Funky Trees and such

I had a Friday night painting party with a friend and here's what I got:

Crawfish Boil, Anyone?

Jeremy found this little guy while he was digging up the dirt for our patio extension. While the ground was pretty wet, it wasn't a puddle or anything. I guess I thought these things had to be in water. Weird. We threw him in the creek behind our house, which I'm guessing is where he came from in the first place.

And then Jeremy pretended he was going to eat it - nice.

Kitchen: Before and After

Before, the kitchen and hallway were a boring antique white color:


After a coat or two of paint they are a bright, fresh apple green! I love it! I will admit, it's a little brighter than I thought it was going to turn out, but I think it is MUCH better than before.

Patio Project

Jeremy and I decided to extend our patio out to the edge of the house. First, he tilled up the spot and dug out all the top soil...and I helped rake out all the dead grass and dumped it in the creek behind our house.
Then he packed down all the dirt and leveled it out...and I hauled off most of the dirt in a wheelbarrow to the back corner of the yard where it waits for another project.

Then we poured a layer of crushed rock followed by a layer of sand. After that, Jeremy busted out his masonry skills and leveled the sand before laying out 90 paving stones...that I loaded 4 at a time in a wheelbarrow and carried back and forth to him.


And here is the (semi-) finished project. We are still working on making it look "pretty" but it's a good start! We're also going to add a pergola to give us a little shade!

I Was Wrong!

I only got one right out of the bottom three on AI last night. Oh well. I was glad Amanda was voted off because everything she sang started to sound the same. I think she's a good singer, but I was tired of it. Then I found myself feeling really sad for her when they started the video montage of her "journey on American Idol." That part always gets to me for some reason. No lie, I felt tears welling up in my eyes. It was weird.

I have realized that I should not have selected Chikeze for the bottom three. I guess I can't get past the early weeks when he was kind of boring and came across very "old." The last two weeks he has been really great (aside from the harmonica, which really bugged me.) So, to my two readers who I offended I apologize and I'll agree that Chikeze is, in fact, really good! :)

I think Carly should win the whole thing anyway because she is obviously the most talented of them all. I guess we'll see how it turns out since she was in the bottom three last night.

Next week I want to see Kristy Lee Cook or Ramiele gone. They both annoy me to no end.

I've put way too much thought into American Idol today!

My Bottom Three

My guesses for the bottom three tonight? Here you go:

So far I've been pretty good at guessing who will be in the bottom three and who will go home. This week, I think it's time to say goodbye to Kristy. She's a good singer, but I agree 100% with Simon, she is not a good performer. Amanda Overmeyer could go, too and that would be fine for me. I'm up for a 4-way elimination tonight! Who do you think is going home?

Favorites are:

Jason Castro - he is just too cute!

Archuletta - much improved last night

David Cook - he is great, but I think he knows it

Michael Johns - I WANT him to do better!!

Carly Smithson - loved Blackbird

Brooke White - she is so cute, but definitely looked awkward dancing around last night.

I'm Still Here!

It has been a while since my last update, but I promise I am still here. Here's what I've been up to the past couple of weeks (pictures to come soon!):

1. My mom and sister came down to T'town a few weeks ago to spend the weekend. We went to see Bama take of Vandy and were disappointed that Vandy couldn't pull off a road win!

2. Last Sunday Jeremy and I started the project of extending our patio. We have the stone laid and even bought a new patio umbrella. The project is almost done - we just need to plant some border plants to make it look more finished.

3. I've been helping ready a place for our vegetable garden in the back yard. I even tried my hand at the tiller on Saturday. It was fun and made me wonder how Charles Ingall's ever survived without one. I can't imagine using a horse and plow - ha!

4. Saturday Jeremy and I painted out kitchen and hallway. Well, one wall of the kitchen and the small hallway that leads to the garage. The color is Apple, but it's a little more on the lime side if you ask me. I really love it and it gives our kitchen some much needed brightness!

5. I officially became a member of Circlewood Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa yesterday. It was a great morning at church and I am excited to be a part of that church family.

So, it's been busy. Lots of evenings spent outside working, but it's tons of fun. Oh, and American Idol is still great! I was pleased that David H. was sent home last week. I think America got the bottom 3 exactly right - I so called who it would be AND who would go home! Go me!

TMTH!

My two favorite performances of last night's show were David Cook's "Hello" and Jason Castro's "Hallelujah." Both of which are favorite songs of mine anyway. Yep, seriously, I love me some Lionel Richie!

If America thinks the same way I do tonight we'll be saying goodbye to Luke and Chikezie. Honestly, Luke's version of "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" was TMTH! It was just bad. I can't figure out for the life of me why he picked that song.

Chikezie just isn't a favorite. I think he seems way too old and is kind of boring. His performance last night was fine and it's not like he doesn't "deserve" a spot, but I don't think he'll make it through. Of course, I could be completely wrong - I ususally am.

If I really had my way we'd send Danny Noriega home, too. I did not enjoy "Tainted Love", the skinny jeans, or the purple hair. His attitude is more than I can stand!

Other favorites are David Archuletta (I loved the piano playing!) and Michael Johns.