Another Weekend has passed

Was actually quite busy this weekend, did my volunteering on Saturday and went driving a bit and to the mall on Sunday, weekends go way too quick!!

How does Cauliflower and Potato Grattin Sound?

I think it sounds quite nice, to eat along side some butter baked chicken, I have looked on the internet and it seems this concoction has been done before, So I will make my usual cauliflower cheese recipe, with a slightly thicker sauce then layer thin sliced potatoes in my pie dish, top with cheese sauce, more potatoes, more sauce and then the cauliflower and finally more cheese sauce.

Whats for dinner??

Well tonight Will is having his favourite beans and ham, YUK, I hate it, its dried beans slow cooked with ham, pepper and onion, I cant stand the texture of the mushy beans.

Ill be having cauliflower cheese, I was trying to think of something to eat with it, but I am undecided, I might do my self a nice baked chicken breast. The chicken is in packs of two in the freezer so if I defrost some I will have to cook both pieces, maybe I can eat cold chicken for lunch tomorrow in one of my home made rolls, that sounds like a good idea!

Online Title Directory

Nearby Title is a simple website that gives you the information you are looking for. It is dedicated to finding a title company in the area you request.

The site has reviews and referrals and even maps to help you choose the best company for you. So to Find a Title Company Near Your Home click on the link and have a look around the site, the website will be an excellent tool when you looking to find a title company near your home.

Manicure Time!!

Will and I were going to go out for dinner with some of his car friends tonight, so I decided to make an extra effort to look nice, I gave my self a manicure, I filed my nails to a nice square shape, applied a strengthener base coat and then one of my favourite colours on top...African Violet.
Will came home from work and decided to take a nap, when he woke up he asked if I was sure I wanted to go, as he knew I was feeling a bit under the weather, I said it was up to him and he decided we would stay and have dinner at home.
I don't mind that we changed our minds,as my nails really needed a tidy up and now they look nice, I don't thing he minds that we are not going either as he is still in bed!
Apart from the manicure I didn't really accomplish much today, I was very lazy, I made brownies and submitted an article that needed fact checking, and that was all I did.
I think I may run my self a nice bubble bath and relax in it before dinner, I love having bubble baths now I am able to get my favourite bubble bath from England in a local store that sells British items, its much much pricier than England but its worth it!

Work Boots USA

When I worked for the auctions, quite often we would be moving big, bulky and heavy objects, I always wore a pair of grey boots that gave me tons of support and would help prevent my toes from getting crushed.

This website work boots has a great selection of all kinds of boots, they have brand names such as CAT, Converse and a few others. It’s a great site fully stocked with a great selection of boots.

Pasta sauce from a jar.

I am a firm believer of cooking from scratch, no meals in a box or instant potato flakes for me.

I occasionally break my rule of cooking from scratch when I get a craving for Alfredo Sauce, I absolutely love Classico's Roasted Garlic Alfredo Sauce, its the best garlicky Alfredo sauce on the available from the grocery stores, its great because it contains no black pepper so the flavour of the garlic is very noticeable. I even eat this sauce cold while I am waiting for the chicken to cook!

I cut chicken into cubes and cook in in a skillet with a small amount of oil, once the chicken is done I add the sauce so that it heats through, then I serve on a bed of spaghetti, its yum!!!

Will prefers the Creamy Alfredo Sauce which has a lot of pepper in it, so normally ill cook the chicken and then at the end before serving, Ill separate the chicken, so he has his favourite sauce and Ill have mine.

I have tried a couple of times to re-create Alfredo sauces, but so far nothing comes to the same standard as this one.

Driving in America

Well yesterday for the first time on real roads I drove our Trailblazer SS, I find it so strange sitting behind the wheel of such a big powerful car. In england I used to drive a vauxhall corsa, it was small and basic, there was no power steering, electric windows or locks, it had an engine and four wheels, it got me from one point to the next.

The trailblazer in comparison has electric everything, programmable seats and mirrors, so all I do is hit number 2 and my seat raises up the mirrors move and the pedals move towards my feet! this is great because Will and I are so different in hight and the way we like to drive, it makes life a bit simpler and saves time adjusting everything when you first get in the car.

I drove the car around the apartment complex and did better than I had done previously, I was not driving in the middle of the road, and I was managing to stay closer to the kerbs, Will suggested that we go out on to the main road, I said no I want ready but he convinced me. We drove around a big loop, only making right turns, which are easier than left, some of the roads were narrow and windy, so it was interesting trying to keep the car positioned properly, it feels so big! We made it back with no problems, and I am going to be driving as much as possible so I can get the technique perfected.

Once I am confident it will me time to take the test and get my American Licence, just a theory test, vision test and then the actual driving test and thats all I need to do.

This is the Hershey's recipe that I talked about making yesterday. The cakes came out beautifully, they didn't quite look like the pictures on the Hershey's web site, but they taste divine. The recipe was a little bit fiddly, I had to use three bowls, one for mixing the flour, salt, baking powder and cocoa, one for melting the butter and one for the egg and sugar mix. I hate making lots of utensils and bowls dirty as its more to clean up which is a pain. The cakes came together quickly and only needed a short time in the oven. The recipe calls for a mocha topping, but I thin these cakes are perfect as they are.

I have a bank account!

Everything went smoothly at the bank, so I now have a bank account which is linked to a savings account, it seems like a good plan, we opened a savings and a regular checking account, its actually very simple. you choose your pin number on a special machine, so there is no waiting for the pin number to arrive like there is in England.

I didn't get much done this afternoon, I cleaned the bathroom, which wasnt on my list to do, and I worked on a couple of photographs, did some laundry and made some bread rolls, which are going to have burgers in them for dinner!!

I am going to try out a new Hershy's recipe Its a cupcake recipe so Ill post the pictures when I am done.

New Contest Web Site

A new website, BreaktheVault.com is simple new website that allows users to enter online contests. Each contest is launched on Monday and each day after has a clue released, the first person to solve the problem wins a cash prize, the harder the contest that you enter, the bigger the prize will be!

The current game in place is a Who am I game? Contestants must make decide who the clues are talking about, the prize is $200, so for a simple guess you could become $200 richer. online contests

There will always be a game in play and there will always be a winner, the next game is called Where in the World, it has a higher prize amount too!

online contests

I have visitors coming

At the end of April one of my oldest friends is coming from England to stay with us, Sharon and I have known each other for 16ish years, ooooh saying that makes me feel old! She is coming for a week and we plan to do a bit of sightseeing, and lots of picture taking!

After Sharon, Memorial Weekend is going to be our next set of visitors, Wills parents hopefully are coming down from Ohio. Im not sure what we will be planing on doing, but Im sure we will do lots of good stuff.

So it looks like I have some planning, It seems that the next few months will be nice and busy, especially with me starting work, I will have to make sure I organise my time well!

I feel refreshed

After the strange sleeping pattern I ended up with yesterday, I did finally get to sleep. I woke feeling refreshed which was a nice feeling, the weather is refreshing much nicer today, more refreshing, its cooler with a lovely blustering breeze.

I am going again to try and open my bank account, we have an appointment booked so we should be seen straight away.

My plan for the day is: Stop playing on the computer! tidy the kitchen, go to the bank, tidy the living room, stick some brownies in the oven and while they are cooking do some writing, so its a nice straightforward day.

The Bank and the Aquarium

Well we went to the bank during Wills lunch hour and were told we would be able to open an account with the documents I had brought along. Tthe bank was had just one person who was available for account opening and they were busy, unfortunately they were still busy after 40 minutes of us waiting, so we had to leave, so I still don't have a bank account!

Today I went to the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Center, you will be able to see my review for that soon. I took a few pictures at the aquarium, but its so hard when taking pictures through dark glass, it was trial and error working out how to get the best shots.

I started by using my lens hood on my camera and pressing it right up against the class to minimise reflections, this worked to some extent, the flash seemed to bright or to dark, it seemed impossible to get good lighting, eventually I decided to slow my shutter speed so i could let lots of light into the picture without using the flash, the problem with this is movement becomes very blurred, so the camera must be held very still and your subject mustn move, of course fish don't understand that they are being photographed so to counteract there movement I moved the camera with the fish. Panning seemed to work, it was hard getting the exact speed right, but I managed to get a couple of good photos.

After the aquarium we went briefly to the beach front, although it was a beautiful hot sunny day it was extremely windy, so the trip to the beach was very short, I just took a few pictures and left.

Once back home I realised I had a headache-probably because I didn't drink enough while out and about, so I had a little nap. Will came home and we had dinner, my headache worsened and I felt sick too, so I went to lay down again, it was early in the evening and I didn't want to sleep, but of course I fell asleep, and at 10.30 I woke up, which is why I am here writing a blog at 2.25 in the morning.

I think I shall head to bed now otherwise I wont be able to get up in the morning, and I need to because I need to write a few articles.

I am going to the bank....

Today I hope to be allowed to open a bank account, previously when I tried to open an account I was refused because I did not have a social security number. I still don't have a social security number, but I do have my employment authorization card, so I am assuming that this will act as a replacement to the social security number and allow me to finally have an account of my own!

I aim to write a couple of articles today for the website, I am currently writing about Arena Cross the indoor car racing we went and saw the other day, I had quite a few cool pictures from that event, so hopefully the article will look good!

After having the sort out in the kitchen yesterday I feel I really must do the other rooms in the house, I'm not sure I will get round to doing it today, or even tomorrow, maybe Thursday will be the day.

Tomorrow I am heading down to the Aquarium, I hope to take some good pictures, although I struggle with the fish tanks because of the glass, reflections and poor lighting. I think there are a few other things as well as the fish to look at, so fingers crossed Ill end up with a few good shots.

The other day I talked about making shortbread, well it was a disaster, the recipe was awful, or maybe it was my cooking that was awful! The biscuits were hard and dry, very disappointing, I should learn to stick to recipes I know and have tested. I went back through my blog and found the recipe for shortbread (that search bar in the corner helped) and I made more shortbread. This time I decided to use a pizza slicer and cut the shortbread into rectangles, they came out nicely and were delicious!

Spring Cleaning my Kitchen

This afternoon I decided it was time to re-organise my kitchen. My kitchen is a nice size, but really lacks cabinet and work surface space. I have a big stand mixer, a microwave, a bread machine and a toaster that need to be kept out and easily accessible, so I don't have a huge choice of where I can move things to.

I usually prepare food next to the oven so I decided to swap the bread machine and the microwave around it makes it feel more spacious and airy.

Here is my kitchen:

Pay Per Post

I started keeping a blog so that friends and family back in England could easily keep track of what I do, blogging also seemed like a natural way to occupy my brain while I was sitting at home unable to work. I have been writing about anything and everything, that passes across my mind.

When I first started blogging I read many different articles about people earning money from their blogs. It seems like a sensible thing to do, when your writing so much why not get paid per post, a few extra $$ spending money is always nice.

Using Google I searched for companies that offered money for you to type posts that state your opinions and views on products and the goings on in the world. Payperpost.com kept popping up with good feedback, so I looked into it a bit further. When I first started my blog Payperpost.com were requesting that you had been writing a blog for at least 90 days, so as I had just started out blogging I made a mental note to come back to the site in the future.

Last week I went and had another look, followed the easy registration form and submitted my blog, all blogs must be submitted for checking before allowing you to accept opportunities and start to earn money. My blog was approved today, and as I logged back into the website, I see that they have made a few changes; you can now open a payperpost account after 30 days of starting your blog.

So I hope to gain a little bit of cash for doing something I enjoy.

payperpost

www.virginiabeach.com

Well my articles are live on the virginiabeach.com website, just click attractions to see what I have written about so far and the pictures that go alongside it, check back regularly for more great places to visit in the Virginia Beach area!!!

1987 BMW 325es

Yes we have a new car! Its a BMW 325es 1987 5 speed manual, the car is old so needs some work, the leather seats need a bit of work, the drivers side will need to be re-upholstered as it has a large tear in it. the rest of the leather is cracked but not ripped, the dash and the side panels are great. The body is in good shape, no major rust, there are some dents and chips in the paint, possibly from hail so it will need to have some paint work. The BMW should be a nice to work on, hopefully it needs nothing major straight away, so it will be a slow project.

Will took these pictures when we got the car home.

I love the chrome round the windows and on the bumpers

The chrome that I like.

I think the Maroon leather looks great with the black.

Adjustment Of Status Immigration Interview Booked!

May 21, 2008 I have my immigration interview which is hopefully the last big step in allowing me to stay legally in the US. I could find out on the day if my adjustment of status has been granted, hopefully it will all run smoothly.

I have a long list of paperwork that must be brought to the interview, My birth certificate, passport, employment card, marriage certificate and Wills birth certificate. We also have to show evidence that our relationship exists, this will be things like tax returns, bank statements, insurance documents, photographs, correspondence between each other and anything else we feel that will help our case.

I am going to buy a small photo album and put copies of photographs into it, that way if they request to keep pictures I will not have to worry about loosing pictures that cant be replaced.

Here are a couple of my favourite photographs from when we first met:

This was the Air Force summer ball in England June 2005

Day out in Cambridge July 2005

Day out in Cambridge July 2005

Visiting Stonehenge November 2005

Whats been keeping me busy...

These last few days I have been doing alot of writing, I am working towards producing1000 articles all about Virginia Beach and the surrounding area, these are going on an excellent website. The website is great for planning your holiday in Virginia Beach, or if your a local and looking for something different to do. The site has all sorts of information, from hotels, to events and attractions. Visit VirginiaBeach.com be sure to check back regularly on the site and look out for the upcoming feature that I am involved in.

This morning I took it slow, last night I watched lost (I love that show) and we ended up going to bed late, so by the time morning rolled around I was still very sleepy. I got up and walked my neighbours dog at 9.30, after that I sat down to write about the Virginia Beach Funny Bone, which will be added to VirginiaBeach.com soon. by midday and I decided to take a shower. I find it refreshing to shower in the middle of the day, it wakes me up a little bit more and motivates me to get chores completed.

This afternoon I made bread rolls for Steph one if our neighbours, she is always saying how yummy they are, so now she has enough to last her a few days. I then made chocolate brownies, these came out of the oven about 5 minutes ago and I am trying to resist eating all of them! next to go into the oven is a giant pizza cookie, I have to wait for the butter to soften a little bit more before I can make these. don't worry I don't intend to eat all of the sweet stuff, I'll be taking some along with me to the Cat Corner to share the other volunteers.

For dinner is chicken breast I haven't quite decided what I am going to do with it, but Im sure ill think of something.

Last Sunday I spotted this little fellow sat on a grave stone in Hampton he was not phased by me at all.

Spare time + my my camera = self portraits

Well now that I have new contact lenses and I actually had some spare time I decided it was time to take some new self portraits, I set my camera on the tripod, used the kitchen window for light and had some fun...

I can see you

This is my favourite

Posing for the camera

Mellow and his Crazy Antics

Mellow by name but not by nature, our cat is quite strange, he has two water bowls filled with fresh water, but he prefers to drink out of the bath tub. In the morning when I get up to go to the bathroom, before I can open my eyes properly he runs under my feet, skids into the bathroom jumps into the tub and stares at the tap until I turn it on. Mellow wont drink while the water is running, it has to be turned off and then he will lick the water from the plug hole. I also caught him drinking out of the toilet yesterday.

We try and always shut the bathroom door otherwise there will be the constant sound of the toilet being flushed, he sits on the cistern and presses on the flush handle. It always makes me jump especially if I am the only one home, it always takes a couple of seconds to realise that its only Mellow flushing the toilet.

In the past Mellow has been trying to get my attention when I sleep by standing on my chest and tapping me in the face or on any bit of skin that is showing with his paw, if I ignore him he starts to hit me with his paw and his claws, as soon as he starts doing this I push him away, but I guess he has accomplished what he set out to do and that was to wake me up. It seems he doesn't do this so often now, so I guess the ignoring him and pushing him away did the trick, he does seem to understand that if the alarm goes off he can come in and meow until I get up, although he doesn't understand at all if the alarm goes off and I decide to stay in bed for an extra half an hour, he likes to meow and pester me until I get up. If I ignore him, he does eventually curl up on the bed and sleep by my feet.

Mellows latest bout of crazies is him running from room to room at the fastest speed he can go, I think he chasing the invisible bird when he does this. He likes to make as much noise and knock as many things over as possible while he runs.

I think his favourite thing to do is to watch the birds and the squirrels through the windows, if the creature he is stalking moves out of his view he races to the next window so he can continue to watch it. we have one squirrel that likes to taunt more Mellow, he comes right up on the porch, the first time it came that close Mellow tried to pounce, but instead of landing on the squirrel he pounced straight into the glass door with a loud thump. I have seen the squirrel come back several times now, and poor Mellow just lays there meowing.


The kitten in the picture titled its a rainy day, finally was adopted and has a new home, her new owners selected her on Saturday and she seemed to be very happy with them, I am always happy when one of the cats at the shelter finds a home, especially the ones that are a little bit unfriendly.

A its a rainy day....

As its a rainy day I thought post a little blog to let you know how my week is going. On the left is a picture of Scarlet she is one of the kittens from the shelter, she is doing exactly what I want to be doing.

At the beginning of the week we started off with beautiful weather, Monday was a beautiful and in the 70's, I spent the whole day being lazy and not doing much!

Tuesday Ember one of the volunteers from The Cat Corner came around to practice practice her photography skills with me and learn how to make carrot soup. we spent the afternoon trying to perfect our water drop techniques, this is the best shot that I was able to get. We were using a big bowl of water which had been coloured with red food die, this seemed like a great idea until later in the day I found Mellow had a red chin because he had been drinking from it. Ember also let me take some portrait shots so I could practice my photo editing techniques. here is one of the pictures, I gave the picture a digital make over, I added a new back ground and even a touch of make up.

On Wednesday I decided it would be a good idea to sort out our clothes closet, I ended up making a big mess, with clothes and shoes every where, it was worth it because now the closet is organised and tidy. Wednesday was also a good day because my work permit arrived after 6 months of waiting!

Yesterday (Thursday) I tried out a new burger bun recipe, this is probably the first time I have ever found a recipe from the internet that I didn't like, the buns were heavy and dry, I ended up throwing them away and making fresh buns with my old trusted recipe that I have listed on my blog.

And that brings us back to today, its cold and rainy, I have a pile of laundry to sort and the weather has turned the Mellow into a crazed hyperactive cat, that is running around pouncing on anything that moves. I think the plan of action is to do the laundry and then make some shortbread biscuits, ill probably dip them in chocolate to make them extra bad. and for dinner, well I think I will be lazy and grab a pizza, that way i can take the left overs to eat for at lunch time at the shelter tomorrow.

Good news!

Today I received my Employment Authorization Card, this means Will is able to send me to work, tomorrow will be my first day of job hunting, I'm hopefully going to get a job very local to where we live, so that I can walk to work.