Weekend Update: The "Tail" of a Chipmunk

Our weekend started out super bright and fun!  Dylan and I spent Friday evening tidying the house for Jenny’s birthday lunch on Saturday.  We had a nice meal with Jenny, Greg, and my parents.  Preoccupied with my hostess duties, unfortunately, I failed to take pictures!  My Mama got a few though!

Jenny's delicious Red Velvet birthday cake made by my mom! 

Jen, Greg, me, Dylan, Mama, Daddy

Happy Birthday Jen!

Everyone checked out the progress we’ve made on the house, Jen opened her gifts, followed by great gab sessions and laughter.  Next up, we were on to Atlantic Station to see The Bodies Exhibit.  Interesting, informative, yet a bit gross {there are actual real bodies that have been preserved}.  Then again, some of it just looked like plastic though the curator assured me all was real when I interrogated him. 

 
After our Atlantic Station trip, we headed back to Roswell for dinner at Pastis, a delicious restaurant on Canton Street, then back to our house to continue our visit. We wanted to give Abbey an opportunity to redeem herself from acting like a beast untrained pup earlier in the day.  She disappointed yet again.  She was so excited and still has that crazy puppy spirit. She just couldn't help but to jump up on everyone!  I say jump, but it was more like a dive!  That pretty puppy turned into a wild child with our guests.  Don't worry we had a little talk with her about manners. Dylan and I have a bit more training to do with that lil diva.  Of course, we love her to pieces even when she's not on her best behavior.  : )


Sunday morning rolled in with pretty sunshine, we heard a wonderful, powerful message at Charles Stanley's church, then to Cheesecake Factory for lunch before my parents departure back home.  Dylan and I were excited to get home after lunch to load up the pup and head to the river for a walk.  A much needed walk after her jumping diving antics on Saturday.  Then, da da dummmm!!! Of course, there is a random, ridiculous story coming.  I swear, if anybody is feeling a sense of boredom, please come hang out with us for a bit and something wacky and completely out of the ordinary is bound to happen! 


I was in our master bedroom having just changed out of my church clothes and into my bundled up walking clothes for our date with the river. I stopped for a moment to hang some things in our closet when all of a sudden I hear a noise, which I immediately passed off as Sushi and went on about my business.  Then, I turn around and Sushi's there all right.  There, but not alone.  There is a...CHIPMUNK IN THE HOUSE!!!  I scream bloody murder and jump on top of the bed.  Chipmunk chased by Sushi runs into the bathroom back out into our bedroom and under the corner of the bed {BED THAT I'M STANDING ON!} and hides.  Sushi follows ole Alvin and upon failing to see him anymore, gets bored {yes, the cat who is suppose to kill these critters got bored!} and prissed out of the room.  Me: Screaming for Dylan, alone.in a room.with a chipmunk.   


Finally, after scurrying around to find something to trap it with, Dylan comes bounding into the bedroom. Me: still screaming on the bed.  Dylan: with a pair of garden gloves on and a broom and bucket in hand! At this point, we both realized the hilarity of the situation and laughed {although I had still not yet planned to come down from my safety zone}.


Minutes ticked by and finally I decided the only way I was getting off that bed is if Dylan brought me my rain boots.  He had searched for the chipmunk and couldn't find him so we were beginning to think the chipmunk ran out of the room and I missed it somehow.  Rain boots on and I apprehensively stepped down onto the hardwood floor.  We brought Sushi back into the room just in case the animal was still there hiding. Just knowing our kitten would eventually come around and want to chase and kill this pest.  Now, I hate to sound like I'm not a chipmunk lover but I prefer to love them outside, NOT in my house.  Even so, they dig holes in our yard so I really, truly don't care for the things.  And they are super fast!  This particular chipmunk was Olympic-worthy fast.  Not cute at all.  Smaller than a squirrel, bigger than a rat, looked like a mix of both.  Ick!


Sushi struck out yet again.  Abbey wouldn't even come into the house for fear of what us screaming fools were doing.  No sight of the stupid chipmunk anywhere. 
Night fast approached after all this time checking every nook and cranny of our bedroom and the entire house.  Pulling every article of clothing out of the closet to check there.  Exhausted and irritated, we had no other choice than to believe {or pretend to} that the animal had either gotten out of the house somehow or was wounded or dead and we'd smell him days later.  Nevertheless, neither of us was sleeping in that room Sunday night! 

So husband, me, Sushi and Abbey all slept on the couch in the living room.  I mean, this 'aint a really big couch either.  I slept with one eye open just knowing that something could potentially happen in the middle of the night.  Night quickly turned to morning with not so much as the sound of a pine cone hitting the roof, let alone the sounds of a live chipmunk in our home.  We went about Monday morning as usual, at this point, believing {or again pretending to} that the chipmunk was either dead or had gotten of the house somehow. 

I headed to the kitchen to pour my usual to-go coffee while Dylan is in our bedroom getting dressed for work.  All of a sudden..."KE-LAAAY" Dylan screams.  At that moment, I knew the chipmunk had emerged from hiding.  Frantically, I scream and run directly into the kitchen table!  I'm talkin full speed into the table. I suppose I was trying to get on top of it as I did the bed the day before!  Bruises today from that incident.  Then, the inevitable, ole Alvin the chipmunk darts from the hallway into our living room.  Dylan is in the hallway looking into the living room while I'm on the opposite side in the kitchen looking in as well.  From Dylan's vantage point, he could see me and the chipmunk.  "Kelly, you have got to stop shaking. Get it together. We've got to keep him in this room.  Go get the broom and bucket now, okay."  I did as I was told and came back with these "weapons."  Dylan with pillow in hand ready to swat at the mongrel if he decided to run back into the hallway. 

So there we were, ready to trap the chipmunk...but how???  Teamwork holds a whole new meaning to me now.  The quickness and agility of this chipmunk was too much for one person, too much for even two people to be able to trap.  Sushi failed yet again-chased him under the tv table then got bored when he couldn't reach him.  Walked away again!  Dang cat!  This back and forth lasted forever-the chipmunk running rampant all over the living room.  Finally, to our dismay, he scurried past Dylan and his pillow barricade and ran back into the hallway and into the guestroom. 

"We've got to get in there and close the door" I shriek.  We did so and then the real chaos ensued!  Mental picture: Dylan and I screaming and jumping around like kangaroos {insert: any sort of jumping animal that comes to mind}, in a small bedroom, with the door closed, and a crazy chipmunk running to and fro with lightning fast speed!  {Edited version of these next declarations!} "Just hit him hard and knock him out then we can trap him with the bucket!" I yell.  Didn't work. "Forget this, I'm calling animal control!!!"  I yell again as Dylan tries to gain some composure and trap this hellion. "No! We've gotta handle this. I'm gonna look like a moron if I can't catch him!!" retorts husband.  

The chipmunk continues to jump, run, dart, dash around the room. We have had no luck of even getting close to trapping him.  We actually stopped for a second and laughed hysterically because of our ridiculous situation!  Then, as if to say "I'm tired of taunting you two crazies and would like to go outside now" Ole Alvin jumped onto the daybed, onto the windowsill, then in btw the window and blinds.

I reach over and lift the blinds and of course the chipmunk flies off and back onto the bed. Husband and I jumping and screaming yet again!! Dylan decides our only course of action at this point would be to raise both windows and try to get him to jump back onto the windowsill then out the window into the front yard.

Bless him for this idea!!! The chipmunk jumps back onto the windowsill and I push him out the window with the broom {or maybe it was a mop, can't remember}.  Success!!!!  Alvin has left the building! 

My entire body is sore today from all the craze...ribs, arms, legs, and my bruises from running into the kitchen table {yes, I'm an idiot}.  Ouch!  I have to say though, we have laughed and laughed over this "tail" of the chipmunk in our home.  This weekend, I'm pleased to announce that we will be putting our new BB gun toy to good use!  These chipmunks are out of control in our yard and by our words "will NEVAH get into the house again."  My apologies to PETA in advance : ) 

Picture by Wikipedia

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Friday Favorites

TGIF! I'm one happy girl today!  Every Friday for that matter. The weekend is my bestest friend.  I get to hang with my sweet husband and our "babies" and I'm super pumped to celebrate my sister, Jennifer's, birthday!!!  My parents are coming to visit as well and Dylan and I are hosting lunch at our house on Saturday to salute Jenny. 

Time to share my Friday Faves:

1. Hydrangeas.  These flowers make my heart smile.  They are beautiful and delicate yet robust.  The white ones are my favorite.  They were an integral flower in our wedding arrangements and my bouquet.  I shared the love of this flower with my sweet Mama Ruth and remember her fondly each time I see them or buy them for our home.  I treated myself to some yesterday from Trader Joe's.  So cheap too!

2. I have gotten lazy as I've gotten older.  So sad, but true.  Makeup lazy that is.  Gone are the days of lingering in front of the mirror trying different shades of eye shadow and working at new makeup techniques to "change up" my look.  Now, it's a routine.  Current mentality: Get the makeup on as fast as possible and get out the door.  The only exception to this laziness is when Dylan and I have date night out.  Then, I'm puttin a little more effort into dressing up real nice for my man : )
The weekdays, however, forget it.  Quick process is desired so you need quick products to fill that requirement.  Enter this cream to powder foundation by Urban Decay. The name is less than desirable {who the heck does their product development and marketing...not so sure about them} but the stuff inside this purple disk is phenomenal!  Super easy to put on. There is a mirror inside the compact as well as a brush for application.  Highly recommend!

  

3. Yankee Candle {Orchard scent}.  It makes the house smell lovely and burns clean unlike some candles.  I like the color of it too.  I got ours at Home Goods cause I shop cheap!  You can probably get this at any store that sells Yankee Candles.

4.  Balsamic Vinegar from Roswell Provisions.  I've mentioned this before and would like to include it in my Friday Favorites because it is another staple.  I'm all about balsamic strawberries to serve with breakfast, to put on salads with a little crumbled feta, even to have as a dessert over vanilla ice cream.  Balsamic Strawberries never fail to be scrumptious all by themselves or on whatever they touch!  So basically, all you do is slice strawberries and drizzle balsamic over them and sprinkle with a little sugar.  Stir to coat all strawberries, cover with cling wrap, and refrigerate.  Balsamic is also great to make vinaigrette, to drizzle over carrots or asparagus and roast in the oven, as a glaze on chicken wings, I could go on... Any good quality aged balsamic will do the trick!  My fave just happens to be the brand at Roswell Provisions.
{imagine that!}

I love the little bicycle logo on all their products!

Balsamic Strawberries again with last week's breakfast!

5.  Bright, hot pink and orange nail polish.  The dreary cold weather is making me itch for bright sunshine so I found a way to brighten up my days...with bold bright super fun nail polish colors.  I still dig red polish and darker polishes but these two pretties make me happy when skies are grey.  Sinful Colors Professionals in "Folly" and O.P.I in "Cajun Shrimp" {yet another strange name "cajun shrimp", huh??} Still fabo though!  These are sold at Walgreens, Target, most any drug store chain and some grocery stores.

Enjoy your weekend and enjoy these favorites!  : )  Bowden out!

Ree Drummond's Chicken Fried Steak

Ooops, I did it again.  This is an admission of guilt.  I've made yet another fattening supper!  We will be watching our waistlines a bit more closely come Spring.  Right now, however, with the cold, rainy weather outside, we're stickin to the stick to your ribs food inside.

Enter my new favorite on the Food Network...Ree Drummond.  LOVE her!  She has replaced Giada in my book.  That's pretty shocking coming from me {Dylan gasped when I disclosed this} but Giada's not bringin it like she once did.  So now, I rank them as follows:  1.  Ina  2. Ree  3. Giada

Ree's show {The Pioneer Woman} airs every Saturday at 10 am est.  She's very calm when she cooks and I adore that.  She's a wife, a mother, a cook, a photographer.  She even has a blog in her repertoire of skills.  A quite lovely one at that.  Filled with recipes, stories, great photos.  Check it out! http://thepioneerwoman.com/

It was her blog that led me to this decadent recipe...Chicken Fried Steak, a southern staple.  This was relatively easy to make.  Uh-oh! Another admission: Did.not.make.gravy.from.scratch.  Bought it.  Tisk, tisk I know!  Bad wife.  ; )

Okay, so get yourself ready...set up an assembly line {husband even helped with this and enjoyed it!} and go to work!


The full recipe is here, Chicken Fried Steak, and some photos below. 

Assembly line:  Meat, Wet Ingredients, Dry Ingredients

Hot hot hot!  Sizzle in canola oil for 2 1/2 mins per side

Serve with homemade mashed potatoes and crescent rolls.  I use my mixer to whip these taters and always add a little heavy cream along with skim milk, butter, sour cream, and a tbsp of mayonaise {sounds weird but it makes em scrumptious!}

Hubby's

Mine

Pair with your fave red wine. 
Ours: 14 Hands Cabernet {by way of Washington}

Feast on, friends!

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday!!! Woohooo, the countdown to the weekend has officially commenced!  As I mentioned in last Friday's post, I've decided that each Friday I will blog about my favorites.  Some new, fun items I've recently discovered and some staples.  Well, this Friday Favorite is a staple. 

My sweet, funny, loving husband. 

I once thought {after college and my career set in} that I would never ever ever be able to find a man that would love me as much as my daddy loves my mama.  Especially in Atlanta and especially this day in age.  Wow, strong words huh?  Well, they were strong feelings.  I was doubtful for sure.  For those of you who know my dad then you know those are tough shoes to fill to even come close to the man he is.  Close to the way he loves my mama.

My parents on their wedding day!

Strong, independent, resilient, capable, career oriented.  I had all those characteristics and certainly still do.  The lacking part, a mate to share my ethos, my ideals with.  To fall in love with, to build a friendship with.  A GOOD man.  Yes, I know caps lock means yelling...but a yell was necessary for that word!

As fate would have it, I met the most wonderful man and fell in love.  Not the kind of love that Carrie Bradshaw has for her Manolo's, not love like a man has for his car. I'm talkin Real_True_Genuine_Respectful_Can't live without you_Quintessential_Love.  And he loved me just like that right back.  We married in October and dated for about 3 years prior to our wedding.  He still amazes me everyday and no doubt will continue to as we advance in our marriage. 

So my Friday Favorite, my everyday favorite, is my husband.  The yin to my yang, the bubbles in my champagne!

I blog about food a lot, I know I know...geez.  Weird comparison, I suppose, but I think that the person you choose as your mate is a lot like food is to your body.  Food=nourishment and nutrients, which in turn,=good health.  Well, my sweet Husband=Food for my heart and soul. 


The biggest and most proud moment of my life hasn't been a career goal-even though I thought it so early on.  It was the day I married the love of my life, my best friend, the "food" to my heart and soul.

So, dear friends, I'll leave you with this. What is love in your life?  Love for your best friend that always has your back, love for your mother and father, love for your siblings, love for your boyfriend/fiance/husband.  Whatever love is in your life, the people that make your heart smile and you would do anything for...tell them how much they mean to you.  Tell them what their "food" brings to your heart and soul.



As for next week's Friday Favorites, I'll break out the superficial, fun stuff!  Ha! Do not want anyone to gag from my mushy blog : ) 

Love to all!  ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND!!!  {there I go yelling again}

Weekend Update

Weekend wedded bliss!  I have to admit that I delightfully soak in every minute of our weekends and this one was no different.  We started out Friday evening with a roaring fire outside in the fire pit and lamb, steak, chicken skewers, and veggies on the grill.  Then, onto a lovely phone date with my dear friend, Kim{Yay for her and Justin's upcoming nuptials!!!}as Dylan had a much needed date with his guitar.

Then, aaahhhh, Saturday morning!  I am fairly certain that I scored some major points with Dylan on Saturday morning.  A fun, sorta swanky lil breakfast for two.  Okay, okay yes I went a bit overboard...in my defense, it was my pride, my love affair with the Food Network, my desire to always want something to look pretty and special, I could go on...

I'll give ya a quick rundown.  I made my mama's scrumptious breakfast casserole.  Sorry, I cannot divulge the recipe as she has sworn me to secrecy {which I totally understand}.  Just glad she shared it with me!

To accompany this hearty breakfast dish, I made a side of balsamic strawberries with a dab of whipped cream.  A few slices of orange as well.

Just drizzle good quality aged balsamic vinegar and a little bit of sugar,
cover with cling wrap, and into the fridge for a bit to soak in all the flavors

Best Balsamic Vinegar from Roswell Provisions.  I speak of Roswell Provisions A LOT, I know. 
But when a fab place like this exists, I find an obligation to impart the news to you. 

Husband was happy about the food itself, for sure. However, he was just as pleased with it's "outfit!" Sometimes its fun to dress up breakfast, isn't it? : )

The little parfait dish is actually a very old
champagne flute from my Grandma's house

We relished in our food coma for a bit then onto cleaning house.  It always feels spectacular to have a clean house.  We focused on outside maintenance as well.  Have to give a shout out to our new friend, Mr. Ryobi Leaf Blower Attachment.  Works wonders and saves Dylan from the backbreaking work of sweeping our long driveway.

Upon finishing our necessary housework, we saddled up the pup put on Abbey's leash and headed to the river at Old Mill Park.  So nice that it's only a mile from our house and so easy to get Abbey there and get some exercise. 

Tuckered out!

After our hike, we stopped back through Canton Street to run into Roswell Provisions. Yes, we're obsessed.  Since we had exhausted little Abbey with us, I sat in the car while Dylan went in to pick up a snack for us.  We needed to fuel up from our rigorous walk and hold out for a few hours until our dinner date that night.  Of course, there is a funny, really random story coming.  Husband comes bounding back to the car laughing hysterically.  Me: "what is so funny???"  Dylan: "some man has a monkey in the store!"  Whaaaaa????  Immediatley, I get out of the car, camera in tow, to document this!  Roswell Provisions is a really really nice store so I was surprised this could be true and thought Dylan was messing with me.  He sits in the car with Abbey while I go in. Lo and Behold! What do I see?  A man with a monkey.

This little fella was precious.  His conductor outfit was so cute and super funny but it was the sucker he was eating that was a riot.   No, this was no random man with a monkey in this fancy store.  It was a trainer that they'd obviously hired to put on a little show.  And a show it was.  Hey, good for business!  That store is always crowded but this time...packed!  I was a little wary of getting too close to ole Curious George but a little girl in the store let him sit on her head! 

That night, we had dinner at Roux for the first night of the inaugural Roswell Restaurant Week.  Wowza, what a feast!  On our menu:  Raw Oysters, Salad with Creamy Balsamic Dressing, Shrimp and Grits, and a beignet.  Savored every bit let me tell you.  Its such a cute little restaurant too.  Guy over in the corner playing acoustic guitar and singing, trendy people gabbing away, dim lights, cool decor.  You know, one of those quaint little places you fall in love with.  One of those where everybody knows your name.  Festive, delectably good food, warm, and even a little romantic too!

Sunday was yet another glorious day!  Church, then errands, then cuddle time, sleepy sleepy pup and kitty, and nachos.  Perfect ending to our fun wkend.

Have a great week!

Friday Favorites

I've made a decision.  A very important blog decision, that is. ; )  From now on, every Friday, I'd like to share some of my favorite things with you.  A lot of which I discover throughout each week and sometimes those good ole trusty staples that will forever be my favorites.  Wow, I sort of sound like Martha Stewart but I'll continue.  Enter: "Friday Favorites."  I hope you enjoy. Also, I feel that this new blog effort of mine could single handedly help stimulate the economy. Surely, this will cause a bevy of people to scurry out and purchase my faves.  Sighhh...a girl can dream, right? 

In all seriousness though, these are items I highly recommend.  I hope you enjoy these favorites and please share some of yours back with me.  Unfortunately,{and I warned of this in my first blog post that I'm quite moronic when it comes to blog knowledge} I have no clue if I've even selected the correct setting to allow for comments on here.  So with that, if you can't comment on here, feel free to email me with your favorites.  kellybnks@yahoo.com.  And by all means, pleeeeease somebody with blogspot.com call, email, send me a message in a bottle, etc. of how to change settings and design.  I have been able to change some things but geez this little guy needs some aesthetic work done a pronto! 

Let's begin!

1.  Super Slimming Herbal Tea by Triple Leaf.  This tea is warm and delicious.  Promotes cleansing and detoxification to boot!

2. Amy's Brown Rice and Veggies.  This is a nice relief from the dreaded Lean Cuisines I have for lunch during the work week.  I've had this particular rice bowl twice.  Once last week and once this week and it's really good.  It tastes fresh, not processed.  Publix carries this as well as the tea listed above.  I'm sure you can find them at your local grocer if a Publix isn't nearby.

3. Bolthouse Farm's Strawberry Banana Smoothie.  Scrumptious as an afternoon snack!  Loaded with vitamins and 3 3/4 servings of fruit.  Brilliant.  Same deal-purchased at Publix.

4.  Mason Jars as flower vases and candle holders.  As Dylan and I are working on the house, we're trying to cut costs as much as possible.  These old mason jars from my Grandmother's house have served as a lovely {and free!} way to showcase our fresh flowers and candles.  Try it.  Its super cute and as we all know, mason jars are all the rage these days.

5.  Found this little gem this week!  Home Goods has great deals on basically everything in the store.  My love of their kitchen supplies sends me there every once in a while.  Yesterday, I picked up a great bamboo cutting board for $5.99!  Its a perfect size for when you need to just chop one or two veggies.  For my case, it's onions.  I hate having to bust out my huge cutting boards for such a small task.  So this little beauty does the trick!

This worked out great for supper last night.  Side note: If husband wants McDonald's and you would instead prefer real food, chop up some onions throw them in with some brown and wild rice and soy sauce and you'll have a nice little meal.  I went a bit further on veggie overload and slow roasted a sweet potato with olive oil, thyme, and rosemary. Had that along with my rice and some yummy green beans.  Major veggie sesh!  All the while, silly hubs enjoys his processed, soy {is it even soy?}, greesy burger and fries.  To each his own : )  Can't say I haven't had my fair share of those cravings in the past!

Hope you enjoy some of these favorites of mine should you decide to try any of them. 

Coming up for us this weekend: A lovely time at home!  Yes, yes gone are the days of wishing, hoping, dreaming for a night out on the town in the ATL.  Every once in a while, yes, we still venture downtown.  We certainly still enjoy our fave restaurants on Canton Street {1 mile down the road}.  But mostly, we crave time at home.  Spending Saturday morning working on the house, the afternoon playing with our sweet pup and kitty, and the evenings either grilling or cooking in the kitchen...cozy fire and cuddling.  That's what's on tap for us this wkend!  And I can't wait!  : )

I'll leave you with some pics of our "babies."  Couldn't resist.  Afterall, they are my favorites too!

Look how big we're getting!