AFB

Yesterday was day 10...again...and time to make another batch of the Amish Friendship Bread. So Yummy! I looked up a couple of variations and found what looks to be a delicious Lemon Poppy Seed version. I think we will try that one in 10 days. Chris wanted one more batch of the cinnamon/sugar one.
Last weekend when my mom was in town, I sent her home to Columbia with a starter bag. For those that know my mom, you know that she isn't much into baking. She really wasn't thrilled with the idea of having to "mash" the bag and "feed" it for close to 9 days. BUT...I heard from her last night after it came out of the oven and she said it was so good. Actually she said that her batch was better than mine! Go MOM! Enjoy.

Alabama is coming to town again

HipHipHooray!! Clemson is hosting a regional tournament this weekend. Anybody up for a trip to Tigertown? Chris and I are entertaining the idea of going on Saturday. Gooooooo Tigers!!

Perfect combo

I was at Publix this weekend and saw the greatest thing. With the purchase of a 12 pack of Diet Coke (which is a staple in the Lack household), you received a coupon for $2 off the purchase of a fresh flower bouquet. Diet Coke & Fresh Flowers...that would totally score some major points for Chris!

Happy Memorial Day!

First, THANK YOU to those that serve or have served this wonderful country. Thank you for the sacrifices you make for our freedom.

What did we do today? Let's just say that Chris and I are STILL in our pajamas from this morning. We have uploaded wedding pictures (5 hours worth!), played Phase 10, taken a nap, watched the race, cooked dinner, played more Phase 10, ate sherbet/ice cream, etc. It was definitely a much needed day of rest of Chris. He has worked the past 5 weekends. Next weekend he is off. HipHipHooray!

Did anyone watch the season premier of John & Kate Plus 8? It was uncomfortable to watch. I will say that I have probably only watched 5 episodes ever. Definitely a waste of my time, but I'm not promising that I won't watch the second show. It makes me definitely appreciate the peace and quiet we have and am reminded of the fact that I can turn off the TV and not have to hear the never-ending screaming and crying. But, those kids are so darn cute!

An update on the house in the mountains: As most of you know, Chris typically stays in a garage/barn up at his parents property in the mountains when he is working. As mentioned before, there are very few luxuries up there. Well, construction on the house has begun with an estimated completion date in the middle of July! Yeah!! Chris said that the basement is complete, most of the rooms have been framed off and the shingles are up on the roof. I know he will be thrilled to be staying in a house with a full kitchen instead of a plug in stove and a inside bathroom. I'm so excited for him and excited that I will now be able to stay with him. There is just something about his current living situation that doesn't seem to be my idea of out-of-town accommodations. :) I think it might be the black bear he says is in the area.

We are in print again!

Attention all Clemson fans that read the blog...Have you received the Orange & White for this week? There is a picture of us from the wedding with the Clemson Tiger. I had emailed them two pictures. One of me, Chris and the Tiger and also the picture taken of all of the Clemson alumni in attendance. I think they probably picked the one of just us because the alumni picture had so many people in it that it was hard to see everybody.
Also, have you seen the Columbia magazine? Our photographer submitted our picture for that as well. There are a couple of other Irmo couples that you might recognize also.

Our parents don't get the O&W, so please let us know if we can get a copy from you for them.

Amish Friendship bread

It's that time again. 10 days later. It did involve a quick trip to Bi-Lo in the middle of the making because I wasn't as completely prepared as I thought. Thankfully Chris continued to mix up the ingredients while I ran to the store to get 2 boxes of vanilla pudding...along with tuna steaks, ice cream, brownie mix, and milk. What female can run into the grocery store and only get the 1 item they need?

Oh yeah, I'll get Chris to take a picture of the baby birds tomorrow to post.

MMMM...it smells so good.

How cute!

I just came across a website that makes the cutest cookies. I really about flipped when I saw this one. How cute! Just perfect for a kid's birthday party or just for fun although they are listed at a hefty price tag of $4/cookie. Oh, if only I could create adorable cookies myself.

The babies are born

Obviously my camera isn't the best, but here are a few pictures of the baby birds in my ferns.

I'll try to take another picture tomorrow. I want to make sure that I don't get too close to the nest while trying to take a picture or the mother bird might now come back.

The plan for tonight was to turn off the TV at 8pm. We could go on a walk, read, or play UNO...

...I won best out of 3 games!!

32

Chris ate 32 wings tonight at an all-you-can-eat wings dinner. UHHH...

That's all I have to say about that!

Strawberry pickin'

BEFORE
AFTER

We were told we could eat as many as we wanted while we were picking. They were delicious and we are still enjoying them. Blackberry picking is in June. I don't think that I have every had a blackberry before, but I started liking raspberries. Do you know if they taste similar? Chris likes blackberries. Maybe I can find a good cobbler recipe and we can go pickin' again!

Ahhh...the delicious smell

I wish you could all be here to smell the house. Chris and I cooked one of our bags of the Amish Friendship Bread (AFB) and the house smells of warm cinnamon and sugar. I wish that the 10th day would have been yesterday so my parents could have sampled it.

If you want one of the starter bags of AFB, let me know. I'll do my best to get it to you. I come to Columbia once a week and Augusta once every other week.

Before it goes in the oven

As it goes in the oven

Ahhh...

Two of a Kind

Well, I am back to write my second post on our blog. I know you all are very excited to read. This post is in honor of my mom. My mom is not your typical girly-type mom. She is a no frill, jean and t-shirt type of gal. She would rather be out in the yard mowing the lawn or burning a huge pile of debris and playing in the fire than going shopping with the girls. She is an independent, strong-willed, logically thinking engineer. For years and years she would always tell me that I shouldn't pick on her for how she acts or behaves because I was just like her. I tried so many years to deny it and tried to refuse the fact, but now I have come through my denial and have come to admit that yes, WE ARE JUST ALIKE. It even gets to the point that when we are around each other that my dad will leave the room. You know what though, there isn't any other person that I would want to have as a mom. She has taught me so much and has been such a great friend. Mom, I love you!!!

For your enjoyment and mine as well, here are some pics of my mom....

Happy Mother's Day

A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie. ~Tenneva Jordan

My Mom...the one that puts everyone in her family before herself, the one that was at every dance recital, baseball game, hi-stepper competition, golf tournament, etc...the one that always makes sure our favorite snack is always stocked in the fridge or pantry, the one that can get me to buy anything when we shop together, the one that does more cleaning in my house when she visits than I do, the one that helped with every step of the wedding planning, the one that taught me how to be a thrifty shopper, the one that loves my dog so much she won't give her back:), the one that my dad can't live without, the one that I can't imagine I'll ever compare to.

Happy Mother's Day to you! I hope you enjoyed your weekend. You mean the world to us!

I could get used to this

I'll be sure to post pictures soon of our fun day. Chris was off of work today and I used one of my remaining vacation days and we both had a fun, relaxing day. I scheduled a "couples massage" in the morning and then we went and picked strawberries at a fantastic farm in Enoree, SC. We also did a little bit of shopping for Mothers Day and then came home and cooked dinner. Chris prepared some delicious steaks and seasoned potatoes and then he helped me make homemade shortcake for our strawberries. These are the days I dream about. On the way home from picking strawberries, I told him that this day was like Valentines in May. :) Actually everyday is like Valentines Day for us!

It doesn't get any better than this!

Simply Beautiful

This is a picture of two necklaces that I bought on Friday. Can you tell the beads are made of rolled up paper from magazines and calenders? Some tiny letters can still be seen on the beads before they are glazed. This is how it all started:

A few weeks ago Chris and I were at our small group meeting and one of the other members had on a beautiful necklace that was filled with rich, vibrant colors. Of course all of the girls thought it was just as gorgeous as I did. The member wearing the necklace is a teacher at Riverside High School, which happens to be right next door to where we live. She invited us to a jewelry show that the students were hosting on May 1st that was to be held at the school. Well, those that know me, know that this could lead to two of my favorite things, jewelry & food! The girls in the small group decided to go to the show and then come back to my house for dinner (thanks Christina!) and dessert (that Chris made). We bought a total of over $100 of jewelry that will be so fun to wear and support a great cause. In fact, 3 of us had our new necklace on this Sunday at small group! The best part, the money raised from the sales goes back to various organizations including ones in Uganda, Africa.

Now, will all that being said...guess what I saw on the Today show while I was on vacation today. It was meant to be :) I have included a list below as well as link to various websites to learn about this project and how you can support the cause.

The link is HERE from the Today show.

http://www.lightgivesheat.org/

http://www.suubiafrica.org/

http://www.beadforlife.org/

PS-I wore one necklace to work and everyone loved it--a great conversation piece.

eggs in the ferns

This is what I found the other day when Chris and I were outside. As sweet as it is, I really just hate having birds nests in the ferns. They weigh the plant down which ends up breaking the basket and hooks that they hang from. As soon as the birds arrive, I'm moving the nest and then putting moth balls in the plant. I was able to get the moth balls in the other fern before a bird decided to make it home. Does anyone else have another idea to keep birds away besides moth balls. And by the way, the warning on the box says not to use it in plants to keep birds away. Whoops...1 rule broken.
Also, we have a bird feeder right outside our back door. We refill the entire feeder each day. Yes, each day! I promise these birds are the fattest, stingiest birds I have ever seen. They fight each other and knock each other off the feeder. Chris finds it simply amazing that I purchased a $9 bag of bird seed. Don't these birds know we are in a recession?

We are famous!

Not really famous, but we have been featured on another blog! Check it out and be sure to notice all of their other great products!! Garnish was so easy to work with and even offered a 10% discount on my first purchase. When you are planning a wedding, every bit helps!