I-Ry!

I begged Bryan (or "Bry" as Riley now refers to him) to get some videos of Riley when he was in Indianapolis last weekend for the game. He obliged, and I wanted to share them with you!

I'm wondering if I can hire that little makeup artist to do my makeup for the wedding!?

We had a pretty low-key weekend around here. Bryan was on call and I worked on Saturday, so we were early to bed and early to rise! Today Susie got a bath, and we played Wii bowling after Bryan got home from rounding. We're both looking forward to next weekend and SUPER BOWL!

Super Bowl Bound!

YIPPEE!!!

The Colts are going to the Super Bowl!

Susie was SOOOO excited...

Actually, Susie does NOT like watching football games! It usually means that her Mom and Dad are yelling, which upsets her and sends her running to her bed! Since Dad is in Indianapolis watching the game in person, Mom was unusually quiet, so she stayed in the office for the entire game. Susie was in for a shock last Thursday when I went back to work for the first time in two weeks. I think she had really gotten used to having someone home with her all of the time. She played hard in the evenings when we were both home. She even fell asleep in the middlde of the mess she made! My first day back at work was a little harder than I had anticipated. They were very accomodating and gave me a very easy assignment, but I was very sore from moving around for 12 hours. My second day, Friday, I had to float to another ICU, but it went better overall than the first day. It was nice to be back in the swing of things, but I missed spending the days with Susie and Kitty and watching the squirrels and birds.

I bought some ears of corn for the squirrels, who seem to be looking a little chunky. I wonder why that is??

This squirrel single-handedly ate an ENTIRE ear of corn on Saturday!

I was so excited for Bryan to get to go to the AFC championship game and watch the Colts win! Susie has been a little out of sorts and missing him, though. Beginning at 1:47am this morning, she began waking me up every hour or so to go check for him. I'm hoping we both sleep better tonight! It might be short lived, though. Bryan gets back into Atlanta on Monday afternoon, and then leaves again on Tuesday to fly to Orlando for the oral portion of his exam! He's been studying so hard. I know he'd appreciate your thoughts and prayers this Wednesday (the day of his exam)! He will find out on Thursday if he is a Board Certified General Surgeon!

I was able to get a good video of Susie playing this past week... she's very choosy about which treats are best for "throwing", and I was finally able to get to Petco and get more of the proper variety.

And this last video is of Susie snoring. Turn your volume up before you play it, to get the full affect! We were calling her to go outside to potty one last time before bed, and she had already gotten in to bed and was sleeping hard.

Hope you all have a great week. I'm working Monday and Tuesday, and hopefully on Thursday, we'll be celebrating!

All good things (and weekends) must end eventually...

Whoo Hoo!!!!

COLTS WIN!

The Colts' victory was definitely the highlight of our weekend! We were also happy to see the Jets defeat the Chargers, too. Bryan has a flight booked, and will be attending the AFC Championship game in Indianapolis next Sunday afternoon!

It has been raining here most of the weekend. I did finally get the porch swept, and placed the squirrel goodies in little bowls. It didn't stop them completely from making a collossal mess, but it did cut down on it somewhat.

The following two pictures are from Friday...

And this little wet fellow is from Saturday.

And last but not least...

A short video of Susie all tucked in and ready for bed. Notice the tail...

Chicken Tortilla Soup

You HAVE to try this recipe! It's easy, healthy, and looks as good as it tastes!

We had this last night for dinner, and again for lunch today!

Here's the recipe!

CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP

INGREDIENT:

No-stick cooking spray 1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes with juice

8 (6 inch) corn tortillas 1 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles (drained)

Salt 1 (1 1/4 oz.) pkg. taco seasoning mix

2 Tbsp. Canola oil 2 (14 1/2 oz.) cans chicken broth

1 medium onion, diced 1 tbsp. lime juice

2-3 baked chicken breasts, diced shredded cheddar cheese

1 (15 1/4 oz.) can whole kernel corn DRAINED sour cream (we used fat-free)

1 (15 oz.) can black beans DRAINED Lime slices for garnishing

1 bunch of cilantro

PREPARATION DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 350.

Prepare chicken breasts (I baked at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes, just dusting the chicken lightly with all-purpose seasoning).

Spray a foil-lined baking sheet and both sides of the corn tortillas with no-stick cooking spray. Slice the tortillas into strips. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Place on baking sheet and bake 12-15 minutes or until crisp and golden. Set aside.

Heat 2 tbsp. of oil in a dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, saute until soft. Add chicken, corn, beans, tomatoes, chiles, and taco seasoning. Stir to combine. Add chicken broth, stir. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes (I ended up simmering for about 35 minutes... I had to run to the grocery store for cilantro). Stir in lime juice.

Place a few tortilla strips into a soup bowl; ladle soup over. Sprinkle with cheese and cilantro. Top with remaining tortilla strips. Garnish with sour cream and a lime slice.

YUM!

Our porch needs a good sweeping...

We've had a pretty good week here...

I'm continuing to heal up, Bryan has had a light week with lots of time for studying, and Susie had been on a long walk every day. Kitty has had a nice week, too... lots of squirrel and bird-watching, and special time with her Dad!

We've also been playing the Wii! Our favorite game so far is Wii bowling. I took pictures of our "Mii" people. I'm sure you can tell which one is Bryan and which one is me.

I made some new suet for the birds (squirrels). This one used corn meal instead of flour. I think they liked it. With her dad studying so much this week, Susie has spent a lot of time in the office. This picture below has been a common scene.

And the reason for the title of this post...

Let me provide some history first... I'm a Beezley. We're born squirrel-feeders. My grandparents fed a squirrel for years. She lost her teeth, and they had to grind her nuts for her. She was lovingly referred to as 'Tinker'. My dad fed squirrels. My Aunt Cheryl has them eating out of her hand, as well. So... something about seeing the little squirrels on our balcony touched some deep, genetically imprinted urge. Soooo... I thought I'd put out some cheerios. And then yesterday, some peanut butter puffins (cereal). And today, some walnuts. I caught some footage (along with Kitty's commentary), of them enjoying the feast (and making a collosal mess).

Weekend at home...

We had a nice, exceedlingly lazy weekend at home. Believe it or not, I did do some cooking, as you can see in the video below.

Susie loves having a Dad, since she seems to get many more home-cooked meals. She also did a lot of work. Her Dad shot a little video of her "reading" in the office...

I made some homemade suet last week that was a big hit with the local birds... and squirrels. If you'd like to make some of your own, here's an easy recipe.

Collect 1/2 to 3/4 cup of drippings from meat, or use lard/shortening. Melt over very low heat. Stir in 1 cup of flour or corn meal, 1/2-3/4 cup of peanut butter (any cheap variety), and then add dry ingredients 1/2 cup at a time until mixture is a putty consistency. I added 1 cup of mixed bird seed, two packets of blueberry oatmeal, and 1/2 cup of shelled peanuts. Line an 8x8 pan with wax paper or plastic wrap, and press mixture into pan. Refrigerate or freeze until firm, then cut into 4 equal squares. These will fit into a standard suet feeder. I wrapped the extra squares and froze them for later use. Of course, they've been going through almost a whole square a day! You can hear Kitty talking about the little visitor.

Bryan and I went to BW's to watch the second half of the Arizona-Green Bay game this evening. It was a great game to watch, especially since we didn't have any vested interest in either team! Hope you all have a great week!

Winter Wonderland?

Georgia children are rejoicing this morning. This little dab of snow was enough to close literally hundreds of schools!

Bryan informed me that yesterday it was colder here in Atlanta than in Anchorage, Alaska! I'm beginning to wonder if we didn't bring these bizarre weather patterns with us... shortly after we arrived in June, Georgia experienced torrential rains, and now are having a record-cold winter!

I am feeling a little rough today, but will hopefully be feeling well enough to enjoy the few days off of work, soon. Bryan is off this weekend, so we are looking forward to enjoying some new blu-ray movies we received for Christmas, and hooking up the Wii.

Bryan sent me this picture from the night I was in the hospital. Something tells me that Susie didn't seem to miss me much! Her Dad does a great job of tucking her in to bed for the night!

I hope you're all having a great week and staying warm in your part of the world!

Prepping for surgery...

Surgery is sometime tomorrow afternoon. I will be checking in around 10am for some preop testing. Today, I am enjoying a wide variety of clear liquids, and will be chugging some half-lytely.

Half-lytely is the new and improved version of "Golytely." Half the volume (2 liters vs. 4 liters), but more than twice the price. Please note, though, you can choose your own flavor!

Thanks for the many thouhts and prayers you have offered. Jenny

A very Beezley Christmas...

Christmas with my family was on December 29th. It was very special to have my Mom, step-dad, Dad, Brother, Sister-in-law, niece, and Aunt Betty all together!

We had Pizza Hut for dinner. Here are my Dad, Ella, and Hope enjoying some pizza.

You know that song, "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth"?

My SIL, Hope, and brother, Mike. Hope's Birthday is December 23rd. She opened her birthday gifts from Bryan and I earlier, and is wearing a scarf I made for her. And below is Aunt Betty proving to Ella that you are NEVER too old for "This little piggy...!" Little Bit (seen below) and Wendall, Mom and Bill's dogs, loved having Aunt Betty over. She lavished them with attention.

Was someone getting tired?

Or just avoiding Aunt Jenny's camera?

Me with Ella and Mike

Ella was so appreciative of everything, her parents are raising her to be a very gracious, thoughtful girl.

I made a hat, scarf, and mittens for Ella, her Dad, and her Mom. Ella modeled hers immediately, and the smile on her face was heartwarming!

Mike did a pretty good job modeling his scarf, too!

After opening gifts, we had a great time watching a Christmas presentation Ella made featuring her solo performance of "Little Drummer Boy." It was a rare treat to have so many members of my family together all at one time. The only thing that would have made it perfect was having Bryan there. Thank you, family, for the wonderful gift of memories!

Enjoy a couple of short videos!

Christmas in Terre Haute...

Bryan and I had very little time off together over the Holidays (only a day, in fact), but we made the most of it, celebrating Christmas with his Mom and Dad, Sister and Brother-in-law, and Niece, Riley. And a little brother or sister for Riley who is going to be born in May!

Riley, at just over 20 months old, was a pro at opening gifts. She would even put her left leg out straight in front to steady boxes as she unwrapped. Here are some new sneakers from Grammy and Grampy!

Riley was truly a jack-of-all trades, as she not only opened gifts, but modeled, and passed out gifts for others. Here she is wearing my new puffy vest, as she handed out gifts to her Mommy and Daddy. And if you needed a little help opening something, she was more then willing to lend a hand. Still modeling the vest, she stopped to offer Uncle Bryan some opening-expertise. New clothes from Grammy and Grampy! It was hard to catch with the camera, but Riley would pull out each piece of clothing and hold it to her tummy, as if to say, "Oh, yes, this will look great!" Handmade winter goodies from Bryan and I! Riley's Grammy got a new sweater vest that required modeling. Thus, the puffy vest had to be layed aside while the new item was modeled. Just the right size. Someone didn't particularly care for wearing a bow in her hair that day, but it did look quite nice on Grampy's shirt! Grampy helped Riley open her new dishes, pots, and pans! She loves to cook and entertain in the kitchen!

I wonder if Bailey thought Riley might be serving some Caesars?!

Riley opening a new baby from Bryan and I.

And a hug for Delma Bette...

Our time in Terre Haute went by way too fast... but we sure did enjoy it. Bryan had a blast playing with Riley, who I think had an equally fun time!

Uh oh, I think they were ganging up on Grampy!

Riley is a HUGE fan of Mickey's Clubhouse. At the end of each show, they all sing "The Hot Dog Dance." Riley got a Mickey who tells jokes and sings "The Hot Dog Dance!!" He was truly mesmerizing.

We can't wait to come back to Indiana and hang out with everyone again!

We even enjoyed the Indiana Snow, the first we had seen so far this winter!

We sure wish we could have stayed longer! Thank you for everthing!

Before you go, enjoy some short videos of Riley!

Canine Christmas Celebration... (and Kitty, too)

Bryan, Susie, Kitty, and I celebrated Christmas on December 30th, after everyone had returned home from visiting family and The Park Pet Retreat. Bryan had journal club that evening, so by the time he got home and it was time for opening gifts, someone had already gone to bed! We took her gift from Meme and Papaw (Jenny's Mom and step-dad, Bill) in to her.

She needed some help opening, but the little bites of cheesy goodness inside were delightful! It's so nice to have a Dad to help with things like this...

He gives the best belly-rubs, too.

Susie's new bed is one of our gifts to her. She rarely leaves it some days!

Susie says "Thank you" to her grandparents for remembering her this year with a great ornament, and bag of treats!

Christmas at Bryan's Mom and Dad's wouldn't be complete without some Canine Celebration!

Oh, wait, look fast! The only picture I have of Bailey is a portion of his head, below. Bailey is afraid of flies and wrapping paper. While flies are scarce around Christmastime, wrapping paper is plentiful.

Simba opened his gifts the morning after "Christmas".

He's still an expert gift opener.

Tired "Puppy" sacked out beneath Bryan's gifts. Riley, who used to refer to Simba as "Umba," has now decided that his name is "Puppy."

Kitty got in on the celebrating, too, and enjoyed her new cat brush from Bryan and I!

Kitty and Susie got an ornament from Grammy and Grampy (Bryan's Mom and Dad), and a bag of treats from Meme and Papaw (Jenny's Mom and Step-Dad).

They were tempting, just as the bag implied...

Thanks to our families for remembering our pets at Christmas. And thanks to our pets, for being good (well, most of the time) company throughout the year!

And please enjoy a video titled "Mommy's Home!" (Disregard the deplorable condition of our entryway... we've since cleaned the apartment.) :-)