Scott and Meredith

2011-01-12T18:56:00.000-08:00

WAR EAGLE!!!!!

I tried my hand at snow carving

New York Trip

2011-01-12T17:45:00.001-08:00

New York was amazing. Here is a few pics of our trip!

Great view from Liberty Island

Learning the history of Ellis Island

I was so glad I got this photo because they changed the colors the next night on the Empire State Building

On top of the Empire State Building

Radio City Music Hall

The Rockettes at the Radio City Music Hall

We saw "Wicked" on Broadway

Rockefeller Christmas Tree.

Rockefeller Christmas Tree. Amazing

The New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street

Meredith if your really good this coming up year!

View from Central Park

Me in Time Square

Grand Central Station

Macy's the biggest store in the world. I believe it.

I DO

We had to visit Santa at Macy's and it truly was a miracle on 34th street.

Locks of Love

2010-04-29T12:32:00.001-07:00

For about 2 years I have been growing my hair out to donate to Locks of Love. After many months of feeling like my hair was not growing at all, I finally have the 10 inches required for the donation. And today I got my hair cut!!!

Before

Before

After

after (wow! what a huge difference)

My hair feels so much lighter, spunkier, and healthier. I am so glad I stuck with this process and did not cave in to the temptations and cut my hair before the 10" mark. It is not much, but it is the least I can do for a sick child that has lost her hair due to a medical illness.

Horne Farm's 2010

2010-04-19T08:25:00.001-07:00

Horne Farm's has expanded. Meredith and I wanted to put in an additional raised garden since last year. So we did it. I figured this would be a great time to show you our process on how we did it.

First of course I start with a plan. I used this great free program Google SketchUp 7.1 which made drawing up the design a cinch. As you can see in the illustration above I decided to go with a box joint instead of a butt joint just to give it a little bit of character. By drawing the garden on SketchUp, I knew exactly how much material I am going to need and how I want to put the garden together.

Then comes my favorite parts. Construction of the bed. If you know me I am a woodworking fanatic and anytime I can us my tools, I am a happy man! So here if what it looks like after construction. I first build all the wood framing before dropping it into the ground. Then I put down a weed barrier to keep out any unwanted plants and grass. The final step of construction is to put in the watering system.

The fill that I us is a mixture between compost and potting soil. The potting soil that I like to use is Jungle Growth Flower & Vegetable. We get our compost, "Miracle Dirt", from Jeff Gin, a cotton gin located just outside our neighborhood. We had a lot of success with this mixture last year.

Here is how we water our garden. I am currently watering twice a day to keep the soil moist but not wet. Last year I used sprinkler heads that were flush with the ground but had problems with leaves getting on top of the sprinkler and preventing proper watering. So this year I installed telescoping heads that can raise up to 3 feet.

With a combination of seeds and plants, this is what our garden look like this year. So get ready for some good eaten.

Indy Grand Prix of Alabama @ Barber's Motorsports park

2010-04-13T19:48:00.000-07:00

The Indy Grand Prix of Alabama was amazing! It definitely exceeded my expectation and I can't wait for next year. The day was gorgeous without a cloud in the sky and about 80 degrees, it truly was a beautiful day in Alabama. My dad gave me and my brother some tickets that include access to the pit, Billy's Sports Grill Club (breakfast, lunch and drinks included) and a few more places. We sat in turn 16 most of the day. I would definitely recommend checking this race out next year and enjoy the beauty of the track, which was highlighted with crazy metal sculptures. Helio Castroneves (Dancing with the Stars winner a few years back) was the big winner of the race on Sunday and congratulations to Barber's for such a great turnout.

Couldn't ask for a better day!

I loved how close you could get to the track.

In the pit's (Julio Castroneves crew)

Steven enjoying Billy's Sports Bar Club!

These things go fast!

Danica Patrick

Atlanta 2010

2010-03-30T13:22:00.001-07:00

Meredith and I decided to pack our bags and take a little trip to Atlanta. I've been to Atlanta many of times but this trip really takes the cake. We first started our trip at Chateau Elan which is a resort located outside of Atlanta that has a winery, spa, 3 golf courses and 7 restaurants and more. We decided to stay for two days and take advantage of all Chateau Elan had to offer. Our first restaurant to try was Patty's which is an Irish pub located on the grounds (very good). Then we walked the nature trail even though it rained the whole time we were there. The highlight of the Chateau Elan had to be the wine tasting and tour. We walked from the hotel to the winery and saw a Methodist bus parked on the outside. Surely they are not going on the tour. Yes they were, about 35 senior citizens that has not had a drink in years. Let me just say after the tasting Barbara Jean was feeling great!

After a great stay at Chateau Elan we headed towards downtown Atlanta to the Georgia Aquarium and Coca-Cola Museum. Seeing a whale shark for the first time was a highlight of my trip. I loved the aquarium. After a great morning at the aquarium we walked over to the Coke Museum, of course in the rain, to see what the new museum had to offer. It was great and loved tasting all the different varieties of soft drink around the world. We also saw three 4-D movies while in Atlanta. That night of course we had to go eat at the Varsity. Who knew you were suppose to eat a hotdog not a hamburger.

To conclude our trip we drove over to Stone Mountain. Finally, the weather started cooperating and it stopped raining. We love taking the duck tours and it has become a Horne tradition. We love it. Then we headed in the park and road to the top of the mountain. The view was amazing but just a little cool and windy on top.

I must say I loved our trip and can't wait to go back.

Chateau Elan Winery

Mayfield Dairy

Georgia Aquarium

Coca-Cola Museum

Anheuser Busch Clydesdale

Centennial Park

Stone Mountain

Wine Cabinet

2010-03-01T13:08:00.001-08:00

I must say I had an enjoyable week. First, I started by building a Cornhole set for my neighbors anniversary (pardon the team) and then my brother drove up for the weekend to build this beautiful wine cabinet. My brother Steven wanted to build this wine cabinet for some friends and of course I was happy to help. I got to use all my tools and even drew it up on AutoCAD, so you know I was happy. It took us almost 2 days to build and is made out of oak. He took it home to stain, so I can't wait to see it finished. I really enjoyed spending some time with my brother and just getting out in the garage and building something.

This is the Cornhole board I built and Meredith made the bags(not shown)

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T08:31:00.000-08:00

Meredith and I want to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day!

Meredith and I couldn't of ask for a better start to our Valentine's Day. We woke up with a blanket of snow on the ground (about 1/2") with more on the way. First thing I did was get the fire going. Then Meredith and I cooked breakfast together. Good ole' southern biscuits and gravy with bacon on the side and some strawberries. Meredith made the biscuits and cut them out into heart shapes.
I am truly bless to have such a wonderful and loving wife.

Half inch of snow

Let it snow!

I loved these biscuits.

Feb 08th, Snow

2010-02-08T09:04:00.000-08:00

Getting Organized

2010-01-13T18:22:00.000-08:00

If you had seen my wood pile before I decided to get organized, I'm sorry. It was well past time for me to get my sheet wood in some sort of order. I did a little research and found a great way to store all my wood scraps. I got some great tools for Christmas and this was a perfect opportunity to try them out. So, this project took me a little over a hour to build and only had to buy (2) hinges, (1) 2x12x10 and (1) caster. For the sides, I used some scrap wood that I had in my pile. The feature that makes this such a great storage unit is that it swings out 90 degrees. This makes it much easier to get any piece of wood that I need. I was amazed at how much room was freed up after I loaded all the wood. Here are some pictures of the final product!

Swiveled out at 45 degrees

I secured it into a stud.

All full!!!!

The Fly-in Visit

2009-12-29T15:55:00.000-08:00

Meredith and I had a great visit from my mom and dad this week. The fun part about it was that my dad flew his plane to Madison County Executive Airport. It was great seeing his new plane and to watch him take off. We started our visit at the Smokehouse at Bridge Street and had some great BBQ. Then after we ate, we walked over to Monoco pictures and watched the Blind Side. I highly recommend seeing this movie! The night ended in some funny and exciting Wii challenges. Great times and I (Meredith not so much) can't wait to go flying with "Bruce the Pilot" again.

Let it snow, Let it snow

2009-12-06T18:08:00.001-08:00

We woke up Saturday morning to this beautiful winter wonderland. Meredith and I had a great time playing in the snow.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-03T12:37:00.001-08:00

Meredith and I love this time of year. All the lights are hung and decorations out. We hope everyone has a Merry Christmas.

Elliot Jason Guess

2009-11-24T13:37:00.000-08:00

Let me introduce you to the newest member of the Family

Elliot Jason Guess

9 lbs and 21 in

Aunt Mer holding Elliot for the first time.

Dyer and Jaime became new parents at 7:12 p.m. on November 23, 2009

You couldn't slap that smile off of the face of Papa Bear and Nana!

Grammy, Big Daddy and UK(Uncle Kyle)

Pumpkin Glow

2009-10-27T19:46:00.000-07:00

This is a wonderful time of year for the Horne Family. Meredith and I always start our fall off at the Great Pumpkin Patch in Hayden, Alabama. This is a special place for us as it is where Meredith and I got engaged. Great story behind that. So, we go every year and pick out 3 pumpkins. Mine always has to be the biggest one I can find, Meredith's always is round with a great stem, and of course Nemo fetches a pumpkin too! Another big tradition we have is that we have to watch all the Charlie Brown Specials, when they come on TV. Tonight was the The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. Since Charlie Brown was on and Meredith made some Ooey Gooey Pumpkin Bars, what a perfect night to carve our pumpkins from the GPP. Meredith's is on the right and of course you can tell mine is on the left. I must confess, I do have a power tool to carve pumpkins. Once again everyone have a safe and frightful Halloween!

Halloween Spirit

2009-10-23T15:22:00.001-07:00

I know it has been a long time since my last update but I love this time of year and will catch up soon. As you can see I was in the Halloween spirit and decided to cut a maze in my yard. Meredith thought I might have gone a little crazy, but hey its Halloween. I've already had some of the neighborhood kids try it out and had a great time with it. I hope everyone has a fun and safe Halloween.
Happy Halloween!!!!

Gone Fishing!

2009-07-16T18:09:00.000-07:00

Today I decided to get a little adventurous. I put on my waders and went fishing in the bog in our backyard. Seriously its not the size that counts. I ended up catching 4 fish (3 bass and 1 blue gill). The one you see in the picture put up quite fight, but I was able to persevere and land this whopper of a fish! Good Times!

It's a zoo out there!

2009-06-08T08:15:00.000-07:00

I just walked outside to our backyard and animals are everywhere. I actually decided to count them this time and I came up with a total: 25 geese with 12 little baby geeselings, One duck with 6 ducklings, 3 turtles, 2 rabbits, and 2 squirrels plus Nemo for a total of 52 animals in our backyard, and I didn't count probably 30 birds in our half acre lot. I guess the full moon is bringing all the animals out but the zoo is free so stop by anytime.

Beautiful Colorado

2009-05-28T14:21:00.001-07:00

As most of you all know, Meredith and I love to travel and we are not scared to do the touristy things at all. Our trip to Colorado was wonderful. We mostly stayed in the Cherry Creek and LoDo districts in Denver which was great. The one thing I knew I had to do while in the the Rockies was to take a tour of the largest one sight brewery in the world (Coors). The tour was great, but the ending was the best - free samples. Then on Saturday, we decided to take a little road trip down to Colorado Springs where we toured ~ Pike's Peak, Garden of the Gods and all the little towns around that area. We even ate at a restaurant in Old Colorado Town in which the owner graduated from Auburn. Small World. On Sunday, we drove to Boulder and walked around the town. Then, we hiked around Eldorado Canyon Park, toured Red Rocks Amphitheather, and drove to the top of Lookout Mountain. The weather wasn't great but we still had a blast.

Red Rock Amphlitheater

Paintings from a Canvas and Cocktails class. Ok, whose is better?

Garden of the Gods

Coors Brewery Tour

Cog Railroad at Pike's Peak ~ Can you belived all the snow?

Work Hard and Play Harder

2009-05-20T19:58:00.000-07:00

We are in Denver, Colorado! Meredith had to come to Denver for a work trip and we decided that I should tag along and make it a mini-vacation. The day started at 4 a.m. at the Huntsville international airport, so needless to say it has been a long but great day. Once we arrived in Denver, we met up with Brittney (who we have been meaning to visit for years) and went to a really unique Mongolian restaurant. (http://www.gomongo.com/).It was so good! Then we went to Brittney's studio where she teaches art classes and sells her own pottery line. You can check her out at http://www.canvasandcocktails.com/ and http://www.brittneycate.com/. And last but not least, we must mention our hotel. It is wonderful. It has a full kitchen and we even had spaghetti and local beverages at the managers dinner. Stay tuned for more on our Denver adventure.

My Nemesis

2009-05-03T20:09:00.000-07:00

If you've ever heard me describe our house, I always tell you about my favorite feature of our house "The Bog". Ok it's a Federally Protected Wetland, but bog sound so much cooler. I love to look out and see all the wildlife from our screened in porch, but within these past 2 years I have acquired a little nemesis ~ Bucky the Beaver. He built a 35-40 ft long beaver dam directly behind our house which has started flooding my yard (the waterline is usually behind those trees!!). Yes, I was so excited about the novelty of having beavers in our backyard but when the flooding came the excitement faded. It's war! As you can see in the video, it is pouring rain and I am hard at work on the dam. After doing some research on the internet, I think I have found a way for Bucky and the Horne Family to live peacefully in Monrovia. I just have to construct a little system to keep the water flowing. Stay tuned..............

Horne Farm

2009-04-30T07:49:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Horne Farm! Meredith and I love our vegetables, so we decided it was time to put in a garden. The raised garden was a project that we've thought about every year but finally decided this was the year to do it. The dimensions for our garden are 4' x 10'x 10" with treated 2 x 10 x 10 lumber. I decided to get creative with it and put in a sprinkler system with a timer. Now our plants will never be thisty. We planted tomatoes (patio, moutain pride, and yellow cherry) , basil, squash, zuccini, red bell peppers and sweet banana peppers. It's going to be about 50 days before they produce a crop. Thats about the time the Horne Farmers Market will be opening. So get ready for some good eaten.

Miracle Field

2009-04-29T20:18:00.000-07:00

Meredith and I witnessed something great this past weekend. I have two wonderful nephews that have spina bifida (Seth on the left and Heath on the right). It was amazing to see them on the baseball diamond and having so much fun. Gardendale brought in a program called "The Miracle League" and it gives special needs children the opportunity to play baseball. As you can see in these photos, the boys had a blast. Seth was all decked out in his gear ready for that grounder while Heath was ready to hit a homerun. I'm telling you, if your having a bad day and you need to smile, go watch all of these wonderful kids having the time of there life. It truly is something great! http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2009/04/smiles_all_around_at_gardendal.html
http://miracleleagueofgardendale.com/

broken windshield

2009-04-10T08:39:00.000-07:00

On my way to the farm this past weekend, something decided to go through my windshield. I have no clue what it was but it busted both layers of glass. So I was showered with little bits of glass. I kind of exaggerated the size to Meredith, but it seemed a lot bigger right after it happened. This picture doesn't give it justice.

Easter Nemo

2009-04-10T08:22:00.000-07:00

Nemo decided to get prettied up for Easter. I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful Easter.

I'm SEW excited!

2009-04-05T18:32:00.000-07:00

As most of you know I have recently started sewing. Summer (my 3 1/2 year old niece) has been the lucky recipient of most my latest masterpieces. Doesn't she look adorable watering the flowers in the pajamas I made for her. I also sent her the blue/red dress a couple of weeks ago. It is reversible!! She will also be receiving the white dress with houses on it and the pink dress with fairies. Notice the size on the inside of the dress ~ thanks to Susan for letting me borrow her machine so i could embroider this. I also made Seth (almost 5 year old nephew) a tool belt for his birthday coming up at the end of April. And finally, I attended a sewing class at Hancock this afternoon and we learned how to make that adorable green and brown bag. It turned out so cute and I cannot wait until my next sewing class at Hancock. Well, I am off to cut out another pattern.........

St. Patty's Day

2009-03-19T14:09:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a fun and safe St. Patrick's Day. Meredith and I went out and celebrated St. Patrick's Day with some friends at Humphries. It was a great night with live music outside on the patio and Yes I do have on my lucky shirt. The hat is another story.

Hoganstache

2009-03-13T11:23:00.000-07:00

I decided to go with a new look. The Hogan-stache

Kaylee's Birthday

2009-03-12T08:40:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Meredith and I went to Oneonta, AL to celebrate Kaylee's first birthday. She was precious in her birthday dress that Meredith's mom Cherie made for her day. Many friends and family went to Lisa and Jamon's home to celebrate this great day.

Meredith's New Hobby

2009-03-12T08:33:00.000-07:00

Meredith has started up a new hobby. This is a little example of what she is doing. She made this dress for Kaylee for her first birthday present from Aunt Mer. I must say she has a real talent as a seamstress.

Snow dog

2009-03-01T09:10:00.000-08:00

Nemo was a little timid of the snow at first, but after she discovered that she could eat it ~ she decided she loved the snow!!

Stanley

2009-03-01T09:06:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to introduce you to the newest member of the Horne family "Stanley the Snowman"

2009-03-01T06:33:00.000-08:00

This is our 2nd major snow this year. We got up early just so we could see how much snow we got. We wish it would have been just a little bit more, but we are so excited that it actually snowed!!

Nemo in the Snow

2009-03-01T06:32:00.000-08:00

Nemo got this snow jacket for Christmas and she finally got to use it. Burrrrr.

2009-02-05T11:02:00.000-08:00

new floors

New floors

2009-02-05T10:27:00.000-08:00

Meredith and I have already had a great week. We had hardwood floors put in and they look great. I was amazed that it only took 3 1/2 hours to complete the entire floor.

Before

After

2009-01-25T17:16:00.000-08:00

Some of Meredith's family came to Huntsville and we had a wonderful day. Meredith cooked spinach noodle bake and her mom made homeade dinner rolls and it was delicious. Jaime cooked a peanut butter cake with dark chocolate icing and white chocolate in the middle, which everyone said was great but o Scotty doesn't do peanut butter. YUCK! But everyone else seemed to love it.

Scott "Vila"

2009-01-15T19:15:00.001-08:00

So I have started a new hobby..........Wood Working!!!

Here are a few cornhole games that I have made ~ WAR EAGLE!

This is Nemo's Dog bowl that I made.

Here is a sign that I made with my new router and sign kit that I got for Christmas.

Let me know if you are interested in any of these items. I can get you a really good deal :)

2009-01-03T06:58:00.000-08:00

“Happy New Year 2009”

2008-12-02T12:19:00.000-08:00

Let it snow Let it snow!

2008-12-01T14:23:00.000-08:00

Let it snow!