Enjoying the backyard, but missing Andy.

While Andy is in Tulsa conducting with Light Opera Oklahoma, Stella and I have been very busy in the backyard.  Amanda and I went to the farmer's market on Saturday and found the herb lady.  We were then inspired to plant herb gardens!  Since I had a bag of dirt, she and I decided to go buy pots and make an afternoon of herb planting.  It was really fun, but of course, we ran out of dirt with more to plant and had to run up to Lowe's.  I then preceded to find a green pepper plant and a tomato plant, because I knew if I didn't get it all done that day, it probably wouldn't get done.  

We finished planting and invited her hubby Justin over to grill some tilapia.  I had planted some lemon balm and was excited to try it out on some fish.  It is a great herb and we ended up making an herb butter to spread on the fish as they were grilling that consisted of lemon balm, dill and chives.  It was fantastic!  Well I ended up planting 3 pots and the kitchen window box of herbs and such.  I guess now I just need to learn how to cook and I will be good to go. :)  Ha, ha!  I definitely am missing Andy and his cooking!  Hopefully I can keep the herbs alive until he comes home.  Here are some pics of the herbs.  I couldn't resist that green pepper plant, it already had one almost ready to pick!

Stella is even checking out the herbs.  She isn't trying to eat them...yet...
I then woke up on Sunday and decided that now the only thing missing on my deck, was a fountain.  And I decided I could make my own.  I have watched enough HGTV that surely I could make it happen.  Well, I decided to go to HGTV to get some ideas, so I found instructions to make a rain chain bamboo fountain.  I thought...we have lots of bamboo in our yard, so I went behind the shed and cut some down.   I then went to Lowe's...again...and found all of the rest of my fountain necessities.  The only thing that I was missing, was a copper chain.  I went to the local Ace Hardware, but they didn't have it either.  They did have a copper hanging basket, so I bought that, took the chain off, and actually ended up using the basket upside down to have a little waterfall effect.  Now the basin I decided to use, was a copper bucket that we have had in the house.  I sealed the seam at the bottom because it wasn't so water-tight.  I was supposed to let that dry for 24 hours, but I really wanted to see if it worked.  I weaved the rubber tubing through the bamboo, and connected the two pieces with some copper wire, to keep with my theme.  I was almost ready to try it out and it started raining, so I moved it all inside.  The rain didn't stop, so I decided to give it the 24 hours and then I would take it outside after work on Monday.  As I was putting the finishing touches on it, I wanted to put something in the bottom of the bucket to have some depth or color.  When Andy and I were first married, I went through this mosaic phase and bought lots of small colored glass pebbles from the dollar store.  Now I never did much mosaic work, but now I could put all of the rocks in the fountain!  Anyway, enough babbling...get it, babbling...it worked and it makes sitting on the deck that much more relaxing!  (I just still have to wear my bug spray.)

Here are some fun pictures of Stella enjoying the back yard!


Well, Ryann and Tara are coming to visit this weekend for Ryann's 30th birthday!!!  I am sure I will have some fun blogging after this weekend... Hope you have a Happy Memorial Day and I leave you with this, my next project...the Anderson Jungle!!!!
Yes, that is wild fern growing...

Happy Easter

Hope everyone has had a happy Easter!  Since Andy is in KC working, in good King/Wightman fashion, here is our Easter photo...minus Andy.  I thought about photo-shopping him in, but I didn't have the time today. :) Growing up, our Easter photo would be taken in front of whichever tree or bush would be blooming in the yard.  Since the blooming season here in Mobile is February, I didn't have anything substantial blooming, so I went for the green backdrop.  I did manage to get St. Francis in the photo, (thanks Mom and Dad!)

I went to Spring Hill Presbyterian church this morning because they are known to have the best music in Mobile, and since Andy and I are still looking for a church, I went to check it out.  Everyone was right.  The choir was great and they were accompanied by brass and timpani.  I also was seated by this little old woman who was very sweet.  I felt like Grandma Wightman was looking over me this morning only this woman sang all of the hymns down the octave. ;)  The service also ended with the Halleluia Chorus which made me very happy because I thought I wasn't going to hear it this year for Easter because I wasn't at Valley View.  

Stella and I then went to the beach with our friend Carly and her dog, Tony.  Stella had not been to the beach yet and had a great time.  She was off her leash and just was frolicking almost like she was in snow.  The best part was when she ran up to the water.  She was bounding at a good clip and then slammed on the breaks.  She did her little head tilt as if trying to figure out why the water was moving and then backed up.  I will be very surprised if she ever gets her feet wet.  Oh well, she is our big baby.  She did love the wind and the sand.  It turned out to be cloudy and quite windy, so I didn't get in the water either and didn't get much of a tan.  It was still nice to just be there.

I then came home and after talking to the "fam" in KC who were having steaks for dinner, I decided that sounded good.  Unfortunately the grocery store that I wanted to get my steak from was closed, so I had to settle for the pre-packaged filet.  I did have to call Andy to get his mushroom gravy recipe, but other than that, it turned out really well.  I had a baked sweet potato, steamed asparagus and the steak with mushroom gravy.  I think I am enjoying this cooking thing.  I didn't feel like waiting for the grill outside to get ready, so I used our indoor electric grill (one of those great wedding gifts that we forget to use).  It works really well, except it takes twice as long to cook anything.   My steak turned out to be a delicious med-rare with 10 minutes on each side.  I also opened a bottle of red wine (for the mushroom sauce) and enjoyed that as well.  It was a bottle that we purchased at the Mobile Opera wine tasting.  It is called Layer Cake Primitivo.  Yes, I did have to get it because of the name.  Anything with cake must be good...  Anyway, if you come across it, you won't be disappointed.

Well the Sound of Music is on and it is at my favorite part, so I must go.  Until next time.

From Snow to Torrential Downpour

We have returned to Mobile.  With Andy and I on different airlines both making 2 stops, we finally made it back home.  6:30 AM was actually not as bad as I thought it was going to be today, but I think that was because my body was just totally shocked to be up at that time. Work was very busy for both of us today and we have an opera wine tasting event to attend tonight.  

I guess I should have looked at the weather last night, because it started raining about 10:30 am and has not stopped yet.  Now these aren't light spring showers.  For all of us that have been on the "Fury of the Nile" at Worlds of Fun, remember that water fall at the end?  That is what it was like coming up to our front porch after I got off work, and obviously I didn't have an umbrella.  Down here in Mobile, people don't have gutters on their house, so the rain literally just pours off the roof.  Everyone says that it is not normal to have this much rain right now, so hopefully it will stop soon.  I am glad that our house doesn't have a basement and we don't have to worry about any flooding.  I just hope we don't find an alligator in the swamp that is becoming our backyard. ;)  Mom - I am just kidding!

Here is a pic of Andy and I at the theater.  I played the role of Frasquita in Carmen.  Nice make-up...eh?

We both had a great time in Billings.  It was really fun to actually get paid to sing and not have to be working/teaching during the rehearsal period.  When I wasn't in rehearsal, I read my book and enjoyed the views of Billings.  Andy on the other hand, is heading off to KC to conduct Pirates of Penzance on Friday, so he did have to study some during his free time.  (When were weren't at the Montana Brewing Company.)  

Mom and Uncle Jack came to visit to see our Saturday performance and we had a great visit. Here we all are after the performance.

Well, I promised some pictures of the view that we had from Shirley's house.  This is looking out her back door.  One with out snow and one with.  It was very serene.  She also had a wind chime behind the house that we could hear faintly from our room.  I think I missed that last night.  Maybe that will have to be a part of the backyard plans.  

The first week Andy was there by himself and he was welcomed with snow and freezing temperatures, but when I got there, the weather was beautiful and in the 60's.  We even played golf that week!!  Then the next week, it snowed twice about 6 inches each time.  We definitely were able to see both sides of Billings and luckily, the snow didn't interfere with either of our performances.  

It is nice to be back home and with Stella.  Now I just hope that the backyard will dry out soon, so Andy can cut the grass before he leaves...

Here is the picture I leave you with until next time...Don't worry, we were drinking Guinness on St. Patrick's Day not Miller Lite.  Maybe there really is a Leprechaun in Mobile?

From Mobile to Montana

Andy and I are here in Billings, Montana performing the opera, Carmen. Andy has been in Billings since the 8th, but I arrived on the 15th. I am in my second day of rehearsals, and it is going very well. We staged so much yesterday, that we had one of our afternoon rehearsals cancelled. So here we are at the local coffee brew. Andy is studying and I am playing on the computer. :)

We are staying at this great house literally at the base of the rimrocks. It is so gorgeous that I had to take some pics. Yesterday was a beautiful day that was in the 60's until about 6pm. That is when a front came over the rimrocks and brought about 3 inches of snow. So again this morning I had to take some pictures to show the difference 24 hours can make.

Well, the temperature did warm back up today and all the snow melted. I am not even wearing a coat. I am glad that I have not been too wimp-a-fied living in Mobile.

Happy St. Paddy's Day to everyone. I am a bit sad that I am not able to make my customary green Rice Krispies® treats today. I did remember to bring my Guinness shirt for today, so I am prepared. I don't know if we will be able to find a Guinness tonight after rehearsal, but we will be toasting you from afar.

In Mobile on Saturday, the Morton's and I had some St. Paddy's Day fun. There was a festival downtown that had samplings of corned beef and cabbage and beef stew for all and a small parade. Sorry, I forgot my camera. It was funny because I recognized some of the floats that were from the Mardi Gras parades. Only they had shamrocks painted on them and everyone was wearing green. Nice! I did also bring a set of Guinness beads for Andy to wear today, so he wouldn't get pinched.

Well, I am having some technical difficulties downloading the pictures from the camera, and we have to get to rehearsal, so pictures will follow tomorrow.

Post Mardi Gras reflection

WOW!  Is pretty much all I have to say... No really, we had a great day!  It started at 9 am.  Yes, I did get Andy out of bed with the promise of beer and parades. :)  We headed downtown for the fun-filled day.  The first parade was at 10:30.  Amanda and Justin, our Mardi Gras comrades, met us at the barricade.  We brought a fantastic breakfast of Chic-fil-a and Bloody Mary's or Mardi Gras Mash.  We got creative on Monday night and Andy decided I needed a "Mardi Gras Virgin" sign, so we had the sign and I was basically pelted with all sorts of stuff.  I did get thrown some good stuffed animals, which are supposedly the best throws off the float.  Here is the "Barbie and Ken" float from that parade.

Next, we went back to Andy's office for a short break and then headed off to the loading area for the next parade where our friend, Terry, was riding.  We made it through the barricade just in time to see the riders come out of the Civic Center.  They were led by one of the marching bands in the parade.

We then went to the float that Terry was on and waited to see the parade start.  It was fun because the other riders on the float were getting warmed up by throwing us lots of beads. Terry finally made it to the float and then they were off.  Directly following the KOR parade was the Comic Cowboy's parade.  They are the crew where most of the members are in drag and each float has a political message written on it.  Now with my "virgin" sign still being held above my head, I did have an opportunity to show some "skin" for a set of Jagermeister beads, but alas, I decided to save my dignity and pass on the beads...Sorry, Ryann & Josh.  Here are some pics of the KOR floats whose theme was breakfast cereals and the Comic Cowboy Queens.

We then went back to Andy's office to change for the KOR reception.  The dress for the reception was spring suit or dress and a hat.  So pretty much I went to Sears to find a hat.  Since my head/hair is not gigantic, it was hard to find a hat that fit.  No worries though, I found a lovely fuchsia one that happened to match a suit coat that I already had.  Anyway, Amanda and I fit in well with our hats. 

We had  a fun time at the KOR ball.  It was supposed to last until 5:30, but we left about 5 and headed over to the Broadwater's house that was only 2 blocks from the Civic Center.  We had a bit of food and some more beverages, sang some show tunes and just had a nice rest for a while.  

We then realized that we had almost missed the last parade, so we headed towards Government street and in the direction Andy's office.  We were able to see the second half of the parade as it was making its final pass down Government Street.  I did catch a cup that said "floats like a moonpie, stings like a bead"  by that time, I fully agreed!  After a full day of Mardi Gras fun, we were ready to head home.  We made our way back to Andy's office to change. While Amanda and I were changing, Andy and Justin went up to the Music Center's balcony and were throwing beads at the mob of people below.  Although they were having fun, the girls were ready to crash, so I pried them back downstairs and we let the evening come to an end.  

Just for fun, today I put all of the stuff that we caught at all of the parades over the past 3 weeks on the dining room table as the final picture.  As I might have said before, I truly appreciate the season of Lent even more now.  We definitely had a "Fat" time not only Tuesday but throughout all of Mardi Gras.  I highly recommend experiencing it at least once in your life and Mobile does it right.  Well, I am definitely going to bed early tonight, so until next time.  Have a moonpie and think of us.

Notice the sunburn...We are just not in the habit of wearing sunscreen in February...another lesson learned. :)

Mardi Gras Part III

I decided to give you an update before the final culmination that is Fat Tuesday. In all of this Mardi Gras-ing I did realize that it is much easier to give up something during Lent after participating in Mardi Gras. I am also having flash-backs to my undergrad years and the visits to K-State... Anyway, the festivities started again last Thursday (We got a day break last Wednesday from parading), we went back to our friend's office (Hargrove) on the parade route up on the balcony. I forgot the camera, so sorry no pics. One of the things that they were throwing besides the usual beads and moon pies was rolled up calenders. I caught the Anne Geddes one and another one caught was a kitten calendar. Hello, random. :)

Oh! Our friend, Paula, was handing out feather boas and decided that I needed one, so she returned to the balcony with an electric blue one for me. Being the nice person that I am, I wore the boa for the rest of the parade, even though they aren't really my thing... After the parade, I took off the boa and realized that my hands were blue...and so was my neck! I looked as if I had been attacked by a smurf! It had even turned my fleece jacket a brighter shade of blue. After I got home and 4 biore cleansing cloths later, I wasn't so blue and luckily the shower the next morning removed the rest out of my hairline. Needless to say, the lesson learned, was stay clear of the feather boas unless you are trying to dye your skin/clothes.

Friday night we returned to Hargrove (free food and beer) and this time decided to try our luck at street level. We had another fun evening, and since our friend Amanda fractured her foot last weekend, we were using her crutch to get the beads that didn't quite make it to the barricade. We finished the night at our favorite coffee/gelato/beer spot. (Strawberry chocolate chip gelato goes quite nicely with Peroni.)

The parades started at noon on Saturday, so we arrived about 11:30 to our usual spot in front of the Presbyterian Church which is only 2 blocks from Andy's office for easy access. The first parade was the Floral Parade which was all kids and teenagers. All of the floats had to have a floral theme and it was cute to watch all of the kids throwing the beads. We then went home to visit Stella and rest a bit before the evening's festivities.

We were invited to the Mystics of Time ball, so we dressed up and headed to the parade before the ball. The MOT's are known for their dragon floats. They have 3 dragon floats named: Verna, Dean and Vernadean... We then went to the ball and after the "call outs" which all members of the crew come onto the dance floor and bow to the King and Queen. The king was "Father Time" who managed to have a 20 year old Queen. She had this great train on her dress, so here is a pic of that. The craziest part about the call outs, is that each member must bow to the King and Queen and then threw doubloons (Coins with the crew theme and logo). They are metal, so I am sure after being pelted with 1000s of them, they probably had a few bruises the next day, but that is a sign of respect...I guess. This ball was very fun and they had brought in a band called the Velcro Pygmies. They were a "Hair Band" cover band, so they were hilarious. If Josh and Ryann haven't seen them, they must! Check out their website to see their outfits www.velcropygmies.com

Sunday is supposed to be the biggest Mardi Gras day in Mobile. It is called Joe Cain day with the people's parades. Joe Cain was credited with bringing back Mardi Gras to Mobile after the Civil War. He started it back by parading down the streets of Mobile in costume. Now it is a really fun parade with over 30 floats. The crew parades usually have a marching band between each float and this parade had the floats right after one another. They are more low-budget, and more risque. I still didn't see too much craziness, but it was very fun. You had to keep your head up at all times as to not get any beads to the face. :) Before the parade, lots of people go to Joe Cain's house and the widows of Joe Cain come and throw black beads to the crowd. It was very interesting and we definitely need to get there earlier next year. We were too far away to catch anything or to hear the presentation.

After that parade, we had to get home to Stella, and didn't think we could get back for the parade at 5:30, so we decided to stay home. It was nice to relax and then I was sucked into the Academy awards. I guess I need to see Slumdog Millionaire, since they received lots of awards last night. Happy Mardi Gras and I know you will be waiting in anticipation for the final installment!

Mardi Gras of Mobile Part II

Well we had a fun-filled Mardi Gras weekend that started Thursday.  We were invited by our friends Justin & Amanda to have dinner and adult beverages at Justin's office (which happens to have a balcony on the parade route).  So we were able to watch the parade from the balcony.  Here is a picture of the "Wicked" float.  This parade had a Broadway theme...except that the sign introducing the float stated that it was "Wizard of Oz."  I guess the Crew didn't think that Mobile would be that hip on newer Broadway shows. 

The crew that put on the parade on Thursday was called the Order of Polka Dots or OOP.  It was an all female crew, so needless to say, we didn't get a lot of beads thrown up to the balcony.  One lady did have a good arm and about took us out with a moon pie. 

We took a break on Friday night for a Valentine's dinner party, which was very fun.  We did have some excitement though when our friends, Carly and Khristian, came to our house to pick up Andy's tux pants to be hemed.  Andy accidentally set the alarm before we left and so when they used the key that we set out for them...the alarm went off and because Andy and I were in at the party, we didn't hear our phones.  You know that AT&T commercial... well thankfully they didn't get taken to Jail, but the police came and our alarm was going off for about 5 minutes.  At least we know that the alarm works....we just feel really bad that we tried it out on them.

On to Saturday!  We started our morning off in southern style with a visit to, of course, Waffle House, with Amanda, Justin and Lucy.  We then came back to our house to make some Mardi Gras Mash, fill the cooler with beer and headed to the parade.  Here are some pics from the afternoon parade.

After that parade, we went home to visit Stella and to get ready for the evening's festivities.  We met the gang again at the parade where there were 3 parades in a row.  I think the most random thing I caught was a Hannah Montana candy-filled tin.  We also scored more beads and moon pies.  Here is a picture of the Pink Panther Float.  (Notice the awesome costumes that the riders get to wear!)

After the parade we went and ate Sushi and then finished the night out at "Club Insanity" (which is not really insane, but I like saying the name) playing darts.  It was a very fun and memorable Valentine's Day!

Finally we made it to Sunday, where we had been invited to attend the Ball put on by the crew of Neptune's Daughters.  Andy and I got all dressed up and went to the parade.  Now the girls of this crew could throw...I actually got a handful of beads right in the face.  Note to self...don't put your head down until the float is out of throwing distance... No worries, I was fine and then had a nice shimmer of glitter on my skin for the rest of the night.  After the parade, we were to go to the Civic Center for the ball and had to be in the doors by 8:45.  As guests of the ball, we were able to watch the "call-outs" from the upper level.  That took about 90 minutes, but it was very fun to people watch.  It is really just like prom for adults, only thousands of people are invited.  After the call-outs, we were allowed back down stairs where there were numerous rooms with food and beverages.  

With all of the excitement of the previous 3 days and the looming 6:30 am start to my Monday, Andy and I had some food, took it all in and then headed home.  It was definitely an experience.  We have 2 more balls to go to before the end of Mardi Gras, so more fun to come.  I will leave you with some pictures from Sunday night.  

Notice, the koozie matches my dress.  Wouldn't the Stegings be proud... And also Andy's new set of tails!