Indelible

Free Lunch?

2009-03-18T17:28:00.000-07:00

FYI Peeps, you can go here and sign up to win a free lunch from sine, blackfinn, or halligan. Venture Richmond is doing this for the Richmond Loft Tour.

ChesterfieldDaily.net ... now released.

2007-10-03T08:23:00.000-07:00

The south will rise again? Well.. we are working on it. Bringing another community site into the mix we now have ChesterfieldDaily.net that has just been released.

Happy Fourth Of July!

2007-07-04T05:22:00.000-07:00

The benefits of spinach! Do you eat enough of it?

2007-05-23T12:40:00.000-07:00

So since I started growing my garden back a couple months ago I have been doing a lot of research on what I am actually growing and the benefits of what I am eating! This first segment (hopefully I will be inspired to write more) is all about spinach! Something every kid is sure to hate but something every kid, adult, senior citizen should eat ... more than you think!

If you hate reading, then here's a quick list of spinach benefits.

The benefits of spinach are pretty amazing. Of course every article reference's Popeye - however it is considered a "super food" because it packs so many vitamins and minerals that are needed for a good number of health benefits.

Spinach is most readily available in the spring and the fall. Spinach plants love cool weather and they thrive in your garden ready to be picked a couple times a week. There are 3 basic kinds of spinach, savoy, flat or smooth-leaf, and semi-savoy. If you do grow spinach savoy has crinkly leaves and is harder to clean but great for salads. However to get the most nutrients out of your spinach it needs to be cooked. This will help release the nutrients so they are easier for your body to absorb. You can boil, steam, sauté, and even microwave!

Spinach Recipes
Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Cheese and Spinach
Oriental Orange Spinach
Spinach Artichoke Dip Recipe
Spinach and Smoked Salmon Fettucine

Health Benefits!
1. Combats prostate cancer
2. Cardiovascular Protection
3. Helps your brain with learning capacity and motor skills
4. Better eyesight
5. Lots of Iron for energy
6. Maintains bone health
7. Prevents neural-tube defects in the fetus

I've been tagged

2007-05-18T07:21:00.000-07:00

I have been tagged.

The Rules
• Start with 7 random facts/habits about yourself
• People who are tagged have to write their 7 things on their blog
• Then choose another 7 people to get tagged and list their names
• Don’t forget to leave them a comment to tell them they have been tagged

The Random Facts
1. I have a 10 month old named Halle
2. I have 1 real brother and then 4 step-sisters, 1 step-brother-in-law, 3 sister-in-laws, and 1 brother-in-law
3. I missed Ross and Val's wedding
4. Sometimes I crave beef broth
5. My Favorite Disney movie is Robin Hood
6. I'm way more excited over my garden than I should be
7. I got hit in the face with a softball, broke my jaw, and my mouth was wired shut for 2 months. (this explains why I missed Ross and Val's wedding, this also explains my cravings for beef broth)

My Tagged Seven (You're it)
http://fuothertatterdemalion.wordpress.com/
http://www.workplayfamily.com/
http://triathlonmom.blogspot.com/
http://johnmholland.blogspot.com/
http://thecoletteblog.blogspot.com/
http://phillipkeiper.blogspot.com/
http://allthingswitham.blogspot.com/

Awww my first tomato!

2007-05-17T18:09:00.000-07:00

I have become a little obsessive with my garden. My wife would tell you the same, but today was a special day as the first "fruit of my labor" came forth today - a tomato! I have three tomato plants and the runt of the three blossomed first, which surprised me!

Here are some pictures from the garden, as well as my beautiful wife!

Tires, from the internet to my doorstep!

2007-05-15T06:18:00.000-07:00

So in conclusion (from my previous post) I came home yesterday and there were my tires sitting on my doorstep! The next thing I gotta do is figure out how much it will cost for them to put the tire on my car! If it's less than 60$, I win!

New Virginia Tech Alumni Site, Richmond Chapter

2007-05-11T10:19:00.000-07:00

So I finally just finished this site. Thought I would "show it off" a little bit. I'm happy how it came out.

www.richmondhokies.org

Always order your tires on the internet!

2007-05-10T05:45:00.000-07:00

So back in college I had a roommate that ordered a tire off the internet. If you ever read back in my posts (since I post ALL THE TIME, ha) you'll notice that I have a bit of trouble running over nails and always having to replace my tires. You never know when you going to have a flat, it can't be plugged, and you need a new tire ... aka have to pay some mechanic 124$ for a tire!

I finally got smart. FINALLY! I decided today that I would go and order a tire on the internet and see if I could get a better deal. OBVIOUSLY I could and found a tire with great reviews for $64 plus free shipping. Uh - that's half the price dude! So I ordered two, one for my dry rotting tire and another spare, just in case.

So if you have really bad luck with nails in tires, or you just want to be prepared. Get on the internet, find your tire for half the price, and be ready for the next time YOU have a flat or just need to replace the tread.

BUY YOUR TIRES ON THE INTERNET.

Baby Bunnies in our Backyard

2007-03-28T07:12:00.000-07:00

Last night we heard a "squeaking" and my dog started going nuts. So I let her out and she ran right over to where we saw a little tiny critter. At first we thought it was a baby squirrel that had fallen from the nest.

Then this morning we woke up about 5:00 to my dog literally standing over us whining and being all obnoxious. We knew why she wanted to go out because she NEVER has to go out that early. However I let her out to go sniff around and then called her back a little later.

Later this morning I inspected the nest some more and decided, no they aren't squirrels they are BUNNIES! Much to my surprise there were four little buggers in that nest. Apparently the mother rabbit comes back every night for about 5 mins to feed them and then off she goes for the rest of the day until the next night.

We'll be interested to see what happens next.

Best mascot ever? No, probably not.

2007-03-22T08:52:00.000-07:00

You have got to see this to believe it! The GEODUCK!

http://www.evergreen.edu/athletics/geoduck.htm

I attract flat tires

2007-03-12T08:07:00.000-07:00

I finally realized this weekend I attract flat tires. That's right. I said flat tires. Last year alone I had 3-4 flat tires, two of them I had to replace with new tires.

This weekend I went to Boone, NC to hang with my wife's family and spend sometime in seclusion in the mountains. It was beautiful (I'll post pictures later). I didn't drive but don't worry that didn't stop my magnetism to nails, particularly roofing nails.

We drove 6 hours down to the mountains of North Carolina and somewhere along the way we picked up a roofing nail and awoke the next morning to nothing but a flat tire on my in-laws car. My brother-in-law politely told me that I wouldn't be able to ride in his car, ever, in fear of flat tires. However, we got it plugged that morning and enjoyed the rest of the weekend.

Well the saga continues ... I made it just over 2 months without having a flat tire on my car. My last one was on December 28th and I had to buy a new one ($137) because there was a wire sticking out of the side of my tire, therefore "unpluggable". This morning, I awoke to ANOTHER flat tire, also unpluggable (so says Sears) because the tread on the tire was too worn. I suppose I needed a new tire anyway, but I could have at least waited another 3-6 months. Who really needs tread anyway? It's not like we have snow!!

Yay for $137 tires!

Little Drummer Boy (Happy New Year!)

2007-01-01T09:44:00.000-08:00

At my church yesterday we had six drummers perform a drum skit. It was pretty sweet, check it out.

Building Bookshelves (from scratch). Day One.

2006-12-28T15:20:00.000-08:00

Baby's first santa's pictures!

2006-12-22T06:41:00.000-08:00

More than you'll ever know.

2006-12-20T09:21:00.000-08:00

I wasn't going to blog about this but I felt like I needed to just get the lyrics out there. Lately I have been thinking about the people who have prayed for me so many times (and are praying for me) and standing by me through different situations. There have been some that have known me my whole life and seen a lot, some that I met in the past year, and then some that just came along in the past month! "You have blessed my life, more than you'll ever know" - thanks.

More Than You'll Ever Know, By Watermark
Something brought you to my mind today
I thought about the funny ways
you make me laugh
And yet I feel like it's ok to cry with you
Something about just being with you
When I leave I feel like I've been with God
and that's the way it ought to be, yeah

Chorus
Cause you've been more than a friend to me
you fight off my enemies
cause you have spoken the truth over my life
And you'll never know what it means to me
just to know you've been on your knees for me
Oh, you have blessed my life
more than you'll ever know
Yeah, yeah, yeah, more than you'll ever know
Yeah, yeah, yeah

Verse 2
You had faith
when I had none
You prayed God would bring me a brand new song
When I didn't think I could find the strength to sing
and all the while I've been hoping that I'll
do the kind of praying for you that you've done for me
and that's the way it ought to be, yeah

Bridge
You have carried me
You have taken upon a burden
that wasn't your own, yeah
may that blessing return to you
A hundredfold

A Christmas Present Dilemma

2006-12-18T08:43:00.000-08:00

So last night we got to share Christmas with my brother and his fiance early because they will be in New Jersey on Christmas day. The plan was he would be giving out his presents to everyone and we would be giving him his, and spending the evening together for dinner and sharing a good old family Christmas dinner. It was nice to see them since they live in NOVA, although sad because my younger sister couldn't join us due to work the next day in Maryland.

Anyway, during the gift exchange he and his fiance handed out gifts and in turn we handed him gifts. HOWEVER, I never received anything from him. They all finished opening gifts, hugging/kissing and we were ready to get up and eat dinner. But, I never got anything and my brother never said anything about it, which is strange because we always give each other something and I AM his only brother.

So the dilemma. Do you say something about not getting a gift? Do you let it go? Do you think he forgot? I mean, Christmas is about GIVING and NOT RECEIVING. It would be pretty conceited to say "hey where's my gift?" -- How selfish. Since we picked names on my mom's side does that mean he's not getting me a gift, even if it's on my dad's side? Hmm. So, I decided to keep my mouth shut.

Then my brother says during dinner ... "Oh Jamie's gift is on the table in the other room, just so you know when you see him" ... wait a second, Jamie is my sister's boyfriend. Now I'm really confused because how come he gets one and I don't! (you can start to see my internal struggle and selfish attitude coming through!) "He MUST have left it back at home and forgot about it! Surely he did!" I thought to myself.

After a little discussion with my wife on the way home and mentioning to my parents, I decided that it wasn't about receiving and was just going to let it go, thinking he just forgot.

As soon as my internal struggle was won, I get a call from my brother later that night letting me know he didn't forget, but I wasn't to get it till Christmas and he realized that he never said anything to me and it must have been extremely weird to be the only one not having a gift. We laughed and now I eagerly look forward to my present from my one and only brother on Christmas, which makes it a very very special gift!

Happy Hanukkah

2006-12-15T13:14:00.000-08:00

Tonight at sundown is the start Hanukkah, I think - I'm not Jewish but Hallmark told me that was true! Tomorrow is the first FULL day of Hanukkah. So for all who are Jewish out there, Happy Hanukkah to you!!!

I might be addicted to coffee, at least it's not acohol?

2006-12-14T09:17:00.000-08:00

Some people might say I'm "addicted" to coffee. I might agree with them. However I suppose it's better than drinking alcohol and being addicted to that? I actually don't drink for that very reason. I have alcoholics in my family line and believe it's a generational curse. Even when I used to drink, I could feel a strong urge in me to always just have one more, and another, and another. You may laugh and say "what's wrong with that?" Well if you can't stop, then there is an issue you NEED to deal with. This is why I don't drink, too much urge to keep going.

Maybe this is the same way with coffee though? I believe I could drink coffee ALL DAY LONG!! Seriously. Cup after cup after cup. It really wouldn't phase me a bit, although my teeth may turn a nice pretty shade of yellow which I know my wife would love!

This coming year I am going to try something that I haven't done in about 5 years. (And it WILL be a challenge for me) Although I'm not Catholic, it's still probably a good discipline for me. During the Lent season, I am going to fast coffee and probably detox in general. There. I said it. I will fast coffee for around 44 days or so. And yes, it's 3 months away, but I've gotta gear myself up and start weening myself soon.

Just gotta make it through the holidays!

Happy Birthday Frank Sinatra

2006-12-12T09:12:00.000-08:00

I didn't know what to blog about today so I figured I would find out what happened on December 12th, in history. A ton of crap happened I tell you what. One of them being Frank Sinatra was born in 1915. In case you are bored and want some reading today, knock yourself out!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Sinatra

Other things that happened on this December 12th

Why my house is dusty

2006-12-11T18:49:00.000-08:00

So today I changed my filters. The recommended life of these filters are 90 days. So 3 months ago I changed the filters and now its time to change them again. Amazing what can happen in 90 days, and now I know why my house is so dusty!

Blogging and Literacy -- Teaming Up for the Holidays

2006-12-09T15:30:00.000-08:00

The press release was sent out today, I think. Currently there have been 11,079, that is tracked from PRWeb. This could just be the number of RSS readers that are reading in all of their press releases. I'm skepitcal. However - here's the "official" press release.

http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2006/12/emw488577.htm

Or you can just read it here!

Blogging and Literacy -- Teaming Up for the Holidays

The Virginia Literacy Foundation, PharrOut LLC, and RVABlogs.com announce their second annual holiday fundraising effort supporting the fight against illiteracy in Virginia.

Richmond, VA (PRWeb) December 9, 2006 -- The Virginia Literacy Foundation, PharrOut LLC, and RVABlogs.com announce their second annual holiday fundraising effort supporting the fight against illiteracy in Virginia.

Through RVABlogs.com, PharrOut LLC and the Virginia Literacy Foundation (VLF) hope to reach out to Richmond's blogging community in a unique awareness and fundraising campaign. Bloggers can learn about VLF at RVABlogs.com, donate through a secure paypal account, and access the code to add the fundraising graphic and link to their own blog - thus allowing their blog readers to do the same.

"The response last year was amazing," said Scott Pharr, co-owner of PharrOut LLC. "Although PharrOut supports nonprofit groups throughout the year, the holiday season proved to be the perfect time to bring the Richmond blogging community and the non-profit community together. Supporting and promoting the Virginia Literacy Foundation is a natural fit since bloggers have an inherent interest in literacy…without reading and writing there would be no blogs."

The Virginia Literacy Foundation provides funding and technical support to private, volunteer literacy organizations throughout Virginia through challenge grants and direct consultation. These organizations support K-4th grade-level adult readers with one-on-one instruction and tutoring. The VLF also works in partnership with all public and private literacy organizations in Virginia to attack illiteracy in the workplace and to provide family literacy training.

Developed by local Web development firm PharrOut LLC, RVABlogs.com (www.RVABlogs.com) acts as a blog aggregator - collecting posts from Richmond area blogs to a common site and promoting a sense of community amongst these bloggers.

For additional information about the VLF holiday fundraiser, visit RVABlogs.com (www.rvablogs.com/charity)

###

Unprecedented step by Charlottesville judge....

2006-12-07T15:32:00.000-08:00

Charlottesville, VA-- A seven-year-old boy was
at the center of a Charlottesville courtroom drama yesterday
when he challenged a court ruling over who should have custody of
him. The boy has a history of being beaten by his parents, and the
judge initially awarded custody to his aunt, in keeping with child
custody law and regulations requiring that family unity be maintained.

The boy surprised the court when
he proclaimed that his Aunt beat him more than his parents and he adamantly refused to live with her. When the judge then suggested that he
live with his grandparents, the boy cried out that they also beat him.

After considering the remainder of the immediate family and learning that domestic violence was apparently a way of life among them, the judge took the
unprecedented step of allowing the boy to propose who should have
custody of him. After two recesses to check legal references
and confer with child welfare officials, the judge granted temporary custody to the Virginia Cavaliers, whom the boy firmly believes are not capable of beating anyone.

Reading can be for everyone!

2006-12-03T18:10:00.000-08:00

This holiday season RVABlogs.com is once again raising money for literacy in Virginia. You can be apart of this effort by just donating a little money to this cause.

By donating just $5, you are giving people the chance to read, like you are reading this. By donating just $5, you are giving people the chance to write, as all of you are also able to do. By donating just $5, you are giving people the chance to learn.

It's a good cause, which is why all bloggers and blog readers should check out RVABlogs.com/charity

Spread the word!

Christmas at PharrOut!

2006-10-20T08:51:00.000-07:00

It was like Christmas today in the PharrOut office as we graduated from hand-me-down chairs (not that we aren't grateful!)to new "Vocazo" chairs. Complete with a mesh backs, lumbar supports, "suede" swivel seats, and wheels to roll around the office! Now we have about a billion extra chairs in our office.

Who knows -- maybe we'll get new "desks" next.

Skateboarding through Balloons!

2006-09-29T20:35:00.001-07:00

balloon bowl
Uploaded by fufko

In his toodles? eeeh...ouch!

2006-09-19T08:10:00.000-07:00

Max passed me this today and I thought it would be a good "video of the day".

PharrOut ® now a registerd trademark!

2006-09-12T11:42:00.000-07:00

Today our trademark on our name went through! I filed it last march and amazingly enough, I had no trouble getting a service mark. And now that its official, we can "legally" put on the ® mark whenever we write PharrOut! woo!

http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=78844091

Holy Crap, Cheap Gas!

2006-09-12T06:29:00.000-07:00

I just went over to Target off of Forest Hill Ave today and was coming back to get on 150 and BAM! cheap gas (well cheaper than normal) - The picture tells it all!

All on the way home!

2006-09-08T18:09:00.000-07:00

So I have been meaning to write this for about, two days. And I just haven't had time. Now that I am home alone with the baby crying in the crib, I can finally sit down and write.

Where I was
So I was on my way home from work, and I'm on powhite pkwy coming to the southside. I have my dad's truck...

Event 1
and I have my smart tag and I am being one of those people that have to hold it up under my rear-view mirror while going under the toll. Unforunately the last toll I was at the bar never went up. So I hit it. heh. So if you were traveling to the southside and were able to speed through the toll booth, you can thank me, becuase I was the one that broke the bar! Then ..

Event 2
I am traveling down hull street. If you are familiar with where Bliley's and Wendy's is on hull street you now have a picture, if not you can see my illustration below. There are 3 lanes of traffic, it's 5:00 - so its pretty busy. This one SUV decided that he wanted to turn right, into the Wendy's, from the far left lane. Since there was so much traffic, he decided to go ahead and stop, turn on his right turn signal and try to cross two lanes in 5:00 traffic -- all for a biggie fry. Amazing. Then...

Event 3
I was just a little bit further down hull street, and this van behind me with three women (no, I'm not about to be sexist) had one talking on the cell phone (the driver), a woman in the "middle" backseat obviously ticked off about something and her mouth going about a mile a minute with her hands swinging all around, and when I say all around the passenger seat woman, probably had to duck out of the way a couple times as to not get slapped up side the head. I'm sure the recipient on the other end of the cellphone enjoyed the screaming.

Then I got home. Wow, what a ride!

Yay for oil!!

2006-09-05T21:42:00.000-07:00

Industry closes in on new oil source in Gulf of Mexico
The oil industry is on the verge of cracking open a deep-water region in the Gulf of Mexico that could become the biggest new domestic source of oil in the United States since the discovery of Alaska's North Slope more than a generation ago, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.

Read the Article

Question(s): Does this mean gas will go down (eventually)? Does this mean that we will be paying higher taxes for them get the oil out so we can pay lower prices? Does this really mean ANYTHING?

Using the NEW blogger.com

2006-09-04T14:36:00.000-07:00

So I just noticed that blogger is allowing users to use the new beta version of Blogger. It is now hooked up to your google account, which is interesting I think.

Well -- if you want to read about the "buzz" then go here:

http://buzz.blogger.com/

Top 7 List - Things I love about Sunday's

2006-09-03T18:36:00.000-07:00

7 - Afternoon Naps
6 - Big Family Lunch/Dinner
5 - Afternoon Naps
4 - Trips to home depot
3 - Workin in the yard
2 - Afternoon Naps
1 - Church

Hokies Win!

2006-09-02T14:07:00.000-07:00

Today the Virginia Tech Hokies took their first home victory and win of the season over Northeastern Huskies, 38 - 0.

Gooooooo HOKIES!

Top 7 List - Things that need repair around the house

2006-09-02T13:58:00.000-07:00

7 - Frontdoor Doorknob, just needs a little tightening
6 - Lawnmower, blade needs to be sharpened
5 - Frontporch, needs some repainting
4 - Driver-side sideview mirror, broken from a 2x4 (heh)
3 - Wheels on my car, need alignment/balancing
2 - Pickets on my front-porch, rotten from water
1 - My Driver-side door, doesn't open from the outside

Maybe I'll give you an update when I do all these things -- expect something in a year or so.

Go Virginia Tech Hokies!

2006-09-02T10:39:00.000-07:00

Alright -- I'm ready for the game. I have my flag out front of my house, i have my maroon effect shirt on, and i'm all signed up for yahoo sports college broadcast ready to scream!

GO HOKIES!!!

Top 7 List - Events that I hope DON'T happen during a hurricane

2006-09-01T08:25:00.000-07:00

7 - our electricity going out and having to take a cold shower
6 - we run out of food
5 - i run out of coffee(!?!!?!)
4 - flooding in our back yard
3 - trees falling on our cars/house (close to happening during Isabelle)
2 - my dog being smashed by falling tree limbs in our backyard.
1 - my wife diving under the coffee table with our daughter to save their lives.

*** After I wrote these I remembered how fortunate we really are to have all these things in our lives and are truely blessed!

Top 7 List - Things I will never do, ever.

2006-08-31T07:58:00.000-07:00

7 - A backward pike with 2½ somersaults and 1½ twists
6 - Eat and enjoy Peas, Pineapple, or Cheese Cake
5 - Own a cat
4 - Learn to read sheet music (i've tried 3 times, it's impossible for me, apparently)
3 - Root for UVA over VT
2 - Sky Dive
1 - Bungee Jump

Top 7 List - Things I love about the PharrOut office

2006-08-30T05:29:00.000-07:00

7 - Orange Walls (Maroon Potential)
6 - Sweet Location, VCU District overlooking Main Street.
5 - SweetPeas, right next door
4 - No Shoes. No Ties. No Pants?
3 - Nintendo and N64 at my leisure
2 - Cable TV on my desk
1 - Endless fun with Ross and Ryan

Find out more about our company, PharrOut.

Top 7 List - Favorite Hobbies

2006-08-29T08:01:00.000-07:00

7 - Helping at my church with the youth
6 - Running
5 - Drinking Coffee here and here
4 - Sudoku
3 - Playing Guitar
2 - Wearing Orange and Maroon (Trust me, it's a hobby. Go Hokies.)
1 - Playing with my baby!

Top 7 List - Favorite Foods

2006-08-28T08:33:00.000-07:00

7 - Peanut Butter Sandwich
6 - Chocolate Chip Pancakes
5 - Crockpot Lasagna
4 - Chicken Salad
3 - Margherita Pizza
2 - Chicken Quesadillas
1 - Philly Cheese Steak

New Template

2006-08-27T20:07:00.000-07:00

Okay Okay - I stole this. But I needed something that wasn't the same ole -- especially since I'm starting over. See Below.

Coming Soon: Top 7 Favorite Foods

Starting New!

2006-08-27T16:47:00.000-07:00

Ever since the birth of my baby, Halle Madison, I have been a bit pre-occupied with life. I know this should actually give me REAL LIFE content to write in my blog but I just haven't had the time between work, wife, baby, and other stuff that pops in and out.

To kick off my return this week, I will be posting my TOP 7 "THINGS" OF THE WEEK. Everyday a new TOP 7 list will appear, which could be normal or off the wall. We'll see how it goes.

But for now, back to changing diapers!

Baby Halle

Jun 30, 2006 - 60 Photos