Happy Earth Day, Earth...

we got you a tree!

Harry and I finished up backyard improvements (for this week) by planting our Chief Cherokee Dogwood. It was tough work, but the tree is happy in its new home.


Our backyard as it looked this afternoon.
I know you're jealous of our really nice grass. Harry and I love Bermudagrass. Ours was particularly damaged by the drought last summer. There are plans to aerate in a couple of weeks.


This is my rock. I dug it up out of the bottom of our hole (which also can be seen in the picture). It was very difficult to dig out and, although you can't tell by looking at it, it was very heavy.
Side note: Harry did have to reach down and get it out of the hole, my arms weren't long enough.


Hooray! The tree is planted! Earth Day was a success.

Say Goodbye to the World's Ugliest Tree

Today, Harry and I rid our backyard of the aforementioned "World's Ugliest Tree". It was a sad day for lovers of the tree (my dad) but a happy day for Harry, me, the yard, and all residents of our neighborhood who had to look at the tree.

Behold, the World's Ugliest Tree!
It is not the tree's fault. Before Harry and I bought our home this tree's top was killed by an ice storm. It had, since then, become infected with a fungus and insects. It was finally killed by last summer's drought.


Almost out! The roots on the tree were rotten and we were able to dig it our much easier than we originally thought.


Success! Notice the tiny root ball. This tree had been planted 5 years ago. Pathetic!


The original "landscapers" had done a great job of NOT taking the steel cage off the root ball. This poor tree was destined to die.


Yea! The replacement for the World's Ugliest Tree. A Thundercloud Cherry Plum.


Here you see the soil were are saving under a tarp for tomorrow's planting.
Yes, that is what is left of the World's Ugliest Tree holding the tarp down.


Tomorrow's project, a Cherokee Chief Dogwood.

A Trip to the Zoo

Today Martha, Madison, Luke, and I met at the North Carolina Zoo. We had a wonderful day of eating, playing, walking, and looking at animals. Check out our pictures!

Madison with the tortoises, the first animals we encountered.


After some lunch Madison and I played on the playground.


Madison was quite happy to see the "cows".


Madison loved the bears (this picture was actually a mistake, she was posing and then at the last second swung on the handrail into the camera).


The zoo also has a carousel. Madison has been trained well, she chose to ride on the tiger (Go Clemson!). She loved the ride.


Luke did go, even though he didn't make it in many of the pictures.


He enjoyed hanging out with Madison's zebra more than looking at the real animals.


Madison loved the gorillas. She got up close and personal with this one.


The elephant exhibit was recently updated. They seemed to like their new home. Madison liked the elephants even though they were "a little scary".


We ended our trip at the zebra exhibit. This encounter with the zebras was much more enjoyable than my last encounter at the Lazy 5 Ranch.

It was a great day for the zoo!

Don't Ever Trust Grass...

you can't tell where you stand with grass because it won't look you in the eyes.

The only thing this sketch needs is more cow bell.

Misheard Lyrics

This past week Harry and I purchased Pearl Jam tickets for their concert in (yuck) Columbia, South Carolina. (We are a little upset that we are indirectly giving money to the University of South Carolina, but the concert will be worth it.) Anyway, we had to laugh at the misheard lyrics video on YouTube for "Yellow Ledbetter" and we cannot wait to hear this song in concert. Enjoy!

"Potato Wave"...

2 Weeks in a Row!

Last night Harry and I, accompanied by our partners (my fellow Holograms) Joanne and Shannon, won trivia night at Fox and Hound, again. Take that Karen! A group of about 8, named Birthday Girl (real original), took an early lead by answering a 20 point bonus question correctly; however, we slowly chipped away at their lead to finally bring home the championship. (Birthday Girl didn't even finish in the top 3 when we were done with them.) Our arch rivals, Das Boot, were there last night, but we stomped them, yet again. Dad, you would be proud, we answered all of our history questions correctly, including the final battle of the Revolutionary War (Yorktown) and the president during WWI (Wilson). We don't think there will be trivia next week; Fox and Hound will most likely be overrun with UNC fans there to watch the championship game. We will be back to defend our title the following week!

Our prize was another $25 gift card.

The Trivia Champions!

Last week Harry, our friends Joanne and Shannon, and I went to trivia night at Fox and Hound. After rounds with some REALLY tough questions, our team (Jewel and the Holograms) came out the winners! We even had a perfect score and picked up 2 bonus points in the fourth round.

Harry, me, Shannon, and Joanne with our trophy, a $25 gift card to Fox and Hound.

Easter with the Family

Harry and I awoke on Easter Sunday to the sound of excited squeals. We were still at Martha and Ed's house and Madison and Luke were very excited to see that the Easter Bunny had come.

Madison had to wait until everybody was up before beginning her egg hunt.
She waited patiently with Lil' Phoebe, the cat Harry and I had given her the day before.


Luke was more interested in playing than hunting eggs. We don't know what Karen is doing (she's always been a bit strange). Just kidding Karen!


Madison was an expert egg hunter (I love this picture, she looks so cute).


Harry even got in on the action, but I don't think Madison shared any of the chocolate inside.


Luke decided to just hang out, he can't have any of the candy yet anyway.


After the egg hunt excitement we got ready for church. I was criticized for dressing more for St. Patrick's Day than Easter. Hey, they were less than a week apart, can you blame me?

Happy Birthday Harry!

On Saturday Harry turned 28. We were visiting my sister in Fayetteville so she and our niece Madison and nephew Luke helped us celebrate.

We started the day playing with Luke and Madison and opening presents.

After a delicious lunch at 5 Guys we went to the park. Harry and Madison had a great time playing together while Martha, Luke and I watched all the action.


After we came home and played some more it was time to enjoy the birthday cake that Martha bought. Madison helped pick out the decorations.



I don't know who is more excited about eating the cake, Luke and Madison or Harry.
(You may notice there is a giant 2 on the cake. Martha didn't have 28 candles so we put 14 candles on the cake and let 2 be the multiplier.)




As you can see, the cake was enjoyed by all!
On a side note, this was Luke's first ever taste of birthday cake. Like a true Huffman (and his clone, my dad) he LOVED it!

Happy Birthday Harry!!

Signs of Spring

Some my fellow bloggers (Barb, Clay and Karen) have recently made me jealous of their snowy weather (I know they may be sick of it, but to a former Ohio girl living in North Carolina, snow sounds wonderful). To retaliate against their snowy posts, I am going to brag about our wonderful weather!


The past week our highest temperature was 75 degrees. Our peach tree has flowered and our lilies have all sprouted. We have flowers all around the house, which is something that I know is not yet happening in the norther part of the country.



So, all of our norther readers, enjoy the pictures that proves spring has sprung in the south and I'll continue to enjoy your winter pictures.

Game Night

Last night Harry and I met over at our friend Joanne's for a good old fashion game night. We began the evening with Clue... the who done it? game. We then moved on to one of my favorite games, Apples to Apples. I will have to say that I have more fun playing this game with my family because everybody at the party liked literal comparisons, I enjoy playing with a more sarcastic group. We finished the evening off with Catch Phrase. It was a great evening spent with great friends!