BBQ Time

Another relaxing weekend spent with the Hub.

I must say, I do believe all things are better when prepared over an open fire. So we were thrilled to get our $20 Walmart special, charcoal grill, put together and tested out this weekend. Until we get our house built our nice, big, new grill that we got as a wedding shower gift will continue to hang out @ my wonderful brother and sister -in-law's!! So in the meantime we got us this cute little guy to hold us over. Todd gets his macho-grilling-man fix in and I get wonderfully cooked meals that I didn't have to prepare! There are definitely a lot of pros to letting the men 'grill'!

Getting the grill put together, Quixote was helping out... Clearly!

Todd & Baby girl grilling... I was spray painting a baby shower decoration, which I'll be posting on in a couple weeks after the shower!

YUMMMMMM :)

She loves him almost as much as I do! His new grilling partner.

Our lovely dinner, a glass of nice cold wine, and a movie at home. Friday night couldn't have gone any better! Todd is off to Monticello tomorrow after work to meet with a guy about contracting the building of our house!! Hopefully we'll be breaking ground sooner-or-later! This surely is becoming quite the process... I keep reassuring myself it's all going to be worth it in the end!! :) Everyone enjoy your work week!

Goodwill Find of the Day....

I went in Goodwill today looking for some chairs and a table to be refinished for our patio. I had no luck with the patio furniture, however I did find some more milk glass vases!! $1.99 for one of them and $3.99 for the others. Pretty good find, I must say myself! I try going every couple of weeks to look for rare finds, things I can refinish cheaply (babe appreciates that!), and make new! The past couple months, this has been my search of choice. They're so classy, elegant and rustic... Sort of how I'd like to think of myself! (ha ha :) ) I'm starting to get quite the collection. Kel, I guess if you can't find any in JaX you'll just have to come visit in Tally and get some! :) Everyone enjoy your weekend.

Those are some of the pretty flowers Toddy Boy brought home for me yesterday!

July 4th

Let Freedom Ring

For all the people who have fought and continue to FIGHT for our freedom. We live in the best country in the WORLD. Never forget your independence! You're free to do and live the way you want because of the those who have fought for it. I'm FOREVER grateful. :) Everyone be safe, and enjoy your 4th of July weekend!

7 Layered Salad

Family Favorite: & on the menu for July 4th.

Work from the bottom/up

• Iceburg Lettuce {1 head}
• Celery {5 sticks, chopped}
• Frozen Sweet Peas {rinsed}
• Dressing {1/4 c ranch, 1/2 c mayo}
• Boiled Eggs {5 or 6, chopped}
• Cheddar Cheese {shredded}
• Bacon {crispy, and crumbled}

Chill & Enjoy. Always a crowd pleaser! :)

This Time Last Year....

we thought we were heading to Madison for a Family Reunion, little did I know Todd was going to talk me in to the best decision we've made as a couple! We got a little puppy this time last year, named her Quixote and she's been the center of our everyday activities for the past year! I know we might be two of the strangest humans {to love & care so much for a dog} but we think she's the BEST thing around! :) Here's a recap of Quixote's first year as a Gillean!

{the day we took baby girl home}



{her first bath, she's still not a fan... AT ALL!!}


{but she loves her mom.... A LOT!}


{car ride home to Jacksonville, one of many moves Quixote has made. She's our gypsy dog}

{doggy Mohawk}

{the baby}

{our 1st trip to the mountains}

{our 1st Christmas}

{Quixote's 1st Birthday... no more puppy chow!}

{beach trip}

We both hope we have so many more wonderful, memorable years together! She truly is the BEST dog in the world. And we are the craziest 'dog parents' around {I know that's what you're all thinking} We know, it's strange! :)

Never a Dull Moment

What an eventful couple of days we've had at the Gillean residence... Apparently, my husband had an allergic reaction to ALOE. I don't think it was the aloe that gave him the horrific outbreak just the acidic ingredient in the aloe {notice the sarcasm}. In all seriousness, he spent a solid 7 hours in excruciating pain, unable to stand on his feet, curled over in pain. I couldn't comprehend the pain he was actually feeling, until he told me it was worse than any broken bone or concussion he had ever endured. At around 2 a.m. the pain became too much and we made our 2nd trip to the ER only this time we actually went in {made an earlier trip around 9 and decided to go back home}. This time we waited it out in the ER with all the other deathly ill folk. Now that Todd is feeling better I'd like to tell you how extremely comical it was when he was pacing in the ER scratching his back with his T-shirt, while people were looking at him like he was a mental patient... TOO HILARIOUS.... The nurse that was helping Todd kept trying to make him feel better by cracking jokes. Her jokes, however were not that funny to him! She told Todd she couldn't stop itching herself, guess that had something to do with Todd's constant OCD-like rubbing of his back with his shirt. All-in-all we made it home with some relief. Thanks to the shots of benedryl, steroid's, and some great pain pills that I can thank for the couple of hours of sleep I got.{Not because I took them, silly! Because for the first time ALL night Todd had some relief and was able to dose off for a short while}

I know he is getting back to his normal self, but not before soaking up the sick 'saga' just a little bit longer. He requested fajitas for dinner, so after work I made a quick stop at Publix, got the goods to make fajitas, while the sweet husband took a 2 hour nap on the couch.... ROUGH life he lives... Anyways, going to share how I made the fajitas. ENJOY.....

Chicken & Shrimp Fajitas

• Boneless/Skinless Chicken {cut in small strips}
• Shrimp {peeled & devained}
• 1 Green Bell Pepper/ 1 Red Bell Pepper
• Mushrooms
• 1 Onion
• 1 Tomato
• Olive Oil
• Fajita seasoning pack
• Rice
• 1 can refried beans
• Salsa
• Sour Cream
• Queso {what is Mexican night without QUESO?}
• Shredded Lettuce
• Monterrey Jack Cheese

In large skillet cook chicken and shrimp completely. Remove from skillet and set aside.

I added more olive oil in the skillet and added the peppers, onion & mushrooms. Cook till sauteed.

I then started the rice on the stove. Takes about 25 minutes on the rice, so I started it as the peppers and onions were cooking.

After the peppers and onions have cooked for roughly 20 minutes mix the fajitas seasoning with water and add to the pepper onion combination. After that add the chicken and shrimp back in and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Should look like below....

Most nights we eat on the couch, however tonight that was not a possibility with all the sides and condiments!

Not going to lie, glad Todd felt like having fajitas! Although I think it's a lot easier to just hit up your local Mexican joint. CHEAPER and a lot EASIER! But not sure if it is nearly as good or healthy for you. We enjoyed our dinner, just the two of us. . . & Quixote, sitting patiently under my seat waiting for her treat! I'll be back later this week with some more recipes, we are gearing up for a Family Reunion - July 4th style! Everyone enjoy the rest of their week. :)

Beach Day...

This weekend Todd and I, and our sweet little angel hit the road and headed down the panhandle to enjoy the Gulf. I've lived my entire life miles from the beach, so having to pack the car up for an almost 2 hour drive to the beach is definitely something us Jacksonville natives will have to get used to! Regardless of the drive it was definitely worth it. This was my first visit to the Gulf of Mexico and the beach here was beautiful. It's unfortunate that the oil is on its way, and even more unfortunate the years it's going to take to clean up the damage. I'm glad we got in a visit before the oil takes its toll.

Quixote was helping Dad drive.... She's too precious!

The water was so pretty. Nothing like the water in Jacksonville. Sorry Brother, definitely not a surfing destination, no waves! You can see the booms they've placed out to try and keep the oil from hitting the sand. So sad....

Quixote spent most of her time at the beach in that exact spot. Let's just say she is not a beach dog. I think she was ready to go the minute she hit the sand. We have realized we have a prissy little pup on our hands! She did not enjoy the heat. Nor did she enjoy the sand.

She did drink 2 bottles of water while we were there! We iced it down for her.

She must have not been too mad with Dad because there were no shortage of kisses for him!!

Then it was nap time.

This might have something to do with why me and Todd are currently unable to sit down with our backs on the couch. Our spoiled dog didn't want any part of her body out of the shade. We sacrificed our precious skin for her coolness, and we are now the shade of red right before PURPLE!!!

More Kisses!

Then we had a little activity time. Quixote finally got her prissy behind from under the umbrella and amused Todd for a couple minutes, before returning to her spot in the shade!

We tried to teach her to fetch the Frisbee and she didn't quite understand the concept! But she was cute trying and Todd was even cuter being adamant that she was a fetch dog!

Then we tried to play fetch with the ball.... That didn't work either!

Then Todd and I played a game of washer's, while Quixote laid on the towels and watched. I dominated!!

Sent a message to our family to let them know we were thinking of them while we were enjoying the day at the beach!

The morning after... Other than us both feeling sick to our stomachs when we got home; probably having something to do with our 3rd degree burns, we slept like sun-drenched angels. We had a lovely day together, and we both are never stepping foot in the sun with anything less than SPF30! Hope everyone has a wonderful week!