A Thousand Country Roads

Fire in the Hole!

noreply@blogger.com (Lynndee) — Mon, 28 May 2012 01:04:00 +0000

Our neighbor created his own fire pit. He got the idea of the backyard fire pit at FirePits.com. He was at first going to buy one so there would be no work for him to do, but after thinking about it, he decided to do it himself and although it doesn’t look as pretty as the one on the website, the important thing is it starting up a fire and it’s getting them heat. And not to mention, he didn’t spend on it since he only used all the scrap he got from his contractor jobs.

Good thinking, eh! Wise idea too!

Better Late Than Never

noreply@blogger.com (Lynndee) — Sun, 27 May 2012 01:19:00 +0000

Wouldn’t you know it? It is the end of another school year. Have you shopped for a graduation gift for anybody that you know yet? If not yet, then count me in. I haven’t bought my two nieces their graduation gifts yet. They both graduated from elementary and high-school respectively. I did tell them though that my gift will come a little late and I’m glad they understand.

Well, my nieces are good girls and they’ll be patient and understanding since I am half-a-world away from them. It won’t take long before they will get them anyway because I will be shopping soon.

Touchdown Maryland

noreply@blogger.com (Lynndee) — Sat, 26 May 2012 13:32:00 +0000

After ten hours - eight hours on the road and the rest was spent on rest areas and restos for breakfast and lunch - we finally touchdown Maryland. But surprisingly, the trip wasn't that tiring at all. It was a beautiful day. The sun shown the whole time, and the breeze was cool making our trip so nice and not so hot.

My friend was surprised to know that it took us ten hours. We were in no hurry to get there so the husband took his time on the road. Besides, the occasion was scheduled the next day and we didn't have plans of going somewhere after getting there. Well, we did go to a resto to have our dinner, but that was it.

What an enjoyable trip that was. I do hope that our next trip - which will be soon - is also going to be nice and smooth just like that.

I Wanna Horse Around; Literally

noreply@blogger.com (Lynndee) — Sat, 26 May 2012 01:50:00 +0000

If there is one thing that I thought of doing in the past and yet I haven’t done yet is riding a horse. Yep, to be honest with you I haven’t tried it even once. And when I came across TheEquestrianCorner.com for riding breeches today, I have this urge again of trying it out. I think those breeches will look good on me. Hehe.

I don’t know where in the city I could do it though. I will ask the husband about that. I believe riding horses can be really fun, and I think scary too, huh? I’m afraid the horse will run and run and leave me behind. LOL.

No Baby Bump Yet

noreply@blogger.com (Lynndee) — Thu, 17 May 2012 00:13:00 +0000

Our neighbor is already three months pregnant, but it isn’t showing much yet; that is why she is not wearing maternity clothes at present. She is a tall woman, but her tummy is really small for three months which is a good thing. It’s great she will not have a hard time looking for something to wear. She is still wearing jeans actually.

Remembering the time that I was pregnant, I think I started wearing maternity clothes at five months. I can still remember how it feels to be pregnant. That was really a memorable event for me.

Tollgate Ahead

noreply@blogger.com (Lynndee) — Sat, 12 May 2012 13:28:00 +0000

This was the first tollgate that I've encountered since the time that I got here in the U.S. about a year and a half ago. And this was not here in the city. This was in Baltimore during our road trip last month. The fee was $3, if I remember it correctly. I was so excited of the trip that I didn't pay attention to those details. It was the husband who was driving and who paid too, so I guess those were reasonable reasons, huh?

Anyway, we were not supposed to pass this tollgate. We got lost or let us say, our navigator took us to the wrong way. But it wasn't something that we regretted because we saw more of Baltimore because of that wrong turn. What an adventure! (",)

They Better Get Busy!

noreply@blogger.com (Lynndee) — Tue, 08 May 2012 23:35:00 +0000

If there is one thing that annoys me whenever I am in front of the computer browsing is getting disconnected. We’ve been having intermittent disconnection lately and I believe it has something to do with the lines or cable management. We’ve already sent a complaint and a serviceman has been here to repair it. It was good for a few days, but the problem is back and it is simply irritating, especially when I am talking to my family back home on Skype.

My husband called our internet provider again today and he was informed that they will send another lineman again soon. I do hope they will be able to fix it this time.

Going Green the Natural Way

noreply@blogger.com (Lynndee) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 21:04:00 +0000

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Whitney Farms. All opinions are 100% mine.

I have read and heard how good organic food for our body is, but I haven’t really got into it until our neighbor told me about it. They are not into it totally yet, but they are getting there slowly. They are starting to go organic when it comes to their supplements as well as the vegetables they eat.

We and our neighbors are going to start a community garden this year and although the garden is already ready for planting as you can see in the photo, and we have talked about the plants that we are going to plant, going organic wasn’t something that was brought up.

When I came across information about organic plant food today, I immediately thought why don’t we go organic since our neighbors are already delving into it and changing their lifestyle. Ironically, having changed their ways, they probably didn’t even put two and two together and consider the idea for the garden, but I truly believe it is something that everybody will agree on since it‘s for the benefit of everybody after all. And the organic soil from Whitney Farms® which is considered to be one of the best available because it is 100% natural is certainly the best soil to consider among all, and not to forget the $3 coupon they're offering. Grab you some while the grabbing is good..

The community will have a meeting again tomorrow so I will surely bring up the idea. Going organic is definitely one thing that we should all be doing.

Endless Caverns

noreply@blogger.com (Lynndee) — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 23:05:00 +0000

I took this photo on our recent road trip from the rest area where we stopped. It wasn't the first time that I saw this gorgeous view because it wasn't the first time that we've passed by that area. It was the same way we took when we went to Washington, D.C. last year, but it was only this time that I got the chance to take a photo because it was clearly seen at the rest area.

Those huge letters or words were built in the mountains. They were huge you could see it clearly from hundreds of miles or perhaps even thousands. There were underground caverns in those mountains and with the long stretch of mountains there, they were probably kind of endless thus, the name.

Those Sparklers Make My Eyes Sparkle

noreply@blogger.com (Lynndee) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 22:56:00 +0000

If I get me some diamond.com coupons today, I will surely go shopping without second thoughts. Who wouldn’t? As we often hear the stale cliché, “Diamonds are a woman’s best friend“, and it’s surely the truth.

We women simply can’t take our eyes of those shining, sparkling and glittering pieces. And since some of them can really be costly, having a coupon would be the best way to grab a deal. The question is, when am I going to have that coupon? Let me check that out and find my way to the jeweler.

Ya Better Watch Out; Here I Come!

noreply@blogger.com (Lynndee) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 00:56:00 +0000

Things have been extremely good for us lately. Every single thing came at the right place and at the right time. There’s certainly been no disappointments.

After I passed my learner’s permit exam, I got me my first car only a couple of days after that. Soon will come my driving practice, then the driver’s license exam then before I know it, I am already flying down the highways. Woohoo! But I definitely need me a gps vehicle tracking device because even though I have been here for a year now, I still get confused which way to go.

I can hardly wait to hit the road!

My Lucky Bamboo

noreply@blogger.com (Lynndee) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 23:10:00 +0000

We were at Lowe's buying home decors as well as plants for the garden when I saw this lucky bamboo while browsing the plants. I fell in love with it instantly and the husband did too. So it didn't literally take us a minute to decide whether to get it or not. More so when the husband said it would be perfect on top of the mantle.

And exactly what he said...it is now sitting on top of the mantle beside our wedding picture. Isn't it lovely? I so love it!

Hubby Says I Have the Voice of an Angel

noreply@blogger.com (Lynndee) — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 11:47:00 +0000

We are a family of music lovers. From my dad to my mom and to my brothers and sister. And one of the many things that we love doing is singing karaoke. It is something that we really find fun whether we get a high score or not. For the fun of it, we sometimes have a contest and who gets the highest score wins.

It doesn’t mean though that we really have a voice to die for. We just love doing it and that is the most important thing. And now that my dad’s birthday is coming up, I will be giving him a microphone because the one that he’s been using, though still usable, is quite old already. That Nady microphone that I’ve seen online is definitely a contender. I will check it out again later. It is three weeks before his birthday so I still have plenty of time.

He Knows How Impatient I Can Be

noreply@blogger.com (Lynndee) — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 22:59:00 +0000

“I’m jumping way ahead.” That was what my husband told me after he saw me browsing the amish kitchen furniture online. We were supposed to update the kitchen cabinets first as well as its hardware before anything else and there I was, already browsing the furniture. LOL.

I am simply excited, that’s all. It doesn’t mean that I am going to shop for anything pronto. Soon, perhaps, and if ever, I am not going to tell him. I will surprise him and I hope he will love it. Hee hee.

A Boxer? A Pit Bull? Or What?

noreply@blogger.com (Lynndee) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 16:36:00 +0000

This dog has been roaming around the neighborhood for a while now. We don't know who owns this dog, but we are certain it's not the neighbors because we were already introduced to their dogs. Har. This dog probably lives in the neighborhood nearest ours, and it annoys us that the owner lets it roam around. It was supposed to be against the law to let your animals roam anywhere.

Do you know what kind of dog is this? I am not into dogs so I am not aware of the different species of dogs. I was scared for a while with this dog because it looked scary like it's going to bite you any minute. Don't you think so too? But when the husband was here one time and the dog was in our front yard, the husband went out to see if the dog was really dangerous. But to our surprise, he's not. He got scared and ran when he saw the husband. Good dog! LOL.

Grow Green, Grow Fast

noreply@blogger.com (Lynndee) — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 12:53:00 +0000

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Scotts®. All opinions are 100% mine.

I received a Miracle-Gro® Expand ‘n Gro™ sample last week and what perfect timing that was because we were already starting our flower garden. We’ve been waiting for spring because we didn’t do much planting last year. We bought a bunch of flowers, shrubs and ground cover plus mulch and I really like how our front yard is looking now. I just love it.

I used the Miracle-Gro® Expand ‘n Gro™ on the ground shrubs and since it is a concentrated plating mix, I was able to use it on all the shrubs - five of them to be precise. I am getting giddy with that because I don’t need to wait for a long time to see the shrubs grow because the Miracle-Gro® Expand ‘n Gro™ will help them expand 3x faster. It will also feed the plants for up to six months. We will not be needing any fertilizer for the next six months which is great. It definitely will save us money.

I am really happy that our front yard got its much-needed curb appeal now. Our garden isn’t luscious yet since we only started a few weeks ago, but I know it won’t be long until it become gorgeous. But for certain, it is beautiful and I am so proud of what the husband and I did.

How about you? You want a beautiful and luscious garden yourself? Then check the Miracle-Gro® Expand ‘n Gro™and get yourself some. You already know why.

You Missed Something, Honey

noreply@blogger.com (Lynndee) — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 00:50:00 +0000

It is spring break so while my son was having the time of his life playing, I kept myself busy too cleaning the house. I cleaned the bedrooms, the bathrooms and all of the other rooms while doing the laundry, as well as browsing the net in between tasks.

And I’m glad I did the cleaning today because I discovered something that the husband missed - changing the switchplate near his bathroom sink. It was behind his shaving set that was probably why he missed it. He changed all the switchplates as soon as we were done with the repainting. I will tell him about it later. It’s a piece of cake so he will be done in seconds, I believe. He he.

Spring Break

noreply@blogger.com (Lynndee) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 13:01:00 +0000

I've been looking forward to this week. Not because we are going anywhere, but the fact that I don't have to wake up early in the morning - which had always been a struggle - is enough reason for me to be happy. Yep, my son's spring break starts today and this will be a vacation not only for him, but for me too.

My son is giddy about it himself and he actually invited our neighbor's kids to a have a sleepover here at home tonight. My hands will be full for certain with three kids in the house, but it will only be for tonight so no biggy. In totality, it will still be a week of relaxing and just being at home.

Ahhh, life! Such a beautiful life! (",)

Live With Zest and Enjoy Life to the Fullest!

noreply@blogger.com (Lynndee) — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 11:58:00 +0000

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of CafeWell. All opinions are 100% mine.

Being healthy doesn’t only make you feel good, it makes you feel young and vibrant too. And I do believe that one thing that makes us healthy is by staying active. Exercise is definitely one of the many factors that contributes much to healthy living.

Staying active, healthy and well is what the program ‘Reach for the Peaks’ is about which CafeWell and its partner health plans are giving to their members. It is a wireless pedometer program that will help people to stay active and healthy. It totally encourages activity to their members and also gives prizes to insured members which is really awesome and greatly motivating.

CafeWell is a social network whose goal is to get people into getting well and staying well. Registration is for free so join now if your goal is like theirs. To give you more motivation, read the testimonial from one of the participants below.

“I never thought that I was competitive before. Now I am counting steps and enjoying seeing them add up. My husband was actually teasing me a little and telling me that I was competitive after all… It has been fun to encourage each other to get more steps in each day. It is also fun to see the medals add up. I don’t know whose idea it was to get this program started, but it was a great one. I sure hope everyone else is enjoying this health competition to get healthy!“

CafeWell also helps educate their members about their heathcare and health plans by giving them fun and informative ways to improve their health. They also provide free advice and tips that come from athletes and experts on diet, nutrition, health and wellness.

So what are you waiting for? Act now, get active and stay healthy!

Green Grass Everywhere I Look

noreply@blogger.com (Lynndee) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 23:47:00 +0000

With spring comes spring cleaning. What can I say? It’s part of being here in the northern hemisphere. But I really don’t make a big deal out of it. The husband does the mowing anyway so I don’t have problems with that. But I am willing to help him if he will get me a small push reel mower if there’s any because the ones we have are simply too big and heavy for me. At my height of 4’10”, what I need is a kiddie push mower. LOL.

I told him a few times before to get me a small push mower so I can help him because we almost have two acres of land so just imagine the mowing that needs to be done. He does have a riding mower but, still, it is so much work to do. But as he always tells me, it’s his job. Mine is inside the house. Not bad, eh!

Graveyard Fields

noreply@blogger.com (Lynndee) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 20:58:00 +0000

Still in Blue Ridge Parkway, this was the last overlook that we checked. It was probably the most beautiful spot of all to take photos because it was the overlook that was jam-packed with tourists. We actually thought we're not going to get a parking space because there were a lot of people around. Anyway, we managed to get one and got to check the place.

The sign tells about why it was called 'Graveyard Fields'. I can't remember when exactly, but there was a time that the fields were on fire and after the fire broke out, it looked like graveyard with all those burnt trees.

There were people hiking in the fields that time, and had it been that I was wearing my sneakers, we could have done it too because the husband really wanted to.

See that little white thing in the middle? That was a tent. Some people were camping in there during that time too.

The Grill Awaits Us

noreply@blogger.com (Lynndee) — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 16:26:00 +0000

The spring equinox will be upon us Tuesday. Yeah! And with spring comes the spring cleaning. But I’ve been cleaning the decks already. It has felt like spring lately so I took the opportunity to get rid of those dry leaves that were all over the decks.

I also cleaned our outdoor furniture - a table with umbrella with matching chairs plus the zero gravity chairs. We’re all ready for a spring cookout . We would have been ready to cook out today if the rain hadn’t make it so wet. No worries, it will dry up before spring arrives.

Spring? It Already Feels Almost Like Summer!

noreply@blogger.com (Lynndee) — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 01:32:00 +0000

Although spring is still five days away, it already feels like spring. The weather was gorgeous when the week started. Our temperatures were in the 70’s and though it has been raining in the evening for a couple of nights now, still, it didn’t feel cold at all.

And because of that, the community garden that we and our neighbors have agreed on is now going to be worked on. We all agreed on planting not just vegetables but flowers as well. A part of our land is used for the garden and since it’s near our house, I wonder if the water to be used in watering will come from us too. We could all probably contribute for a goulds pump if necessary but I think that would be an additional expense. We’ll see what we’ll come up with this weekend.

Monarch Migration

noreply@blogger.com (Lynndee) — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 14:15:00 +0000

Still at Blue Ridge Parkway, I took this photo at one of the overlooks.

I am not familiar with this kind of butterfly, but it would be great to see them. I think they will abound in the spring or summer. It would be great if we could visit the park again this spring or summer. If not, I just hope I will be lucky enough to see this specie in our yard. I do wonder if that will happen though. Well, aren't butterflies just everywhere? We'll see about that!

As per Wikipedia:

The Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is a milkweed butterfly (subfamily Danainae), in the family Nymphalidae. It is perhaps the best known of all North American butterflies. Its wings feature an easily recognizable orange and black pattern, with a wingspan of 8.9–10.2 centimetres (3½–4 in).^[6] (The Viceroy butterfly has a similar size, color, and pattern, but can be distinguished by an extra black stripe across the hind wing.) Female Monarchs have darker veins on their wings, and the males have a spot called the "androconium" in the center of each hind wing^[7] from which pheromones are released. Males are also slightly larger.

The Monarch is famous for its southward migration and northward return in summer from Canada to Mexico and Baja California which spans the life of three to four generations of the butterfly.

Hurry Ms. Spring, I Need Rebirth!

noreply@blogger.com (Lynndee) — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 13:07:00 +0000

‘Ol Man Winter is leaving so that means it is time to prepare myself for some closet cleaning and home cleaning as a whole. I have to change the spot of my clothes depending on when they are needed - the coats, cardigans and long-sleeved shirts at the back of the closet and the clothes perfect for spring will be at the front.

I have to keep and set aside things in the other part of the house too like the throws in the living room chairs and the heated mattress pad on the bed. What else? Did I miss something? Well, I still have about a week to think of other things so no biggy. If you think you remember one, just let me know. Heehee.