A Little Something Random

This winter I’ve been going through my iPhoto and getting rid of all the duplicate, blurry and bad photos. I generally delete all the bad ones when I import photos, but sometimes I’m too busy. So far I’ve deleted over 2000 and I’m about a third of the way through. I still have 6500 photos in there (I know that’s a ton, but 30% of them are work related). It’s been fun reliving all those past moments, we’ve laughed at so many things we’d forgotten about. While going through I found some funny random photos I thought I’d share.

A couple years ago I had all of my dad’s old slides digitized. This gem was among them, me and my big sister in our super cool sunglasses. This photo is one in a series of 4 with us making different faces. Priceless!

Mr Chiots and I at Disney. We don’t have children, we actually went with my parents several years ago. We took this photo for our nieces who are big fans of the Disney Princesses.

Where’s Susy? Mr Chiots and I found this tree while hiking in the Smokies many years ago.

It’s a good thing I wear a hat to protect against skin cancer, it also protects against other things. We also took this photo for our nieces when we were at the Jacksonville Zoo in Florida.

Our car packed to the gills before one of our camping trips.


When we first got our cats as kittens 5 year ago they were afraid of Lucy, but one day Samson made up to her and we found him sleeping next to her. From that point on they’ve been fast friends! The cats even used to sleep on top of her.

Lucy’s not a big swimmer, even though she’s part lab. Occasionally we throw her in the lake so she can take a swim.

While at Longwood Gardens we really enjoyed the topiary garden. I’ll never have these in the gardens here at Chiot’s Run, but they’re kind of fun!

Tourist places always have funny stuff. This giant rocking chair is in the Smokies.

Lucy has always sat weird, we call it her kickstand.

Our New Year’s celebration photo from several years ago.

Cats sure know how to keep warm!

This is why we take so many photos; to relive all these fun moments you don’t think about and sometimes can’t even remember till you see the photo. With ditigal cameras it does often add up to too many photos.

Do you make it a habit to get rid of digital clutter?

Filed under Miscellaneous | Comments (7)

Relaxing with a Cup of _________?

I’m a huge fan of hot beverages; tea, coffee, hot chocolate, pretty much anything as long as it’s piping hot. While coffee is my first love, and not just any coffee mind you. Mr Chiots is an accomplished barista. He can make a latte or cappuccino much better than any I’ve ever had in a coffee shop.

Coffee is my morning hot beverage of choice. In the morning there’s nothing better than a latte to wake me up.

Late morning, afternoon and evening however my hot beverage of choice is herbal tea. I love a good cup of herbal tea with local honey. There are so many different kinds of herbal teas, chamomile to help you sleep, mint to wake you up, ginger for a headache, or elder to boost your immunity.

While I would love to grow all my own herbs and mix my own herbal teas, I just don’t have the time right now. Freija over at Grow the Change grows & mixes her own herbal teas. My favorite brand of tea is Traditional Medicinals. Their teas are made with organic herbs and they use sustainable power for their manufacturing. Their view of sustainability:

All things are interdependent; our health and well being rely on the health and well being of the planet. Good stewardship of the earth’s precious natural resources, both human and natural, is a cornerstone of our business philosophy. We want to leave a legacy of preservation and sustainability for generations to come.

Whether it’s our commitment to using organic herbs, off-setting our electricity use with solar and wind power, utilizing recycled paper in our packaging or seeking out partnerships for sustainable herb sources, we go to great lengths to bring you reliable herbal products.

I don’t have a brand of sustainable coffee yet. My dad brings us our coffee from Colombia when he travels back every 6 months (that counts as local doesn’t it?). I’ll be looking for one soon though.

What about you? Coffee or Tea? (take the poll)

Filed under Miscellaneous | Comments (10)

Off With His Head

I’m a HUGE fan of gingerbread men. It’s about the only kind of cookie I like. My mom makes the most fantastic gingerbread men, she always sends a bunch home with me when she makes them.

When it comes to eating gingerbread men, everyone has their own way of doing it. I like to jump in and eat the head first (that way they can’t feel it when you eat their arms & legs).

My mom sent over the recipe in case anyone is interested.

GINGERBREAD COOKIES
1 1/2 (or 12 ounces) cups dark molasses *I use blackstrap
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup cold water
1/3 cup butter
1 egg
6 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons allspice
4 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon cloves
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Mix molasses, brown sugar, water and butter. Mix in remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Heat oven to 350. Roll dough 1/4 inch thick on floured* board. Cut with floured cookie cutter. Place about 2 inches apart on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake until no indentation remains when touched, 10 to 12 minutes; cool. *If you like chewy cookies use confectioners sugar instead of flour.

Note: Can roll dough 1/2 inch thick and cut with 2 1/2 inch round cookie cutter. Place about 1 1/2 inches apart on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake about 15 minutes.

What about you, head, arms or legs first?

Filed under Miscellaneous | Comments (6)

Help Around the House

It’s a good thing I have these pets to help me get my housework finished, I couldn’t do it without them. Soafie LOVES clothes fresh out of the dryer. I always carry them all to the bedroom and fold them on the bed. She’s usually in the middle of the pile soon after I arrive. This day I took half the load and when I returned there she was, keeping them warm so they wouldn’t get wrinkled.

This is also the cat that loves to snuggle under the blankets. I think it’s the warmth she likes.

Do your pets help?

Check out the new poll (on the right): What kind of pets do you like?

Filed under Miscellaneous | Comments (11)

6 Months Ago

I started this blog six months ago (on June 13th, 2008). Since I missed my 6 month blogaversary, I’m going to pretend it was today. Here’s what I posted 6 months ago today, in case some of you weren’t around back then.

Mr Chiots and I are big fans of watching TV shows on DVD (no commercials). Not to mention this saves us tons of money on cable each month (we canceled it 2 years ago). We just finished up Good Neighborsa British sitcom from the 70’s. If you’ve never seen it I’d suggest getting it from the library and having a good laugh. I’ll warn you, the first episode or two are a little rough, keep watching, you’ll be glad you did! It’s about 2 neighbors, one couple decides that they’re going to quit their jobs and start being self-sufficient, raising animals and crops on their city lot. Their neighbors are a posh couple, an executive and his very stylish wife. Many hilarious moments ensue when these two couples interact. So head to your library and check out all 4 seasons, it will definitely help warm you up on these cold winter nights!

Here’s a funny clip from the show.

Anyone else seen and love this show?

Filed under Miscellaneous | Comments (11)