Friday Five - 3.2.12

1. Guess what Kevin saw while golfing at Parris Island recently?  Not one, but two alligators!  Doesn't this first one look like it's ready to attack?! 

2. A few weeks ago, we tackled a long overdue project of hanging a collection of picture frames on one of our living room walls.  As you can see in the photos below, we used the butcher paper method to position the frames, and it was very, very helpful.  I'm not sure where I originally found this idea, but I've seen it as a suggestion on more than one blog.  First, you cut butcher paper the exact size of each of your frames.  Then you tape the pieces of paper to the wall and move them around until you figure out how you want your display to look.  (I didn't bother using measuring tape or a level for this step.)  Once you decide on your layout then use a measuring tape and a level to determine exactly where each frame should be.  After each piece of paper is exactly where you want it, measure the distances on the back of each frame from the hooks to the outer edges of the frame.  Apply those measurements to the corresponding papers taped to the wall and then you will know exactly where to hammer the nails.  After the nails are in place, just remove the papers and replace them with the actual frames!

Now I just need to figure out which photos to put in the frames.

3.  So I'm not gifted in the art of flower arranging.  I have only tried a couple of times, but each time I try I feel like my creation looks nowhere near as beautiful as a professional arrangement.  Despite this, I believe my ability to arrange flowers can only get better with practice...so I'm gonna keep trying.  Before our friends came to visit a couple of weeks ago, I decided to buy some inexpensive flowers at the grocery store and arrange them myself.  I asked the man working in the floral department to give me some advice, and he gave me two helpful tips: 1. Use plenty of ferns and baby's breath to fill the arrangement. and 2. Create the arrangement in your hand first (rather than the vase) then cut the stems to the appropriate lengths before putting them in the vase.  I followed his advice to the best of my ability, and I think the arrangement turned out a lot better than my previous attempts.  Here's a pic of it a week after I created it and after I removed some dead stems.  It's not great, but it's not terrible either! 

4.  The Game of Things - We had a bunch of friends over last weekend, and we played this game for hours.  It's a great source of laughter and entertainment when you have a big group of people!

5.  I tried a new recipe this week - Slow Cooker Cheesy Potato Soup.  Kevin really liked it, and I liked it too...so I think it's one that I'll make again.  Here's the link to the recipe if you want to try it.  The bacon and green onion toppings add a lot of flavor, but next time I think I'll add some seasoning to the soup while it's cooking.