Backyard Blahs....*Sigh*

For the longest time I've been wanting to do something different with my yard. I live in a townhouse but do have a small outside area all of my very own. It's a small space so the actual execution of the project shouldn't be too hard....right?...but I just don't know what I want to do with it....

My usually totally awesome boyfriend took it upon himself one day to put out grass seed...everywhere...even in my flower beds. There was already grass but it just didn't have that lush green look that he {he? ha!} envisioned. And one might be able to provide a good case that said flower beds were not actually flower beds, weed beds, perhaps? :) So now the yard is just a hot mess-and to top it all off I have to maintain the grass that he put down since he decided to move four hours south to another state. Anyway, I'm torn about whether to get rid of the grass altogether and just put down mulch or rocks or something, but then my girls wouldn't be able to just run outside and handle their business. I'm lazy so grass would be to my benefit, i think...but then I don't want to maintain it....and am clueless. I need ideas folks! Help!

Well, this is how I would luv my backyard to look! It's a pic from an alley between two shops that I snapped while in Beaufort. Isn't it just great? I have some serious garden envy. And the pottery is amazing. Where is that green thumb when I need one?

Tea and Cake or Death {Oh My!} Treasury

My tea pot and cup/saucer hair pins are in this treasury. Yeah! :)

Beach Vacation....Part 3 (Ft. Macon)

More from my vacation...Rob and I went exploring at Ft. Macon, a short drive north of Emerald Isle. It's an old Army fort built in 1826, located right on the beach and you can actually roam around it. They have recreated some of the scenes that you might've seen if you were to visit while the fort was active. Take your very own tour here. It was raining during our visit so some of the pics are a little wet!

I just love this pic. So candid. I think you can really see the brotherhood among these guys.

Confederate Money

Why do these mannequins weird me out a bit?

Thank goodness for Maytag! We sure have come a long way.....I so would not have lasted back in the day, lol.

On top of the fort. Those steps are super steep!

This cannon faces the ocean to fire at aproaching enemies.

To fire at enemies on the ground level....See the gray smudges? Is that from the rain or something spooky?.....

This was on someone's car as we were leaving...I so want one of these antenna toppers! Where do I find them?

Beach Vacation....Part 2

While I was in Beaufort earlier in the week (I made a scouting trip by myself to check things out before Rob arrived), I went to an old cemetary known as the The Old Burying Ground.  You can take your own virtual tour here! This is one of the oldest cemetaries in North Carolina.

I was the only person around so it was a little creepy, even though it was high noon. There are huge shade trees and all kinds of foliage to provide cover for whatever may be lurking about {wink}. They say that the azaleas are so pretty in the spring, but being that it was August, they were not in bloom. And then there is this plant, called a Resurrection Fern. I read that the cemetary is the only place in town where this type of fern grows. That's a little crazy....your mind could go lots of ways with that...Anyway, during a few days with no rain, the Resurrection Fern looks shriveled up and dead, but then it rains and is sunny, and it turns green and branches out, and is alive, muahahahaha. :) You'd never even know it was the same plant! Find a pic of it all branched out here (scroll through all the pics).

 Anyway, I'm strolling through the cemetary, snapping pics. Like most folks of this century I have a digital camera. When too much time passes between shots, the screen goes black. Normally I push a button to get the screen to come back on. But, when I get to this grave...

...the screen won't come on. My camera totally froze up and would not work! So, I slowly turned to look over my shoulder...just to make sure nothing was creepin' up on me...and it wasn't. Not that I could see anyway. I was able to turn the camera off and turn it back on and get it to work. But how crazy is that?!? So, what do you think...creepy coincidence or something supernatural? Click here to see other accounts of creepy happenings in Beaufort!

Not sure why people leave pennies on this grave...

This is the grave of the little girl buried in a rum barrel. She persuaded her mother to let her go to England with her father. He promised his wife that he would bring her back. He did....only in a rum barrel. Right before the trip home, she got sick and died aboard ship. People sometimes leave gifts for her spirit.

You can really see how old these graves are...

I believe this is on the graves of some of those that served in the military. There were several of these throughout the cemetary.

Awesome wrought-iron fence. Such detail.

 Stay tuned for more of my beach vacation!

Beach Vacation....Part 1

I just got back from vacation-a whole glorious week at the beach in Emerald Isle, NC. It was my first time visiting this beach so there was lots to explore. Alas, I didn't take as many pics as I wanted to. On the very first day I got super sunburned on my face and shoulders and was a little bit miserable for a few days. I mean, I was under a beach umbrella and sportin' a hat but still managed to burn, baby burn! It was so hot that everytime I went outside I felt as if I were melting.

At the end of the week my always {wink} wonderful boyfriend came down to spend the rest of the week with me {translation=rescue me from my family} which meant I had someone to go exploring with. It's just not the same by yourself! We ventured out and ate in Morehead City at a seafood restaurant called The Sanitary Fish Market & Restaurant. Gotta admit, a weird name that I still don't get, but the food was wonderful. And you know it's good when it's been around since 1938! And seafood is my absolute favorite....yummy! I ordered my usual fare: popcorn shrimp, scallops, deviled crab and baked potato. But Rob ordered a stuffed potato which was a fabulous concoction of shrimp, crab, cheese and spices stuffed into a baked potato. It was one of the most fabulous creations to ever part my two lips! I highly recommend it when visiting. Oh, and the squash casserole was super fabulous also. :)

Shrimp & Crab Stuffed Potato at The Sanitary Restaurant in Beaufort, NC

Squash Casserole (on the left)

After lunch, we hit a few of the shops on the waterfront in Morehead City and then continued on to Beaufort, NC, located about 30 minutes from Emerald Isle. If you don't know Beaufort, it's a quaint little seaside town. It's the third oldest town in North Carolina. As you come over the bridge from the mainland, the first thing you see are shrimp boats a la Forrest Gump style. The houses are small and beautifully maintained. There are large, old trees. I just love it here! Such a romantic, yet mysterious little town with old school charm.

A map of the area.

And on the waterfront in Beaufort are more little knick-knacky shops and restaurants. One of the cool shops we went in was Art And Soul . They carry totally handmade goods. I got an awesome owl wristlet! {Pic coming soon!}

And here is Rob staring into a shop thinking, "Another one, really?!"

Check out these ships made using aluminum cans. Talk about repurposing!

The waterfront...Isn't it gorgeous?

At least there was a breeze....

And we also went to the NC Maritime Museum. Check out this huge anchor! Oh yeah, and there's Rob {again} thinkin' he's super cool, lol. He just wouldn't stay out of my shots!

And here is me also posing with the anchor. You can see where my chin is super fried!

Stay tuned for part 2 of my vacation...Coming Soon!