There are many benefits to owning your own single-family home. Ability to make important decisions, investment into your future, more space and amenities. But one benefit that doesn't get talked about much? The ability to have a backyard cookout with your family.

Byron likes to use a charcoal chimney for our grill. I hate the taste of "Match Light" charcoal so we use the untreated kind.

After getting the charcoal all fired up, Byron dumps it in the grill and we're ready to go.

The beef was marinated in salt and pepper, lemon juice and soy sauce. Yummy!

(Please note the beagle footprints on the picnic table. They think it is their own personal jungle gym.)

If you were wondering, this was indeed WAY too much meat for the two of us. I don't know what I was thinking. I headed to San Diego the next week, so Byron had pre-grilled leftovers!

Here's Part II of our wine reviews! We wrote about a red previously, here. Now, since the weather has warmed up, we tried a white (the things we do for our readers!).

A favorite of our friend Laura, Hogue Riesling comes highly-recommended.

This wine does not disappoint! We drank this lovely bottle with our first grilled steaks of the season. This wine is sweet, light, and very drinkable! And it's a bargain (we probably paid $8.99 or so). Another bonus of this bottle is that it is a twist-off top. While not as fancy as a cork, it's perfect for a picnic or tailgate when you might not have a corkscrew.

We'd definitely drink this bottle again, and you should too!

Salud!

Inspired by Michelle over at Blissful Musings, I wanted to post some art I've found on Etsy. I love the look of screen-printed posters and prints. Someday, if I can ever make up my mind, I'd love to buy a few for around the house!

Up first, a lovely sentiment from jessgonacha. A good reminder for the whole family. (5x7 for $8)

Up next, the ubiquitous "Keep Calm and Carry On" from pressureless. This one has been making the rounds on the home design blogs for a few years now. But I love the idea and design! (16x20 for $17.50)

Here's a light-hearted take on beagle-themed art! This one is super cute (from strawberryluna), but I can't figure out where I would put it! Suggestions? (11x14 for $16)

In honor of my new last name, here's a great hand-drawn monogram from jenskelley! Depending on the shade of blue, this would be great in our dining room or kitchen. I already have several "J"s around the house, maybe it's time to branch out! (8x10 for $15)

This one would be great in our kitchen! It's light green (which is the accent color in our grey and white kitchen) and features Fruit! :) (from luckybluebirdart - 8x10 for $16)

I really have to credit Michelle for the next one! I love a good gin and tonic and this would look great in our kitchen! (from dearcolleen - 6x7 for $19).





What do you think? Have any favorites? I can't wait to pick one (or a few) of these out for our house! Are there any other etsy sellers that you love?

Scenes from the Dog Park.

Location:

Hartwood Acres Off-Leash Area

Cast of Characters:

Dusty - 9 month-old yellow lab - parents are Kate and Adam
Finley - 1.5 year-old puggle - parents are Megan and Tom
Mocha - 4 year-old beagle - parents are us!

As you all know, we've been working on getting our bedroom put together. We've posted about it before here and here. One big piece that is missing, however, is the headboard.

Bedroom by JeniRae on Polyvore.com

Here are some of the beds I've been stalking online. Now, if were were millionaires, we would buy Pottery Barn for all of our stuff (that and Restoration Hardware). The bed below is gorgeous, and I'm sure well-made, but seriously, who buys this stuff??

Pottery Barn Hudson Bed - $1,599

Here's another PB product, a comparative steal at $400 cheaper...

Pottery Barn Farmhouse Bed - $1,199

Let's come back to reality now... here's the Tar-jay knock-off. We're now down in the 3-figure price range instead of the 4-figure (a place I'm a little more comfortable). This bed is well-reviewed and popular but being from Target, the quality and durability may be questionable.

Target Avington Bed - $199

It seems to be a good price, so this is actually a viable option for us! But, there's one more option below...

Farmhouse Queen from www.knockoffwood.blogspot.com - ~$120

Knock-Off Wood is a website written and maintained by a woman named Ana. She posts step-by-step plans and materials lists for wooden projects with simple designs. Basically, she reverse-engineers the plans and often bases her designs off of Pottery Barn originals. She claims the bed above can be made from pine for about $120. In this way, you can be sure what your product is made of, and finish it however you see fit (like the antiqued look above).

Byron and I are actually considering taking on this project. We'd have to rent an air-nailer and buy a few other things, but it seems simple enough. Take a look at the plans in the link above and let us know what you think. Do you think we can do it?

China

I recently took a trip to Shanghai, China for work. There was a trade show in Shanghai where we had a booth, so I went over to set up some equipment and help out with the exhibit. This involved a 13 hour flight from Chicago to Shanghai, which was not as bad as I anticipated. I thought it was going to be thoroughly miserable, but it actually wasn't too bad. I slept a little, read quite a bit and watched part of a movie.

The hotel I stayed in was a very nice Four Points by Sheraton in Shanghai. It was a very western hotel- the staff spoke English, there was western food, etc. The only odd feature was the window into the shower, shown below. I have never seen that before.

I had a chance to see a little of the city while I was there, which is unusual for a trip like this. I saw an exhibit about the urban planning and development for the upcoming World Expo in Shanghai. I also went to the Yu Garden to see some Temples and other local culture. For the entire album on picasa, go here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/byron.fruit/ShanghaiMarch2010?feat=directlink

I definitely recommend that you go to China if you have the chance. There is a great deal of history and culture there to see, much more than is possible in a single trip. I was lucky enough on this trip to have some local guidance from some of my colleagues from the area.

I will post some more about specific parts of the trip if I have a chance.

As a new feature here at Fruits/Roots, we've decided to start an occasional series on wines we like to drink. Namely, cheap ones. In the words of the infamous Uncle Ed, "Anyone can find a good expensive wine. It takes talent to find a good cheap wine". Now, we do not have sophisticated palates, nor are we too picky. But for your entertainment and ours, we'll attempt a few reviews. :)

Up first: Funky Llama Cabernet Sauvignon. Available at your local liquor store for $6.99, but will be on sale for $5.99 next month in PA!



Jen's Thoughts: I like most all CabSavs (that's what the cool people call them). This one is pretty dry, medium-bodied (I don't really know what that means but medium is average so...). It's definitely drinkable, goes down smooth. I could see this with summer picnic foods. It's not too heavy and might go well with a burger or hot dog. :)

Byron's Thoughts: It's good, I like it. It's not bitter. I'd drink it again. I give it 3 llamas out of 4 (a totally arbitrary rating).

For our $5.99, we would drink this again. It's a good weeknight wine, inexpensive and drinkable.

Cheers!