the long held secret, finally revealed!

We have been trying to determine the gender of our unborn child for many months now. The baby had denied us two times previous to today. As we went in for another sonogram today, there was only minimal anxiousness because we had prepared ourselves for the third attempt to not get our hopes up. Well, I am happy to report that our blessed first child cooperated and showed us the money shot! We will be adding a baby girl to our family in October! The proof is undeniable and the technician said it is 100% girl. Also, baby Perry can now be referred to by her first name...Charlotte (middle name still pending). As soon as we left the doctor's office we headed straight for target to indulge in sweet little girl paraphanalia. It was nice to finally be specific in shopping for our baby!

more than meets the eye

wow, calm down! it took me hours to read through all the responses from my last post. i think my friend michelle might be on to something with her comment. perhaps that picture is a bit...uninspiring. well, in order to inspire, i will up the ante with a slightly altered version of that picture. also, i am proud of myself for finally figuring out how to change my background into something else besides the standard blogger layouts. the last time i tried to tinker with my blog i ended up losing ALL of my posts from the two years i was in zambia...boo hoo! they are now forever floating around lost in cyberspace.

Alright, hopefully this picture will get more than one comment...

Time for a new post

Well, since my last post got such an overwhelming response, i thought i might try it again! we have had a few things going on, most of which i (ashley) will blog about later. but for now, how about a game!?! I rather enjoy reading www.mycharmingkids.net! One thing the writer of that blog does is host contests such as "name that photo." So, i thought i might give it a go on our blog to re-invigorate what little interest is left, and hopefully generate some new.
Sorry, i do not have the connections that mckmamma has, so no prizes will be awarded for entries. so, let's get a little creative...

The difference between boys and girls

While sitting here reflecting on how I "wasted" this glorious day off of work (thank you, inclement weather!!) and listening to the sleet fall, I thought it would be a good time for a little blogging action and a lesson on gender differences.


Behind this curtain, lies a shocking truth...




No, not the map-of-the-world shower curtain liner that my husband cannot live without. (Just fyi: I, too, enjoy working on my geography while lathering up.)

But this....


The other night I was brushing my teeth and preparing for bed when I looked into our shower and was struck by something. Nearly ALL of the products in our bathtub are mine...and I use them ALL. I thought this was such an awe-inspiring revelation that I would let you see for yourself. Also, please refrain from any "high maintenance" comments.
All of the items in the middle bucket are Austin's. There are four bottles in there, but he actually does not use two of them often. One is a travel bottle he sticks in his overnight kit and the other is some special wash he uses every 6 months or so. I guess I should also add that the black and very manly loofah is his. In my defense (not that I need one!), one of my bottles is near empty and another bottle is it's replacement, just waiting to take it's place in my shower rotation.

So, welcome to my shower....now let's see yours!!

our weekend

This weekend we had a sleepover with H and K while their parents took advantage of a overnight trip they won at a silent auction. It made me feel good they the kids were looking forward to it and were jumping up and down on the front porch when I pulled up on Saturday. We had a great time! We played outside (although just for a bit since it was very cold yesterday), watched a few shows on Noggin, ate at the Old Neighborhood Grill, watched Peter Pan, read books, and went to the bagel shop this morning. Phew, who wouldn't enjoy that! I managed to only get two pictures of our sleepover, afterall, I am having to re-adjust to life with a camera now (thanks, Mom!)



Austin and H playing a nail-bitting game of HORSE. For the record, almost 6 yr old H legitimately beat Austin. But don't worry, Austin got his revenge Sunday morning in H's room playing nerf basketball. And, let us not forget K and her big wheel!


This was taken during Wow-wow Wubzy. Don't tell their mom I forgot to take K's shoes off! OOPS!!! Sorry!

A BOGO deal at Tom Thumb

I saw in the paper that Tom Thumb was having a buy one get one sale on brita water pitcher filter refill packs. For anyone not in the know, those puppies go for about $20- $25 a pack. I was very eager to get in on the action since we ran out of filters about 4 months ago and i did not want to spring for a new pack. just thought i would put this alert out for anyone interested.
Much love, ashley

not me monday

Alright, as many of you may know, especially since it is the only time i blog anymore, that it is not me monday...as seen on mckmama's blog.
so, here it goes.

If someone told you that they saw me squirt gasoline all over myself on friday, then DO NOT believe them! I most certainly was not preoccupied in my thoughts after work that when i removed the nozzle from the tank in my car i was still clutching tightly to the release lever. And since i did not do that, i most certainly did not drench my legs with gasoline and scream when i realized what was happening and throw the nozzle on the ground...wasting about $1.50 in the whole ordeal! Absolutely not!! Also, i have never seen the mythbuster show about setting yourself on fire at a gas pump starting from the spark of static electricity. I was not freaked out at my situation because i was certainly not wearing a static-riffic puffy coat that makes my hair practically stand up on end. It was not me who oh-so-carefully peeled said jacket of all the while praying simultaneously and trying to touch as many things in hopes of staying "grounded".
AND, if that had been me, i would not have found it hilarious when a concerned gentleman paused long enough to hand me a tissue to wipe the $1.50 worth of gas off my jeans.

Last monday, it was not me who pretty much threw a surprise-just-because-i-love-you-and-think-you-are-great-present back in my husbands face because i was "too tired, and hungry, and busy, and in the middle of cooking supper" to pause for 30 seconds to open the plainly wrapped item that came in the mail. That was not me because sweet girls do not behave in such a manner! it is not me who has a sweet husband that read a previous blog entry of mine about a children's book called the small one. he absolutely did not search online for days for a descent copy of a practically out of print book....oh, wait...it is me, and i am a jerk!

also, it is not me who has become so obsessed with finding the round-valentine-pink beaded-placemats that have a heart in the center from target. i did not pick them up to buy in little rock over christmas and then put them back because it would be silly to buy them there when there are 3 targets here in fort worth. i am not kicking myself. and, it is not like they never existed. this isn't me! because if such a thing existed, of course i could track them down since i am super internet searcher girl! also, i do not feel oh so very worldly because i am coveting this one thing i am unable to have (or find!!).

and last but not least, do not believe anyone if they tell you that i did not take down my christmas tree and decorations until YESTERDAY! hello!! that would be tacky to leave them up that long, and we all know how well i follow social ettiquette.

Not Me Monday

It is not me who last week broke the rules writing her previous "not me monday" post. It is not me who pushed the "publish post" button on blogger at 11:50pm and thought that she would have no problem getting her post submitted by the midnight deadline. And certainly, it was not me who underestimated the tortoise-like speed of our stolen wireless signal (i guess it is not stealing if they gave us the password...thanks, sanks!). therefore, I am not the one who did not link back up with mckmamma's website and failed to have the proper banner heading thingy over last monday's post.

I totally did not nearly bawl my eyes out today while reading a naptime story to young K because I found the message of the story to be so touching. And it is not me who now has a favorite children's book titled Small One. And I most certainly am not getting a little teary-eyed this moment just from thinking about the sweet, sweet story.

The husband and I have NOT been rewatching all the seasons of the office for the past several weeks. We are by no means addicted. I, for one, DO NOT dream about any of the characters, especially Jim, Pam, and Kelly. And, for the record, I do not think season 3 is the best season and i do not think the Jim/Pam storyline is the best!

No matter what our neighbors might tell you, do not believe them when they tell you how we missed our trash pick up on wednesday morning by mere seconds. It was not us who drug their garbage can to the street even after the truck had passed our house, in hopes we could get it taken when the city truck came back for the other side of the street (turns out they got both sides at the same time). Even if we had missed the truck, it is not like we missed the previous week either! So, rest assured that our bin is not STILL on the street, nearly one week later, and is ABSOLUTELY NOT crammed so full and overflowing that one is unable to put the lid on. Since we did none of that, we are NOT worried that the garbage trucks will not run on this wednesday which is Christmas eve.

I do not currently have a laundry hamper piled higher than said garbage can filled with dirty clothes. It is not me because I do not have a broken washing machine. So, of course I will not be the one who is packing DIRTY clothes (including underwear) in her suitcase tomorrow in hopes that she can wash them when she gets to either set of parents house. Also, this is not a sore subject!

I am not so proud of myself for keeping a nearly spotless house all week last week. I most certainly did not MAKE OUR BED EVERY MORNING! That would be ridiculous! also, I did not enjoy the serenity that a clean house can bring and seriously contemplate putting much more effort into housework.

it is NOT ME who waited to Christmas shop until yesterday, today, and tomorrow! I did not have to push and shove my way through hoards of people just to walk down the crowded mall. and i most certainly did not swear in my head because i was so impatient with certain other last-minute shoppers who were taking their sweet time.

And last, it is NOT me who came upon a pair of boots at dillards and seriously entertained the idea of paying the $300 price tag. i did not suddenly snap back into reality and calculate all that could be bought with that amount of money.

not me monday

For several months, thanks to tracy, i have been addicted to checking mckmama's blog. she has an incredible story involving a miracle named stellan. you should check it out. anyway, she is the one who came up with not me mondays, and this is my first one....so here goes!

i most certainly have not been sick with some sort of ailment for nearly 6 weeks. it is not me who had a sore throat for almost a month, and not me who is currently so snotty that i have not been able to sleep for two nights. also, if this had been me, of course i would have gone to a doctor. it would be ridiculous not too!

it is not me who is an awful housekeeper. i am definitely not the one who finally swept her kitchen floor for the first time in months saturday morning! also, not me who only cleaned her house because she had major company coming over for a progressive dinner party on saturday night. and while we are at it, it is not me who got so stuffy and whose voice turned froggy due to all the dust she was cleaning (probably more like just spreading the dust around).

it wasn't me who tried to be clever when trying a new recipe for said party saturday night. i most certainly did not ruin my first batch of chocolate fondue and have to rush to the store an hour before the party started to buy more ingredients for fondue attempt number 2. and i absolutely was not a half hour late for the party either because of the recipe mishap. also, in an attempt to hurriedly clean up a messy kitchen, i DID NOT just store the ruined pot of fondue in the stove to deal with later. and i was certainly not trying to give off the appearance of "having it all together" for the benefit of my girlfriends attending the party.

and last, i am not the one who has a wonderful bff named meredith...actually, i think i will own up to that part! but, it was not me who wrote an email from mer's email account telling another friend that mer was getting on my nerves. and no, this was not after our sophomore year in college. and no, mer did not just confess to me that i did such a thing 8 yrs ago while she was in my kitchen saturday graciously helping me prepare for the impending party. and i was not humiliated in the least that i did such an atrocious act of betrayal! and even if i had done what she said, of course i would have remembered it!!

What's for dinner?

Shrimp Grits, of course! I do not know what shrimp grits, or shrimp and grits is supposed to be, but several months ago i came up with my own version. And, as always, each outcome is different since i never make it the same way twice. Tonight i added bacon and pickapeppa sauce (b/c i was out of tabasco) for the first time and it was great! so, for anyone interested, here is a basic recipe that you can manipulate any way you see fit for your tastes!

*1lb frozen, small deveined and tails off shrimp (thaw and pat dry)
*quick cooking grits (i use the great value brand), follow instructions for either 4 or 6 servings depending on how much you want to make
*3 carrots, peeled and chopped into small pieces
*1 to 2 celery stalks (to personal preference), cleaned and chopped
*1/4 of an onion, chopped
*garlic (personal preference on how much), chopped
*6 oz cream cheese
*2 tbsp sour cream (this is a recent addition, since i had some leftover...feel free to omit!)
*1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
*1 bay leaf (i always have these on hand b/c i make soup often, no worries if you don't!)
*salt and pepper to taste
*oregano
*basil
*tony chacheres to taste (creole seasoning for anyone unfamiliar)
*tabasco or pickapeppa sauce, or any sauce or seasoning you have on hand to give it a bit of zip
*evoo
*large rectangular baking dish, i use a pyrex, sprayed with cooking spray

Preheat oven to about 400 degrees F.

In a large skillet on medium heat, add a little evoo, then add carrots. While carrots are cooking, start cooking the grits according to the directions in a large pot. Add celery and onions to skillet along with seasonings and bay leaf. When onions are translucent and carrots are tender, add the thawed and dried shrimp to veggie mixture, let cook for a couple of minutes. Don't forget to stir the grits!
When grits are finished cooking, turn off heat, remove bay leaf, garlic, and add shrimp/veggie mixture to grits. Stir in cream cheese, sour cream, and a tablespoon (more or less depending on you) of the sauce of your choice. Top with shredded cheddar and bake about 20-25 mins...until cheese is melted.
If this is dished immediately following removal from oven, it will have a soupy consistency, but will still taste great! As it cools, it will begin to set up and become stiffer.
Enjoy!

Resist. The. Urge.

For a couple of weeks now, I have been resisting the urge to decorate for Christmas! It does not help that many stores, restaurants, and even my hair salon have begun playing Christmas music. Yesterday I took about three hours of my afternoon and dedicated it to looking at Christmas decorations at some of my favorite stores. Luckily, for the pocketbook, I fought the urge and did not buy anything. The down side is that the diesire to pull down my own decorations from the attic is even stronger. I told myself i can do it next week before we leave to visit family for Thanksgiving. Also, i have a feeling that Meg would make fun of me if she popped in and caught me in the act of decorating. One more week, one more week...

It's your turn!

Both wife and husband perry have voted. Have you? will you??
you should!


*I am wife perry and i approve this message!

disgustingness

i hate mayo. and so does the husband. i hate it so much that it is not worth the effort to type out it's full and proper name. I know that i am not alone in this...but i am also aware of the mayo lovers. i am the minority in my family. although, from my understanding, even within mayo-loving circles there are taste preferences. my mom uses hellman's and my dad is a miracle whip kinda guy. i choose to abstain. that is right, i am mayo celibate.

it really ticks me off when i order a sandwich or burger when dining out, only to find that they RUINED my food by violating it with that disgustingness known as mayo. it has become second nature for me to say "with NO mayo" when ordering such items.

the problem with hating mayo is that i really like many foods that involve mayo as an ingredient...one in particular is chicken salad. In an attempt to enjoy usually mayo-laden foods, i have started substituting the mayo for more perry-friendly ingredients. Last night for supper i made a mayo-free chicken salad for sandwiches that would accompany our homemade veggie soup. I thought it was very delicious and would like to share it with you. Feel free to modify to your personal preference, because after all, that is one of the many joys of cooking!

Chicken salad (clever name to come later)

mine made enough for 4 good size sandwiches

*chicken...i used all but the breast meat of a rotisserie chicken from walmart. roasted chicken without the work of cooking it! i personally do not like canned chicken, but it would work fine here.

*celery...i finely chopped one stalk

*onion, finely chopped...to your personal taste

*grapes...i quartered about 12-15 green grapes

*walnuts...these are very good for you and add good crunch! i used a handful.

*dried cranberries...i chopped a handful

*1 ounce of cream cheese...i used weight watchers pre-portioned 1 oz cups that come 8 to a box. only 1 pt per cup for anyone counting!

*4 ounces of fat free plain yogurt, or half a small container.

*a couple of large spoonfuls of sour cream, i used light.

*a few squirts of yellow mustard

*a couple shots of tabasco...i used the smoked chipotle flavor

*salt

*pepper

*tony chachere's (creole seasoning for anyone not in the know!)

not much has been happening with the perry's lately and i do not have anything to get on a soapbox about either. since i last posted, we have gained the sanks as neighbors, welcomed the newest perry into the world (austin's brother and sis-in-law had a girl!), and had a temporary house guest for two months (austin's sis, amanda).

we are getting ready for a mini-vacation in november to mexico. it is a mini-vacay because we are going for austin's work. there is a conference there that he must attend and i am tagging along. it is in merida, so it is not on the beach. hopefully i will be bold enough to go out and explore on my own. the last "vacation" we had was our honeymoon two and a half years ago.

i am also thinking about giving up the blog. in the beginning...5.5 yrs ago!...i had many interesting things to blog about, but not so much aymore. we'll see........

Principles of Solubility

Due to Austin's new job, he is not permited to take vacation until his 6 month mark, which is at the end of August. As you can imagine, the start of a fall semester is the busiest time of year for a university. Therefore, it is unlikely that he will be able to get away until at least October or maybe even later. Although we have been "stuck" here, we have had many over night visitors during the last couple of months...which we really enjoyed! The latest occupants in room #2 of the Perry B&B were the Garner's of Houston. Bob and Austin were roomies for most of college and both studied chemical engineering at Tech. I mention the chemical engineering part to set up the best quote all weekend, which came from Bob, while dining at Mellow Mushroom. He asked for sweet tea, but the waitress told him they were currently brewing up a fresh batch. She suggested that she could bring him a glass of unsweet and he could use the sugar packets at the table to sweeten it himself. With a very straight look on his face and in a very deadpan voice he said something to the effect of, "I don't have time to explain the principles of solubility to you, I'll have a coke." Obviously, the waitress was not sure what to do with that comment so she smiled and went about her business.
It was great to see the Garner's! Their children are adorable and little miniatures of them. We are now planning a visit to Houston in the future.

Celebrity Morph by MyHeritage

MyHeritage: Celebrity Morph - Vintage photographs - Genealogy software

Hootie and Billy Bob's

Saturday night, Austin and I were finally able to check off an item of our "must-do-while-living-in-Fort-Worth list." We went to Billy Bob's Texas. Wednesday, I was surfing the net while waiting for the children to finish their naps, and I discovered that one of Austin's favorite bands, Hootie and the Blowfish, was performing during the weekend. So, we went and braved the loooong line at the door. The performance was great, but I must confess that the atmosphere was not to my liking. I am 28, I like to SIT and enjoy my music and Darius Rucker. Afterall, Billy Bob's is just a really big overgrown bar...or honky tonk (the world's largest). I do not appreciate being herded like cattle and having to swallow my rage towards the 300lb drunk college student who is knocking me over while dancing like Carlton from the Fresh Prince, all the while with a full cup of alcohol (I am guessing it was beer) in hand. Also, to add to that point, I do not reccommend wearing sandals or any other open toe shoe to Billy Bob's. If your feet do not get alcohol spilled on them, they will most definitely get smushed by all the other cattle!!! When leaving BB I had to apologize to Austin for getting on to him earlier for wearing his 15 year old worn out Doc Martin's in public. At first I thought he was trying to re-live the mid-nineties by wearing them and listening to Hootie simultaneously. But, alas, my husband has more sense than I give him credit for (don't tell him I said that).

Overall, I really enjoyed Hootie....and the 40 year old couple who was grinding to Hootie's golden oldies right beside us (it was too ridiculous to expound upon!!). They played some of their new country stuff and a lot of their hits with a few covers mixed in..."champagne supernova" and David Alan Coe's, "You never even called me by my name" had the crowd going.

We are glad we saw them!

The Modern

Sunday, we ate at our favorite after-church-lunch-place in Fort Worth, Cafe Modern. It is the restaurant inside the Modern Art Museum. The menu changes four times a year to go along with the four seasons. As of yesterday, we have experienced all four seasons/menus. Hold on to your hats, because Austin got the TIRAMISU PANCAKES and I got the modern omelet with fresh friut. Both dishes were very delicious, but Austin's took the (pan)cake!! There are no words for how ridiculously good they were. They were so sweet and rich that he could not power through and finish them off. Good thing for him I was there to pick up the slack! To see the Sunday brunch menu, click here. The menu describes the pancakes. We love the atmosphere at the Cafe Modern and have never had to wait for a table, even on a Sunday after church. Also, it is GREAT for summer because the restaurant is always cold (so bring a sweater)!!
We have taken the Sankses's'ss (I have no idea how to write the plural of Sanks) to eat there before, but I believe it was an off experience and it did not impress. I hope they will give it another try because it is well worth it!
On a side note, the Cafe Modern has THE BEST strawberry-white chocolate scones on the face of the earth! I asked if the chef gives out her recipe, and sadly she does not. But, I do not blame her, I would not either! The bad news is the scones are not for sale either...they are only available in your bread basket (and they only bring one!).
So, there ya go. Go enjoy the Cafe Modern!!!

The Business of Being Born

Today I (Ashley) watched a documentary called The Business of Being Born. Since watching it, I am unable to think of anything else...it was truly thought-provoking in my opinion. I'd like for some of my friends (mainly the females) to watch it so I can discuss it with someone. Austin is scheduled to watch it sometime this week, but I am assuming his view might be limited since he is unable to give birth. We picked the dvd up (free!!) from the library, but I am assuming you can get it at Blockbuster or through Netflix. Be warned, there is real footage of women giving birth, but the footage isn't gratuitous though...also, there is female nudity, but not in a sexy way. Now, run out and get your hands on a copy!
Oh, yeah, Ricki Lake was involved in this project...At first I thought this was going to be all about her, but it totally is not. Personally, I think this was done very well!

Nap Time

Again, a pictureless post.....
It is currently 2:45pm at the J household, which is gloriously known as "nap"time to S (3.5yrs) and "rest"time to G (5.5yrs). No matter what you call it, Miss A calls it her favorite time of the day! G could totally do without it, but I cannot! This is one of the biggest perks of my job...a 2 hour block of silence, or mindless t.v., whichever I am in the mood for. Today, there are painters in the house so I banished myself to the guestroom with the computer. I am across the hall from G and can hear him playing out some sort of good-guy action hero scenario. He is such an imaginative fella. I can also hear the not-so-quiet painters as they drop buckets on the hardwood floors and it echoes up the open stairway and into S's room. They are also yelling to each other in Spanish. Good thing S is a hard sleeper, but for everyone's sake, I hope they do not wake her up. Oh, no....I hear them stomping up the loud creaky stairs!!! I swear, I become an angry mama bear when it comes to nap time and someone waking up the kids.
Not much is going on in the life of the Perry's. Austin is still enjoying his new job at UTA. We are crossing our fingers that he will be selected to go to a Regional meeting in Mexico in the fall. And along with crossed fingers, we are hoping that I will be able to tag along with him! More to come on that if he/we get to go! I (ashley) am getting excited the closer we get to July, August, and September. In July, my friends from Zambia, Tommy and Stephanie (my roomie in Zambia), will be moving to Ft. Worth...along with their cutie-pie daughter, Claire. I am excited that so many of my good friends will be in such a close proximity. I would like to go ahead and extend a SingStar challenge to the Knighten's!
In August, Michael and Meg will be moving back to this side of the metroplex with baby Naomi in tow! Now, if we can only get the house next door to come up for rent soon and have all the renovations completed!

**Interruption** I am trying to keep from losing my religion with the punk teenage kid from across the street who came and rang the super-loud doorbell TWICE within the span of 15 SECONDS!!!!! He needed me to move my car so their U-haul can stick out into the road about 10 feet. Needless to say, I think he sensed my displeasure with him after he caught my evil eye and finger sushing when coming to answer the door. I did not know if I wanted to rip his head off or punch him in the face!!! Okay, I think the blood pressure is starting to come back down.****

Finally, in September, the first Perry Grandchild will be born!!! Nate and Stacy will be welcoming baby Emma into the world. Good thing I have been practicing my Auntee skills with Sawyer and Jax! I LOVE buying pink stuff!
Only about 30 more mins left in naptime. So, I guess I am off to surf more blogs. Happy reading to all!!