No more ducking!

After JM mowed the yard today he made me a very happy lady...he trimmed back our big tree!!! You can see in some of these pictures from before how low some of the branches hung. To mow the lawn or even walk around you had to duck. This first picture was back in the spring so the leaves haven't filled in but you can see how low the branches hang.

This one kind of gives you an idea of how much it hung over our patio.

It looks so much better now. We could trim back a little more but we didn't want to be too aggressive and trim back too much.

And here's the man that made it all happen.

The fence is almost here!!!

We are closing in on our fence!!! After 2-3 weeks of waiting, the homeowners association FINALLY approved our proposal. When I got home from my errands today the survey guy had been here and marked our yard. It was an extra cost but I'm really glad we did it. Our yard is this strange diagonal shape (I forgot my geometery...it's a rectangle that angles...anyone???) and now we have visuals for the neighbors in case they don't know their yards do that. We won't have anyone questioning if we're in their yard or not.

Then at 3 today the fence guy will come out and go over exactly where we want the gates and which decorative posts, etc. Then he'll come out Monday and put the posts and cement down, and I believe then they'll come out Tuesday and finish it! Kodi is thrilled!!! It took me 8 years, but I finally got him a yard!

Of course last night JM was talking to one of our neighbors and it turns out there's an invisible fence already in our yard. But without the transmitter I think we'd still have to pay quite a bit...and not to sound like the old grouchy neighbor, but I'm tired of the teenagers cutting through my yard!

I was excited when I got home and saw the stakes were up so I took pictures!

Kodi's already out there wishing he had a fence so he could lay outside all day.

And then he refused to come inside with me. Just a few more days, Kodi!!!

Beer can chicken

Tonight I made Beer Can Chicken for Dad's birthday dinner. I made two since I had Greg and JM there, and with a total of 4 of us there was just a tiny bit leftover. The chicken itself was delicious, but it was definitely a messy situation! Especially for someone who doesn't like to see bones and that kind of gross stuff on the food she eats!!! After I got the chickens all oiled and seasoned up and put the cans up their behind they cracked me up so I had to take a picture...

Here's the recipe that I found on foodnetwork.com. Keep in mind that they will be dripping, oily and hot when you get done so have a way to cut them up close by!

Ingredients
1 (4-pound) whole chicken
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons of your favorite dry spice rub
1 can beer

Directions
Remove neck and giblets from chicken and discard. Rinse chicken inside and out, and pat dry with paper towels. Rub chicken lightly with oil then rub inside and out with salt, pepper and dry rub. Set aside.

Open beer can and take several gulps (make them big gulps so that the can is half full). Place beer can on a solid surface. Grabbing a chicken leg in each hand, plunk the bird cavity over the beer can. Transfer the bird-on-a-can to your grill and place in the center of the grate, balancing the bird on its 2 legs and the can like a tripod.

Cook the chicken over medium-high, indirect heat (i.e. no coals or burners on directly under the bird), with the grill cover on, for approximately 1 1/4 hours or until the internal temperature registers 165 degrees F in the breast area and 180 degrees F in the thigh, or until the thigh juice runs clear when stabbed with a sharp knife. Remove from grill and let rest for 10 minutes before carving.

I also made corn souffle with fresh corn from the farmer's market. We get it from My Dad's Corn up in Tipton County and it's amazing! I found the recipe on their website:

3 cups corn -- 1 cup sour cream -- 1 egg -- 1 box Jiffy corn bread mix --1 stick margarine

Melt margarine. Stir in egg, then all other ingredients. Bake at 350º for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Kodi's 8th Birthday

Today was Kodi's 8th birthday and Murray's 6th. For those of you who didn't know, Mom had been told Murray's birthday was sometime in July so she made it Kodi's birthday so she wouldn't forget. I can't believe Kodi's 8 already! I swear I just got him!!! We've been really lucky so far, for such a big dog he's had no major problems. He has a thyroid issue but I forgot to refill his prescription over a month ago and he seems to be doing fine, and he had a touch of arthritis in his hips this past winter but it only seemed to bother him on really cold days.

Of course, since I thought 8 seemed like a big birthday, we had a mini-celebration of a trip to the dog park and doggie cake :-)

Kodi's licking his chops already!

I finally figured out I should cut it in half so they didn't have to break it themselves.

Kodi's half didn't last long!

Murray looks like he thinks he's in trouble! No Murray, that is not the beer bread from the counter...this is ok for you to eat!

Dining room down

It took almost an entire day, but the dining room is presentable!!! Here are some before pictures (and yes, we've been pretty much living like this for the past couple of weeks)...

And the after!