Wordless Wednesday

Habitat For Humanity

Cam and I volunteered this weekend with Habitat for Humanity with the firm I am interning at this summer.  It was an absolute blast, and after learning more about Habitat, we definitely are interested in doing more builds and being more involved in such a wonderful charity. 

Two local firms partnered for this build and were listed as "Buildable Hours"--how cute is that?

 

The moment Cam thought he'd never see--me in a hard hat with a hammer and Demarcus Cousins style glasses.  See those awesomely crooked rows of nails? All me.

Hubs, also looking cool.  Except he actually knew what he was doing.

Midway through the build. The support beams were built and the floor joists were nailed in place.

Our finished project--we had about half of the subflooring put in.

Not only did I take pictures, but the news came to our build site  and the clip was the "top news story" on a story about funding for a Habitat build in honor of Amanda Ross (but, I know, lawyers actually doing something good for the community is newsworthy in and of itself).  Here's the link to the clip (Cam's in the blue hard hat and DTD shirt and I'm in an orange hard hat and white shirt and navy shorts).  No making fun of my sitting-indian-style hammering skills either. It was effective, okay?!

 

Also, in a completely unrelated note, is anyone up for a Lexington get together? Jill had mentioned it, and I think it would be fun! August 27/28th works for me--does anyone else want to do this? 

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Ten on Tuesday: At Home Remedies

First and foremost, good luck to everyone taking the bar. Katherine (Just Lovely)--I'm sending you positive vibes today and tomorrow! 

Hope everyone had a good weekend. Cam and I tried out an Indian restaurant, Masala, here in town on Friday night with friends.  It was so good! Cam doesn't like curry, but he loved this place because it has other sorts of dishes.  For those local girls--check it out. They have one location on Nicholasville by the mall and another on Harrodsburg (by Sahara). 


Now for Tuesday business: Here are ten natural remedies for every day problems (most of which I have tried and can attest work). 

1. Carpet Stain Remover: Hydrogen Peroxide. I don't know what I would do without hydrogen peroxide--I use it all the time.  To spot clean my carpets, I take pour a little hydrogen peroxide on the spot, rub it in with a towel, and then let the towel and the hydrogen peroxide sit for about fifteen minutes. I've never had a problem removing a spot this way--whether it from a pet accident, make up, etc.

2. Wart Remover: Apple Cider Vinegar. Gross, I know, but it removed my first wart within two days. Before going to bed, place Vaseline on the skin around the wart.  Then, soak a piece of cotton in apple cider vinegar and place the cotton directly on the wart.  Secure the cotton piece with a bandaid, and remove in the morning.  Once the wart turns black, quit applying the vinegar and let the wart dry into a scab, which can be painlessly pulled off. 

3. Granite Cleaner: Dish Soap. Granite cleaners are expensive--just mix a little regular dish soap with water and wipe down your counters.

4. Bug Repellant: Listerine. Place listerine in a spray bottle and spray the outdoor area around you (or you or your clothes).  I was rather skeptical, but we've done this twice and haven't gotten bitten by bugs.

5. Breath Freshener: Parsley. Eaten a garlicy dish? Parsley is a natural breath freshener.  Either order a side dish with parsley, or chew on a parsley leaf.  Parsley also helps with digestion.

6. Oily Hair: Witch Hazel. Don't have time to wash your hair and don't want to deal with the messy baby powder? Take a little witch hazel on a cotton ball and dab your roots to remove the excess oil from your hair.

7. Dizziness: Warm Water with a Pinch of Cayenne Pepper. I have never tried this one, but it sounds good if you feel light headed.  If you are dizzy, drink a pinch of cayenne pepper mixed with warm water.  The warmth of the water and the pepper supposedly speed up your blood flow.

8. Yeast Infection: Garlic Clove. I know I know, no one wants to think about it.  But, if you feel one coming on, an easy solution is to put in a clove of garlic before going to bed (you can do it any time, but you begin to taste garlic so it may be better at night).  The worse the infection is, the more cuts you should place in the clove (for awful infections, cut the clove in half).  I know its gross, but it works to kill the yeast almost instantly.

9. Bug Bites: Baking Soda Vinegar Paste. For an at home remedy for poison ivy or bug bites, mix baking soda with vinegar to make a paste, and put the paste directly on the itchy spots.  The combination dries out the bite and makes it less itchy.

10. Red Blemishes/Pimples: Visine. If you have a red blemish or pimple on your face, put a q-tip soaked with visine on the spot.  The same formula to get the red out of your eyes will help get the red out of the blemish.

The Search

This week I have begun the most dreaded thing of all---the job hunt for the permanent, hopefully legal, job.  I've updated my resume and grade sheets, revised cover letters, filled out the online job and clerking forms, am sucking up to professors for letters of recommendation, and most importantly--crossing my fingers and toes that someone will find me employable. 

Nothing like coming out of graduate school in the worst economic circumstances since the Great Depression, right?

Red River and Natural Bridge

On Saturday, Cam and I and our friends Wes and Natasha went hiking in Red River Gorge and Natural Bridge.  It was absolutely beautiful (and hot) and reminded me why I love this state.  Of course, we topped it off with Miguel's pizza and made it home in time to dodge the rain. 

Natural Bridge

Fat Man's Squeeze

View of Battleship Rock from the top of the bridge

Pictures to prove we made it to the top.

Needle's Eye Stairway

View from the bottom of Needle's Eye Stairway

Bridges will be the death of me.

The Gorge.

Wes and Natasha

King of the World

Us at the Gorge

The hills of Kentucky

Covered Stone Bridge

Ten on Tuesday: Redneck Things at Country Concerts

Cam and I went to the Brooks and Dunn concert in Cincinnati this week (more pictures of our day in Cincy will come)--it was awesome! 

Of course, I couldn't think of a better top ten Tuesday than the redneck things you see at a country music concert.  Here's a sampling of what we saw and overheard from this rowdy crowd (sorry some are blurry, I tried to take covert pictures. Also in no particular order):

1.  Ridiculous Trucks.

Truck bed made from the front of a semi, and then put on a regular truck (with smoke stacks, of course). 

 Yes, that tarp ducktaped this 1994 beauty is filled with water and ready to be a genuine redneck hot tub.  Don't believe me? Please take note of the water splashing out of the right side of the truck and the fact the interstate is wet only around the back of this truck...

2. Shirtless Men with Sagging Pants

 No shirt, no shoes, no problem in this Bengals lovin' bus.

3. Cut off Demin (generally with Cowboy Boots)

 We even saw a little lady in overalls with large spurs. Awesome.

 
4. Bongs made from Water Bottles. 

I wish I was kidding, but it was reefer madness for the kids (and 70 year old man) next to us.

which lead to Number 5: 

5. Bad Decisions with Biker Cougars. 

I would have taken a picture, but it would have been so obvious I would have clearly started a fight.  One of the 19 or 20 year old high  kids next to us (who were wearing American flag cut offs by the way) decided the 50+ year old woman standing to their left (with a Harley Davidson tank tied up to be a sports bra) was quite the catch, so they started dancing and ended up kissing the night away, about 3 feet from us.  That, my friends, is why friends shouldn't let friends do drugs.

6. Our Next Hairstyles:

his (the mohawk mullet)...

 ...and hers (does this have a name--the skunk? Spilt a bottle of bleach?)

7. Cowboy Hats Made from Beer Boxes:

It really was made of cardboard, and was hand-stitched (literally) to create the shape.  I wish I could make this stuff up...

8. "Ass-less Chaps"

Best story overheard: "the girl had on ass-less chaps, and she led a line of men to the concession stand like the pied piper."


7. Cut-Offs

Okay, okay. I decided to take a picture of one of the more buff guys, because who wants to see the normal cut off wearer--a burly man sweating in his cut-off flannel?

 
9. Faux Statutes

Nothing is classier than when the venue has faux  Romanesque statutes, supported by beams, lining the top.

10. Tattoos Depicting Dead Animals: 

 Let's hope his girlfriend likes deer carcasses as much as he does.

A Horse of a Different Color

Its FRIDAY!

We had a great local artist (and good friend of Cam's family) come out yesterday to see our kitchen so she can do a piece for the big blank wall.  She is actually going to do a few pieces and let us choose, so *fingers crossed* we may end up getting two of them and putting the other in our dining room.  I am beyond excited--I love all of her work.  

But, our potential piece(s) won't be the only new art around town...

Horse Mania is a local display of locally sponsored horses decorated by the artist of their choice.  It is a great way to bring art throughout Lexington--I've loved walking around downtown and seeing these beauties to remind me of the gorgeous horse country we live in.  Here are some of my favorite horses in Horse Mania (there are 82, so I promise I did narrow it down):

Bourbon Barrel Horse

Goochiepoochieploddapony

A Horse of a Different Shell

LewHorse Carroll (done enitrely in Sharpie)

Nightmare

Streamlined

Industrial Revolution

Lady Godiva's Horse

In the Sky with Diamonds