It's been brought to my attention that I've been slacking with my blogging lately. (You know who you are.)
And it's true. Between work and reading what everyone else is blogging about, I just wasn't motivated.
But here I am. I hope that because I come with pictures, you will forgive my recent lapse.
First, Linda & I drove down to the Jersey shore on a road trip a few weeks ago and saw the oldest Lighthouse in the country, which is located in Sandy Hook, NJ. Here it is looking that much taller by having Linda stand in front of it:
The building which used to house the lighthouse keeper and his family was open with lots of pictures and even a flat screen tv showing the history of the lighthouses in New Jersey. There was a gentleman there to answer questions, as well. We were glad we stopped in, as it provided us with the knowledge that the two crown like structureswe passed nearby were 'twin' lighthouses:
Linda loves seeing ice (which is kind of strange for someone who is perpetually cold... but I digress) so here is what makes her smile:
The wind was fierce out there since there were no trees to block it, but it was a nice drive out and back to the lighthouse (and we intend to go back down there in the summer as it will be a great biking area), but it didn't seem to do much damage to Linda's hair, as you can see in this pic taken in the restaurant we stopped into:
The next few pictures will show you, your honor, beyond a shadow of a doubt. that we have cats with 'issues'. Their main one seems to be with foot wear. You may remember me mentioning how they seem to be placing slippers around? Well, here is what greeted us when we returned home after work yesterday:
In the entryway... 3, count 'em, 3 slippers:
In the living room, the lone slipper:
and then the lone croc, with one of the guilty parties - Tommy - (looking extremely unworried, I might add):
But before you think, but where IS that other cute orange cat (aka Petey)?
Well, apparently, after shlepping slippers, one must take a nap in that most cozy of places...
yes, that is my sink!
The next section is for my Mother, who has been hearing the saga of my fireplace for longer than she has wanted and each time I've spoken with her, she's asked, "So - have you had a fire yet?" and the last comment she said last week was something like, "So, maybe you'll have a fire in the spring."
Mom - we had our first fire last night while watching our UCONN women show the national audience on ESPN2 who is #1 and why, as they beat Louisville.
Here are 2 things that can me smile: a nice fire and Maya Moore - check out the picture on the tv - yep, that's her going up for a basket!:
We haven't quite figured out where to store wood (being in a condo and all - not sure of the rules on wood storage), so we got some environmentally friendly 'logs' and I discovered that they are the way to have a fire. I just light it and then watch it burn. No stoking, no adding more logs.
Just watching and enjoying it. What a concept! I LOVED it! I just have to find a way to buy them in bulk so that they're not so damn expensive! The box of 6 cost me $18, but it allowed me to have a 3 hour fire last night and tonight. And cleanup is quite easy, as well.
And Dad, I even managed to remember to open the flue AND close it this morning before heading to work! Amazing when things AND PEOPLE work properly!
We're expecting snow overnight and most of tomorrow, Wednesday, so I'll be working from home while Sophie enjoys a snow day from school. (Here's hoping that by writing that, it doesn't jinx anything, or there will be a very sad little girl tomorrow!)
Whew... my fingers are tired.
In an unrelated update, please go check out my OTHER friend Tina's blog, please?
Those boys are just too funny with their shoe issues!
The fire looks cozy. We've got wood in the fireplace, but haven't had a fire yet. It just makes me nervous. I like the Duraflames but we stopped using them after the problem we had getting one to go out last year.
Enjoy your day at home today!
Posted by: SassyFemme | 01/28/2009 at 06:18
SF... the enviro-logs are pretty good... nice and neat. you enjoy your day off, too!
Posted by: val | 01/28/2009 at 07:16
ok I'm loving the whole fireplace/tv combo. :D
Posted by: Tina-cious.com | 01/28/2009 at 09:53
I was sitting here trying to think of some clever advice for training the cats not to use slippers as toys and it occured to me . . . closet doors! Hahaha!
I love those fireplace logs, its so nice to light a fire and know how long to expect it to burn for and that you won't have a bunch of ash to clean (or smoke to smell).
Posted by: Kathleen | 01/28/2009 at 13:03
The Fireplace & TV are PRIMO!!
I want them.
The kitties are Sooooo cute! My BooBoo loves to rub all over my shoes when I take them off, esp my work shoes from a flight that are all hot & ripe... I guess they like to be close to our scents... no matter HOW bad (in my case, I'm sure y'alls slippers smell like roses, ha!) they might be.
Hey, are you & Linda going to do that meme that's going around? That'll give you something to write about!
Love the pictures, & you house looks beautiful.
Posted by: KMae | 01/28/2009 at 13:36
The Lighthouse looks like a cool place to visit! Great pics!
So jealous of the Tv and fireplace hook up...Sweet!
BIG Thanx for the link to the blog post about my friend's house in Naugatuck that is up for auction! :)
Posted by: TinaMarie | 01/28/2009 at 15:38
Lovely pics. Recently, Buttah has been nabbing stray articles of clothing. Diamond has been about socks for some time now.
Posted by: Deborah | 01/28/2009 at 19:45