After a brief job search, I was hired on Friday and begin work tomorrow.  Woo Hoo!  As much as I have enjoyed not working this summer and have valued the time with Walt, I am ready to work again.  

 

Like before, I will not be blogging about my job or where I am working. 

 

- Lisa Lounsbery

My sister Stacy came down for the weekend and we had a blast.  I convinced her to go ballroom dancing with us, and she admitted that it was a lot of fun.  I shared my beloved Walt with her, so that she didn't have to dance with a stranger.  Walt commented on how strange it was to dance with someone so much shorter than me.  And Stacy found it odd to dance with a man so much taller than her.  I just smiled and enjoyed the Salsa dancing. 

 

Saturday we all headed out to Pigeon Forge to go shopping at the Tanger Outlet Mall.  We all found some great buys.  I bought a bunch of new clothes to fit my ever shrinking waist line, and Stacy found her 8.5 Narrow Clogs.  After shopping we went to a country store out in the middle of nowhere to buy fudge.  Mmmmm, fudge.

 

I have to say it was really nice to have Stacy come visit, and to be able to show our home.  After Stacy left today, we went back to working on the rec room.  We did the first coat of paint on the ceiling, and the room keeps looking better and better.

 

- Lisa Lounsbery 

Joy of Joys, I found David Harrison!  Woo Hoo x 10! 

 

He is teaching out of Absolute Ballroom which is temporarily located at 6636 Central Pike in Knoxville.  He is teaching classes on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday evenings.

  

- Lisa Lounsbery

I am upset.  Our dance instructor in Knoxville, TN has disappeared.  The dance studio is not talking.  His name and profile have been deleted from Academy Ballroom's website.  I tried Googling him, but I haven't had much luck.  So, my final option is to blog about him and hope he or someone that knows him finds this blog.

 

Walt and I enjoyed taking classes from David Harrison at Academy Ballroom in Knoxville, TN.  If I am remembering correctly, he was a Junior National Champion many years ago.  My latest lead on David Harrison of Knoxville, TN was thru Dance Dimensions.  I plan on calling them tomorrow.  My only other hope is Oana Sirboiu who assisted Walt and I on Friday nights with David.

 

If anyone out there knows where David Harrison of Knoxville, TN is teaching, please leave me a comment.  I was really enjoying learning swing from him.

 

We will keep taking classes at Academy Ballroom, but I want to take some private classes with David as well.

 

Lesson Learned:  I need to give my email to every instructor from now on.  At least they can contact me if they change studios.

 

- Lisa Lounsbery 

This past week has been crazy!  I spent the week in Dallas working for my former company on their quarterly presentation.  It was great to see all my former co-workers, friends, and family.  The work portion went as I expected.  It's weird to go back, not in a bad way, just weird.

 

Now I am back home and have the time to blog again!!!  So, it's back to dancing, diving, and hiking.  Maybe some shopping in Pigeon Forge next weekend.  And I can't forget the never ending rec room remodel.  Man, it was nice to get away from that for a week.

 

Last night Walt and I were in the basement, he was showing me the electricians handy work.  I looked out back and saw a family of raccoons scurrying across the backyard.  I will definitely move the trash bins into the garage now.  I guess as long as it's not a bear, it's ok.

 

Basically, I am happy to be back home with Walt.

 

- Lisa Lounsbery

When you purchase a 40 year old home, you assume that there will be some home improvements.  What you don't realize is how much time these improvements take.  Take our Rec Room for example.  My plan for the room was rather simple at first.  Simply paint the paneling and wallpaper wall, tear out the ugly beams on the ceiling,  and replace the trim.  Sounds simple enough, but not really.

 

Two months into the project and I am almost ready to start slapping some color into the room.  The paneling was a little more challenging than I originally anticipated.  It took two coats of primer and had to be hand painted with a brush (rollers do not work on textured panels).  There are some rot issues down at floor level that had to be addressed.  A family of crickets lived behind the rot...they are all dead now.  Tearing down the "ax-murderer" beams on the ceiling (12 of them every 2 feet) resulted in holes in the ceiling.  The holes have been patched and I now know how to do textured ceilings.  Then of course the wallpaper with the super adhesive.  I am happy to report that I got the last of the adhesive off the wall today. 

 

A major issue we discovered after our furniture arrived was that the doorway to the room was too small for a couch to fit through.  Walt completed the demo work to the doorway yesterday and now it's huge!  It's great to have such a handy husband.

 

Moral of this little story:  No home improvement project goes smoothly, just learn to roll with the punches.  Eventually it will be complete.

 

- Lisa Lounsbery

I am on a mission to make a meatloaf that I actually like and that does not sit like a brick in my stomach.  The only meatloaf that has ever fulfilled those two requirements was my grandma's (mom's mom).  Unfortunately, due to Walt's dietary restrictions I prefer not to make meatloaf with red meat.  So, grandma's recipe is out.

 

The other day I was channel surfing and caught an episode of Everyday Italian.  Giada was preparing a Turkey based meatloaf with an Italian twist.  It looked so delicious that I decided to make it tonight.

 

The prep time took a little less than 10 minutes for me, and that is a big plus in my book.  Cooking time is 45 minutes.

 

I did make some substitutions for the ingredients on the list for various reasons.  But the ingredient list is rather short: 

1/2 cup Plain Bread Crumbs (I used Italian Seasoned since I had that on hand)

1/4 cup Flat Leaf Parsley (I used dried and decreased the amount by half)

2 Large Eggs, lightly beaten (Egg Beaters - healthier for Walt and taste the same as eggs)

2 tablespoons of whole milk (I used 1% Milk and added an additional tablespoon to moisten the parsley flakes)

1/2 cup of grated Romano ( I used a Romano/Parmesan blend - all I had on hand)

1/4 cup of sun dried tomatoes

3/4 teaspoon of salt (I left this out completely - Walt does not need additional salt)

3/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

1 pound of ground turkey

10 slices of Pancetta (I used Prosciutto - I live in the sticks and couldn't find pancetta)

 

If you are wondering what the Pancetta is for, you wrap the meatloaf in it.  For the full recipe, go to http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_34654,00.html

 

Now for the big question:  Did Walt and I like it?

 

Answer:  Delicious, moist, and light.

 

- Lisa Lounsbery

Ok, ok, I am blogging like crazy today.  So much has happened recently that I am finally having the time to blog about it.

 

Friday night Walt and I went to the Weird Al concert at Dick Clark's American Bandstand in Pigeon Forge, TN.  Since it was our first time at this venue and to see Weird Al, I will be reviewing both.

 

Dick Clark's American Bandstand:  It's an outdoor venue for the concerts.  Reserved seating consists of folding chairs with ample leg room.  General seating is the bleacher section in the back.  Honestly, there is not a bad seat for viewing here.  It's a small venue.  Unfortunately your butt will go painfully numb in the folding chairs.  Bring or buy a seat pad, trust me you will need it.  To get in and out of the concert area you have to go through the building.   There is a great museum on the top level that is worth a look (it's free).  Also the only non-port-o-potty bathrooms are on this level as well.  There is no signage telling you where they are (as you walk in it's to the left in the corner).  Once you get there be prepared to wait, as there are only 5 stalls.  On the lower level is food, beverages, and a band playing.  Very nice.  The sound system for the concert area is top notch.  The employees are very friendly except for one older woman (60+) who works on the upper level.  She was an absolute witch.  We were outside attempting to figure out where to get our will-call tickets when she opened the door and yelled that there are more ticket lines inside.  Since she seemed to know what was going on, I politely asked her if will-call was inside as well.  She yelled at me (3 feet away) that the tickets lines were inside.  So, I asked does that include will-call.  She yelled again that she already answered that the tickets lines were inside as well.  Well, that was it.  In my stern voice I informed her that she did not answer my question, but simply kept stating the same thing, and that a simple yes or no would have sufficed.  WITCH, I thought to myself.  Once inside, I overheard a few others grumbling about her attitude.  At least it wasn't just me.  Anyway, other than the witch, I thought Dick Clark's American Bandstand was great.

 

Weird Al:  Everyone that knows me knows that I am not the most patient person in the world.  And I expect for things to start on time.  Weird Al started 55 minutes late to my displeasure.  Once it started it was fantastic!  High energy, lots of costume changes, and songs from the 1980's to present.  My favorite songs were Canadian Idiot (yes, I thought of the jerk...I mean Gary), White and Nerdy, Albuquerque, and my all time favorite Amish Paradise.  It was amazing how many people knew all the lyrics.  The people behind us knew all the songs!  A great time was had by all in attendance.  So, if Mr. Yankovic performs in your town then go.  It's a great concert, but be prepared to wait an hour.

 

- Lisa Lounsbery

 

To whom it may concern at Microsoft:

 

Thanks for adding some of the old features back!  This makes me happy with Microsoft again...

 

Specifically, I no longer have to go to "What's New" to add a blog or pictures.  

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you Windows Live Spaces!!!

 

- Lisa Lounsbery 

Saturday we took our first Latin Ballroom Class.  Walt and I are enrolled in a 10 week Beginning Latin course at Acadamy Ballroom http://academyb.com/ in Knoxville. The class is taught by the wonderful Johnny Tang.  At the start of class I felt like I had two left feet and would not get this dance.  But thankfully Johnny is an incredible teacher and by the end of class I had the basic chasse down.  

 

During the class, Johnny really hit home when he started talking about how good dancing is for the heart.  When Johnny said that I felt so grateful that Walt made it through bypass and that we have a lifetime of dancing the nights away to come. 

 

- Lisa Lounsbery

 Yesterday we went diving at Loch Low Minn Scuba Resort in Athens, TN.  Overall Walt and I had a great time there.  It's about an hour away from Knoxville, and probably an hour from Chattanooga as well.

 

First, I would like to address the word "Resort" in the name.  That is inaccurate.  To me a resort has some kind of accommodations, but I saw none.  The website states that there are cabin rentals, but I saw no evidence of that.  There is camping available and a swimming pool for non-divers.  What I am saying is that the name should be Loch Low Minn Scuba Park and not Resort.

 

With that being said, this is a good quarry dive location.  Visibility was around 20' yesterday, and can be as good as 40' at other times of the year.  Water temperature at the surface was in the low 80's.  There are two thermoclines in the quarry.  The first is around 35-40', and the second is around 60-70'.  The water temp at 40' is around 68-70 degrees, so bring your wetsuit if you plan on diving past 35'.  Next time we go, I plan on bringing my beanie with me.  That water was chilling my head.

 

Walt and I mainly dove around the perimeter of the quarry due to visibility issues.  We saw lots of vegetation and paddle fish.  We were only able to get one dive in due to a thunderstorm that approached during our surface interval.  Don't worry mom, we were out of the water a good 15 minutes prior to the thunder starting.  Next time we go there we will check out the bottom for the statues and such.

 

Loch Low Minn Scuba Resort

http://www.lochlow-minn.com/loch_low_minn.htm 

Open weekends 9am-5pm May1st - November 1st  all other times by appointment only

Cost:  $20/person for divers, $10/person for non-divers 

No children under 12 unless they are under instruction or certified (nice)

Tank fills:  $5

 

- Lisa Lounsbery

 

As always, I have been working on the house.  My latest battle is with 30 year old wallpaper adhesive in the rec room.  Removal the paper was a snap.  It came down in long sheets, but the adhesive on the wall was another matter completely. 

 

My first assault on the wall was with my handy-dandy Wagner steamer.  In 2 hours I managed to remove 80% of the adhesive on a 2 foot by 8 foot section.  By the time I realized 2 hours had elasped, my hands were sore and my rec room felt like a sauna from all the steam.  At this rate, it would take 40 hours to remove 80% of the adhesive and who knows how long to remove the rest.  Yikes.

 

After telling Walt about my saga, he went online to see if there was a more efficient way to remove the adhesive.  Personally, I was ready to re-drywall that wall.  But Walt found a product that can break down the nastiest adhesives.  It's called DIF.

 

DIF gel is the miracle I was looking for.  This stuff is fantastic!  You simply spray it on the adhesive and wait 15-20 minutes.  Then armed with a bucket of water and sponge, I wiped the gooey adhesive off the wall (rinsing the sponge periodically).  My advice is to wear gloves when doing this.  Also, go ahead and purchase the gallon bottle for $12-13.  You will need for than a small spray bottle to complete a room.

 

So, now I am DIF'ing away and the wall is looking great.  Before priming the wall for the new color, I will do some light sanding to get any remaining residue off the wall. 

 

Lesson Learned:  Steamers are great to remove newer wallpaper and borders that are adhered with removable adhesive.  But when it comes to older papers, use DIF.  See the DIF difference:

 

 - Lisa Lounsbery