Do you see it?!

I've been told we have a very small window of time before the humidity hits. Until then, you know where I'll be! 

Shrimp Truck

When I used to go to Hawaii, one of the things I looked forward to the most (aside from the beach) was all of the yummy food. One thing in particular stuck out above the rest.

The Shrimp Truck.

#1 The Shrimp is bomb.

#2 You smelled like garlic for days. 

#3 Krystal hated it. 

My sister sent me a recipe she had found the other day (original recipe can be found here). I just knew I had to try this!

Cooking away. 

Shrimp Truck

1/4 c olive oil

1 T butter

Juice of one lemon

2 T chicken broth

8-10 cloves of garlic, minced (next time I will double or triple this)

1 T paprika

a dozen large shrimp (the truck uses devained, shell on)

salt & pepper to taste

lemon wedges if desired

Saute everything but the shrimp over medium low heat until the garlic is golden brown. Increase the  heat to medium high and add the shrimp. Stir together until the shrimp is cooked through. Serve immediately over rice making sure to spoon oil and garlic over the top. 

Yummy Goodness!!

I didn't have rice so we had it over fresh pasta and it was still delicious! I recommend this to any garlic lover. In my book, you really can't beat it! 

Lightning Bugs!

Scott and I were driving home from his parents last night and something caught my eye. I couldn't figure out why our headlights were catching on the tall grass in the fields and reflecting back at us - then it hit me! Lightning bugs!!

I watched as they danced along the side of the road. "Scott do you think we'll have them in our yard? Have you ever caught one? Why are they so bright? Do they bite? I've never been so excited about a bug in all my life!" I tell you I was like a kid in a candy store!

When we arrived home I jumped out of the truck and headed toward the light. If you haven't seen them before, you are missing out. It was like the best kind of magic. Scott and I went to get a closer look and before I knew it Scott had caught one!

I could have peed my pants I was so excited. The field next to our house must have had hundreds. I tried desperately  to get a video but the camera on my phone was just not having it. I am so looking forward to summer nights sitting by the fire pit under a sky full of stars, drinking ice tea and watching the magic unfold before my very eyes. 

Playing with the big boys...

We stopped for fuel the other day and this was our company.

I felt like a small fish in a big pond!

Just about everyone is a truck driver here. Scott's dad, Papaw, Uncle - even his Aunt gave it a shot for awhile! Welcome to the furniture capitol of the USA.

Oven baked BBQ Chicken

The grocery store had a great deal on chicken legs and corn so of course I couldn't resist! Since Scott and I have yet to purchase a grill (maybe we'll get a great end of summer deal!!) I've had to improvise a little, which is totally fine with me!

I've also been really into making my own BBQ sauce lately and I think I've done pretty well! 

BBQ Baked Chicken

For the Sauce

1 cup ketchup

1/4 cup brown sugar

3 T Worcestershire sauce

2 T Vinegar (apple cider is best)

2 T Mustard

1 T Honey

1/2 t Salt

1/2 t Garlic powder

3-8 splashes hot sauce (we have Texas Pete)

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and enjoy. For a thicker sauce allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Add salt & pepper as needed or anything else you fancy! The key is to have fun and really make the sauce your own. 

For the Chicken

8-10 chicken legs

2 T oil 

Seasoning salt to season

Take chicken legs, wash and pat dry. Sprinkle on seasoning salt. In a large frying pan heat 2 T oil until just smoking, Place chicken skin side down and don't move until browned being careful not to over crowd the pan. Once browned on both sides put in a casserole dish, spoon a small amount of BBQ sauce over each leg and pop into a preheated 350 degree oven. Every 10 minutes spoon more sauce over the chicken until cooked through. 

Enjoy!

Outdoor Living

With summer fast approaching it is time to kick into full outdoor living gear! I don't think Scott fully understands how much I enjoy being outside while it is not to humid or hot. We had dinner on the patio last week but it didn't last to long. Oh well, a girl can try right?

I was able to pick up a new umbrella at Costco during my last trip into town (yeah for girl time with Rachel & Luba!) and finally put it on the deck! We have been wanting to stain the wood to protect it from the elements but you need a solid 48 hours with no rain and honestly we just haven't had that in weeks!

Scott's parents also gave us a bird feeder which I have enjoyed so much! So many beautiful birds to enjoy and learn about. I am constantly looking up ones I am unfamiliar with on the computer. Scott laughs at me because I refer to them as my friends when they appear for their morning breakfast. Although I love the feeder I think I'll brighten it up with a bit of paint. Maybe to match my patio set?

A mating Cardinal pair (the state bird) and Brown Headed Cow Birds.  

Our herb garden is also doing well. I try to sneak in fresh parsley or chives where I can while I am cooking. The hunt for other recipes to use up the rosemary and sage continues.

Now if only we had a grill :)

Bugs

Bugs. Good gracious the bugs we have here...

As the weather tries to warm up (come on sun!) the bugs are waking from their winter slumber and attacking me with everything they have. I've been lucky to avoid any real danger, however the neighbors must think I am a ninja/stripper in training. I seem to wave my arms and shed clothes as bugs come to close to me. I can't help it - my fight or flight instinct take over.

We had a nice little outbreak of Kudzu bugs which made it impossible to enjoy the back deck without accidentally flashing the neighbors. Those little suckers sure did like to go down my shirt or up my shorts.

So far this spring I have avoided any encounters with spiders, but here is a sampling of some of the things we are dealing with.

Left to Right - Praying mantis on my car, beetle in the lilacs, giant moth, cicada, and a bee the size of my thumb.

Still want to come visit?