The Whole Fandamly....

So we usually have one family picnic over a holiday and it is usually over Labor Day. This year we received a special request to have it over the Fourth...which we did. So Sunday afternoon was spent with my family feasting on burgers, dogs, and plenty of other yummies. I have to say each year the picnics and quality family time gets better and better. My Mom and Tracey are now swapping recipes...who knew that day would come. My Mom and Grandmother gave Bud Light Lime a try and I believe the funny faces they made sealed the deal that they definitely aren't into flavored beer. Luckily that just means more for me...lol.

Good food...good drinks...good music....good pool equals a good time had by all.

Next up...the first annual company picnic at Casa de TNT. If it is anything like the Christmas party we are in for a hellava good time!!!

The Big Blog Combo of 2008

So I had this big ole blog typed up, but apparently my laptop has a button that should be labeled 'deletes all that was typed and never to be found again'. Nice. So I'm relegated to using the short and sweet version, which is too bad because I thought I was pretty brilliant in my previous never-to-be post. Damn.

Since we blog SO OFTEN (ha) we have decided to just combine our blogs and deactivate my blog, or de-blogivate it, or whatever you do to a blog. This way we can put all our pictures in one place, and we won't have to have a discussion over which one of us will blog about stuff. Last night Alisa asked me which one of us was going to blog about the new garage, and since she was poised at the puter with the blog site up and ready, I took the hint. Before I could say 'I think you should', her fingers got to tapping. So I'm moving over here now.

Who knows, we might get to be better at this blogging thing if we share it.

Famous in a small town....

So today is the day we have been waiting on for a few weeks (maybe even a year)...the delivery of our new storage barn. Now for those of you who know me well, you know by now that I never do things on the small scale when it comes to tools and such. And this barn is no exception...336 square feet of storage heaven (12' x 28' to be exact)!!! We planned carefully, shoveled 16.5 tons of gravel, and were all set for the big day. I even took off from work early so that should really tell you how stoked I was about this.

Now Tracey being the worry wart got a bit nervous when the guy raised the barn into the air about 25 feet while placing it on the nice gravel pad we had worked so hard to prep over the weekend. Now granted we should have been a bit offended when the delivery guy goes "I don't know about takin' directions from women" as we were trying to help guide him into position, but it was actually funny to us. Even funnier was when we put the level on the building and it was perfect when all was said and done...take that!!!

We thought we would have no trouble filling up this extra storage with our stuff, but low and behold we have found ourselves carefully rethinking precise placement of four wheelers, a riding mower, and tools. Tracey's favorite part...the 6 foot storage loft we added in the roof. She didn't find it very funny when I said that she at least had a nice, new place to sleep when she is in the doghouse. Good thing I am cute otherwise I could have a nice shiner right about now...lol.

This day was exciting for us, but apparently we are now the talk of the town. People have slowed down driving by, gawked, and stopped on the side of the road to check out our new barn. Famous in a small town...who knew. Just wait till we get to church on Sunday...let the fun begin.

New Hermans

So the pond became overwhelmed with algae, and no matter what I did, it didn't fix it. I ended up killing the last 2 Hermans. Apparently I put too much algaecide in the water and that did them in. Not a pleasant day in the TnT household. Alisa was upset with me for killing the fish, as she should be, and I wasn't happy with myself. I get attached to stupid stuff, even fish. No need to punish me because I punished myself enough with the loss of the fish. Silly to some, but not to me.

So I drained the pond, scrubbed it clean, and refilled it. Talk about a process. If that happens again, I vote to buy a new pond and scrap the old one. Too much work.

So today I went to a different pond store, and the owner schooled me in Pond 101. I bought more pond plants, and I also got new Hermans. I got a comet, a sarrasas comet, a butterfly koi, and a shebunken. I got the shebunken because of the name. It's just too funny. It belongs at our house.

The pond has now become my project, so I'm in charge of making sure I don't kill our new fish. I found out that when you put fish food in the pond, it can create algae, so we have the potential of starving our new Hermans. Hopefully they'll eat the algae off the roots of the floating plants. That's what they're supposed to do anyway. Maybe if we don't feed them as much, they will eat the algae. I'm willing to give it a shot because I really don't want to have to suffer the consequences of killing more fish.

So now the pond is clean and has 4 new inhabitants. And believe you me, I'll be keeping a close eye on that pond. No more dead fish if I have anything to say about it.

My Dad asked me if I named them yet. I told him I just named them Hermans 5,6,7, and 8. He said 'I think I would change their names, Herman doesn't seem to be a very lucky name'.

Thanks Dad.

First there were 4 and now we have 3....

So an update on the fishes (Herman 1 2 3 & 4). Yesterday while feeding our little swimmers, we discovered that one Herman was missing. We searched high and low and have come to the conclusion that Herman 4 is no more. Not sure if he abandoned pond or if another creature of the country decided he would make a light snack.

But on another note...Tracey and I have decided to try our hand at gardening and growing so veggies this summer. So far so good on that front. We are finally starting to see some life sprout from the special garden box we built. Granted Tracey is probably going to eat only the carrots and zucchini, but none the less, it is fun to watch Mother Nature work her magic.

A Fish Named Herman

So I know it has been a loooonnnngggg time since I posted a new blog entry...but as the saying goes...too much to do, so little time to do it in. I decided to take advantage of a long holiday weekend and extend it by a few extra days. One of the projects I wanted to complete was to install a fish pond in the front yard. Seems like an easy enough task and after a trip to Lowe's to purchase the easy-to-install kit, I was on my way. I successfully installed the pond kit while Tracey was at work on Wednesday. By that evening, it has water and a fountain in it. Not bad for a days work I said to myself. So on Thursday Tracey played hookey and we went to the fish store for some creatures to inhabit the new pond. After being called suckers by the two guys at the fish store who insisted that we needed this chemical for that and this salt for this reason, we finally left the store with $40 in chemicals and 4 fishes.

Little did I know that fish need names when they are in an outdoor pond. But Tracey insisted that at least one of them have a name and his(its) name...Herman. Why...I have no idea, but Herman it is. Now the real question....which one is Herman? I have no clue!!! When asked what she decided to name the other 3 fishes in the pond...her response was Herman 2, Herman 3, and Herman 4. Apparently that makes it easier so we don't give them complexes and call them the wrong name. Why me Lord...why me?

Happy Memorial Day...I hope everyone enjoys the day and eats way too many hot dogs and burgers!!!

Is it spring yet?

Since coming home from a nice, warm trip to Florida a few weeks ago, I have had a serious case of Spring Fever. It seems that it has tried to see how much it can snow, rain, snain, and just be downright miserable since we returned. Now me, I love the warm weather and spending time outdoors. To help get a jump on things I decided to create my spring home project list. After spending a mere two minutes on it, I now have a list of 11 things that I would like to accomplish. Having spent two years finishing off the downstairs of our house, I have decided that my spring list is not going to be a list of impossible things...simply, things that can be completed in the course of a day or two at the most.

The most important thing on the list is a getting a nice portion of our yard fenced in for the dogs to have their own outdoor oasis. Simply put, Tracey and I are tired of having to go out with them in the rain and snow. We would much rather open up the door and let them out to roam and do their thing. Secretly I think Rascal enjoys making us go out 87 times a day.

Since the clocks have been forwarded one hour, I am hoping to have more daylight to work with in the evenings, which will mean GOLF on the weekends. I mean seriously, who wants to work on the weekend when they can go out and play a game that is an endless series of tragedies obscured by the occasional miracle. Time to polish the clubs and pack the bag for a new season!!! As you can see from the pic...I need it. Great form...ball is still on the tee!!! Just my luck!