James' First Concert

James and I won free tickets to Sesame Street Live!  We entered a little drawing at our local library and actually won!  We went to the Wednesday morning show this week, and James was mesmerized!  He sat in his chair, wide-eyed most of the time, threw in a smile here and there when Elmo was on stage, and enjoyed the show.  It was a really neat production, actually.  Lots of music, dancing, imagination, lights, and cute effects.  The show started at 10:30 which is right in the middle of his nap time...so needless to say, he missed his rest.  He lasted until 12:00 and then had a meltdown, so we had to leave a little early, but the show was wrapping up so we didn't miss much.  Here are a few pictures of his first concert! 

Above: Before the show began, with his new flag.
Below:  his first taste of cotton candy.  He didn't like it as much as his mommy did! 

 The Show...

 This was just a cute picture from yesterday that I wanted to throw in here.  We found this fire helmet at the dollar store and he loves putting it on "Bo-Bo," his big puppy dog. 

Quick Projects

We finished two projects this weekend, a headboard for our guest bedroom and a wine rack for our dining room wall.  We are extremely pleased with the results...and we did both for under $50 combined! 

A Tribute...

Happy Father's Day to our dads.  You are not just our fathers, but our role models, advisors, teachers and friends.  We thank you for your unconditional love and support.  We love you both so very much!

To my husband, you are everything a wife could hope for in a husband, including the most amazing dad to our son.  I love you.

James Dowling

Steven O. Fundingsland

Steven F. Fundingsland

Carpet Surfing

Hope you get a laugh from this video, this is James' new favorite game.  We had to hide the sliders to take a break! 

Loves playing with my sunglasses. 
Look...he's getting some hair!

History and Magic

Me, James and my friend Katie went exploring downtown Savannah this past Friday.  There are beautiful little parks or squares on every block that have some sort of history monument at the center.  The cobblestone walks, Spanish moss, horse drawn carriages, and huge live oaks that canopy the streets are just breathtaking.  We are looking forward to taking some tours and really discovering the history and magic this city has to offer. 
We stopped by Paula Dean's restaurant, Lady and Son's, to see how long the wait would be for lunch.  Well, it was our lucky day, because we got right in!  It was really good!  James loved the sweet potatoes and macaroni and cheese, and wasted no time with his adult sized fork.  so cute! 
Until our next adventure.....

moon walks and new friends

James and I made new friends this week and today we met them at a kid's play land that has bouncy houses and playground equipment.  James really had a blast, but he's still a little too small to really get the full experience.  I got in the inflatables with him and helped him climb up the slides so he could go down, and bounced with him in the moon walk.  He was all smiles, and when he got tired, he just played with the little wooden box puzzle things...whatever they're called.  I had a nice time meeting some new friends, other army wives and stay at home moms.  I'm especially thankful for a new friend, Karen.  Steven and her husband work together, and we met coincidentally at church a couple weeks ago.  She came over for lunch this Thursday and we hit it off.  I'm so thankful for other army wives who have also been friendless at one point or another, it makes the friend-making process painless and inclusive.  :)
One extra exciting piece of news...I met the woman behind a blog that I've been following called "Me, My Soldier and Our 4 Little Chicks."  I found out about this blog through either Erin or Regan when I was in Clarksville, none of us knew her, just liked her super crafty, creative, and inspirational blog.  Anyway, she was really nice and has 4 sweet kiddos, and it's always cool to put a face with a name.  :)
It was a really great day all around!

Indiana or Nebraska....

Which state has better corn, Indiana or Nebraska?  My Alma Mater and official "Cornhusker" state does have tasty ears, however, I've got to stick to my roots and vote for Indiana corn.  There's more than corn in Indiana....(does anyone else remember that Indiana Beach theme song?) but not much!  :)  Too bad James' first taste of corn-on-the-cob was from a Florida crop...doesn't even come close to comparison. 

Splash Park Fun

I took our little ball of fun to the splash park on post last Friday.    I thought he'd sleep the whole way there so he'd be fresh and fun...well that didn't work out exactly as planned.  He lasted about 20 good minutes at the park and then had the biggest meltdown I've ever seen.  Thank goodness that tantrum was in the bathroom where no one else was there to witness it, I was mortified by his behavior.  He just needed a nap, but wow...it was brutal.  :)  At least I got a couple cute videos of him enjoying the slide and fountains.  We'll try again next week, but AFTER a nap.
He did have a great time though before he hit the wall.  He ran around, swung his arms back and fourth, giggled, went down the slide about 10 times, and loved getting sprayed, it was pretty cute.

Berry Pickin'

There's a local berry farm about 1/2 mile down the road from our neighborhood.  Last Friday morning James and I went picking blackberries!   He had fun finding the black ones and throwing them into the bucket.  I had fun using a new Paula Dean recipe last night for Porkchops with a white wine and blackberry sauce!  So yummy!  It's definitely going to be a new "go-to" summer recipe, so easy and delicious.

James heading out to the blackberry bushes...

 Just pick the black ones!

 Throwing them in the bucket...

 Hot and tired :)

Paula Dean's Pan-Fried Pork Chops with Blackberries

Eight 6oz, 3/4 in pork chops

Salt, pepper, and garlic powder

4 Tbs butter

1/4 cup canola oil

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 cups blackberries

1 Tbs honey

1 Tbs fresh thyme leaves

Season chops with S & P & GP

Heat large skillet to high, add butter and oil.

Sear chops until golden, about 2-3 min per side.

Set chops aside on paper lined plate.

Remove skillet from heat and add white wine. 

Simmer and deglaze pan.

Add honey, blackberries and thyme and saute about 5 minutes

Reduce heat to low.

Add chops back into pan and baste with sauce.

cook until warmed through, 1-2 minutes. 

Serve and enjoy!