I Won!

After narrowly escaping catastrophy yesterday, I awoke today to learn that I was the winner of Preppy Sue's PONO cuff giveaway! It is absolutely gorgeous and I can't wait to see it in person!

If you haven't visited Preppy Sue's blog, head over for a visit! I love reading about her life with her hubby and two adorable children in the northeast, where I would love to live one day, again!

~Steph

Child Free

Just got back from dropping the kiddos off at my parent's house on the Isle of Palms. They are going to visit with them for a day or four! Since the 'rents and I don't get along very well, I will just pop in and out. Son thinks he is missing so much here at our house that he wants me to come get him tomorrow after dinner. I'm thinking that since my cousin is there with her teenage daughters, he will change his mind. They always have a great time together!

On my way back home it started pouring rain. I hate driving in the rain around here! People can barely drive when it is sunny, throw some rain in the mix and WATCH OUT! And watch out I did! As I was driving along the Mark Clark Expressway I was in the far left lane because there were a bunch on tractor trailers driving in the other lanes. I noticed one just ahead to my right start to sway and then swerve and then all of a sudden it was in front of me going sideways down the road! Then the cab jack-knifed(sp?) and it hit the side barrier and part of the front of the truck came flying back towards me! Luckily by this time I had slammed on my brakes and was just hoping that no one would hit me from behind! The debris from his truck landed just inches from the front of my car! Whew! Not a scratch on my car! I was shaking so bad when all was done I could barely push the gas to make the car go!

So, how is your day?

~Steph

Take A Look Back Tuesday...

1968- Glacier National Park

I just love my outfit! ;)

Road Trip

Yesterday I got up early and headed to the upstate of SC with hubby. He had a quick visit to make to a client and then we headed over to Clemson to meet with a realtor to look at some condos.Being a Clemson grad and a major fan, hubby is hoping that one or both of our children will end up at Clemson one day. So we figured with prices what they are, we could go ahead and buy a condo now and rent it out until we need it.

We looked at a bunch! We have kind of settled on one, but are still in discussions! Just for the fun of it we threw in a house to look at too! It was a short sale and a huge house for not hardly any money! Well, we pulled up and it was in a nice older neighborhood, but it was covered in cobwebs! I could tell no one had done anything to the outside in a while. When we walked in....omg, it was creepy! There was stuff everywhere! It looked like the people got up and walked out and never returned! Dishes were in the sink and on the table! And it had a funky smell! I just stood in one place with my mouth hanging open! I had never seen anything like it before. Hubby walked all around the house, but as good a price as it was, unless I was planning to live there myself, it wasn't worth what it would take to get it in shape!

We got home late last night and even though we had mostly spent the day in the car, I was exhausted!

Our anniversary is tomorrow, but we are going to celebrate next week when my family is at the beach house, you know, built in supervision!

Happy Weekend!

~Steph

Take a Look Back Tuesday

Since Saturday will be mine and hubby's 22nd anniversary, I thought I would post a photo from oh so long ago!

You really can't see the detail on this scanned photo, but the girls were wearing a very simple, polished cotton floral print. I had seen them in a Bride's magazine and just had to have them! They are the ONLY bridesmaid's dresses(back during that time) that have actually been worn again! All of my girls cut them off and wore them to summer parties that year!

Can you guess which two are my sisters?

~Steph

Mammograms and Iced Coffee

This morning I was up and at the hospital for my mammogram. Walked in at 8:00 and was back in my car pulling out of the parking lot at 8:20! I just love the lady that did mine. She is sweet and gentle and talks to you in a very soft, soothing voice. I just want to hug her when it is over!

If you love iced coffee, you must try this recipe for it! I mentioned that my mil had made a concentrate and made an iced coffee for me when I was visiting last month. Well, here is the recipe for those who may want to try it for themselves. I just love it!

First you must make the concentrate:

1/2 pounds ground coffee with chicory or dark roast ground coffee

7 cups cold water

1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Stir together the ground coffee and water in a pitcher until all the coffee is wet. Let mixture stand for 12 hours at room temperature. Pour the coffee mixture through a large fine wire-mesh strainer, discarding the grounds. Clean strainer; place a coffee filter or double layer of cheesecloth in the strainer, and pour coffee mixture through lined strainer. Add vanilla; cover and store in the refrigerator up to 1 month. Makes about 1 3/4 quarts.

To make the iced coffee:

1/4 cup coffee concentrate

1/4 cup water

milk (optional)

sugar (optional)

Stir together 1/4 cup each of the coffee concentrate and water, if desired, stir in milk and sugar. Serve over ice.

When I make it I double the amount of concentrate and water, and because I like mine with milk and some sweetener, I add fat free half and half and some sugar free hazelnut coffee syrup( I think that is what it is called, you know the syrups they use to make flavored coffees). It is delicious! In fact I have a cup sitting beside me right now! Enjoy!

Now I'm off for a pedicure and running a few errands!

~Steph

I'm Still Recovering!

We are back home from the lake. Kitty and I are both pooped!

When your children get older you tend to forget how much energy little ones require! My sister came for a visit with her two boys, ages 4 and 6. They also brought a lot of toys to play with:

How do you think this made me, the neat freak, feel? I was proud of myself, I didn't have very much of an anxiety attack over it! The wine I was drinking could have been the reason!

Most of our time was spent at the pool. The little ones loved playing with their "big" cousins!

Now we are spending a few days at home regrouping!
~Steph

I Just Had to Bring It Home!

After church this morning, we decided to head downtown to Magnolias for brunch. While perusing the menu something caught my eye... sweet potato fries! I love, love, love them! So, they were served with the fried egg sandwich, which is very good considering it IS a fried egg sandwich! Hubby couldn't believe I was ordering it! He kept saying "I can't believe we came downtown for brunch and you are ordering an fried egg sandwich!"

Would you believe that I could only finish half of the sandwich and half of the fries!? Daughter ordered a bowl of Crab Bisque and we brought half of it home too! We were both stuffed and asked for it to be wrapped up.

I'm thinking that the leftovers aren't sounding too bad right about now!

The children and I are heading to the lake tomorrow morning. My sister is coming to visit for a few days with her two little boys. It should be a lot of fun. The little boys just love their "big" cousins! We'll be back on Wednesday evening.

~Steph

Man, This Rain!

This is not my car, nor anyone whom I know.(I found it in google images)

But, when I turned into my neighborhood after picking up daughter from ballet, this is what the streets looked like! And there was a car that looked just like this in the middle of the street!

I had to park in a driveway of a house that is vacant and for sale and WADE to my house! What a night for hubby to be away on a business trip!

~Steph

10 Things You Might Not Know About Me...

I was tagged by The Queen Bee and Her Boys to do a 10 things you might not know about me list.

So here goes:

1. I am a neat freak! And, it carries over into my car. You aren't allowed to eat or drink in the car, if your shoes are muddy you aren't allowed to wear them in the car! I don't allow pens or pencils in the car! I vacuum out the car every few days. It was probably a real pain to the kids that rode with us in the car pool this year! If it was a rainy day when I was picking them up, I would roll the window down and point out puddles and mud so they wouldn't step in it! I'm surprised any of them want to ride with us this next year. But, I will have to say, my car is almost one year old and it still looks like it did the day I drove it off the lot! Still smells new too!

2. I can fly a single engine airplane.

3. I don't use my real name on my blog. Though Stephanie was the name my mom wanted to name me but it was to long when put with my maiden name and didn't sound right.

4. I was a vegetarian for about 5 years. I married someone who wasn't. I soon started eating meats again.

5. I have a fear of the dentist. I think it all stems from when I was a teen and had to have a cavity filled (one of 4 I've had my whole life) and the novacain had not kicked in and he started drilling anyway! And now, I have some teeth that are sensitive and I can't stand to have them cleaned, so I don't visit the dentist like I should! Bad, I know!

6. I used to volunteer at homeless shelters a lot. Now I have a special place in my heart for the homeless after some of the stories I heard. I just finished reading a book called Breakfast at Sally's. It was about a man who became homeless after having it all. I highly recommend it.

7. My hubby doesn't know I have a blog. He wouldn't understand.

8. When I was first married I couldn't find a "real" job, so I got a job as a Clinque girl. You know the white coats they wear? I used to wear mine with nothing on underneath it, except under garments!

9. I took a smocking class years before I ever had children. I never smocked a single thing for my own children!

10. On really hot days when I hear the trashmen coming I run out so I can give them a bottle of ice cold water. They always give me a big smile and thanks.

Alright, now who would like to play too?

Friends, Family, Food and Fun!

(my favorite cup for the lake, it's always filled with a festive beverage!)

(Making homemade Peach ice cream for the lake BBQ with the neighbors)

(I bought a bunch of these cute little pails at Target, put a little tea lite in them and scattered them all around for our BBQ)

(You know how I love my Hydrangeas, well after we left the last time, I left these in the vase on the counter. When we got there, they were perfectly dried!)

How sad is it, after being gone for over a week, that these are the only photos I took!

We had a great trip to Myrtle Beach to visit my in-laws. The kids had a blast going to the water park with their cousin and then hanging out with her the rest of the time! So much fun, in fact, that they will be flying to Fort Lauderdale during christmas break to meet her and her mom and dad and then go to Disney with them for a few days before coming back our way for christmas!

While we were there my mil, who knows how much I love Iced Coffee, had mixed up a concentrate so we could make our own! Oh. My! Now I am making my own here at home and it is delicious!

We had way too much fun at the lake on the fourth and the days leading up to the weekend! All the neighbors were there, so there was lots of eating and boating going on! The kids had a blast riding the wave runners and being pulled on the tube. If the weather hadn't been soooo hot and humid, it would have been perfect!

I was tagged by The Queen Bee and her Boys, so I need to get to that, plus all the things that need to be done here around the house.

Hope everyone had a great 4th!