be the change that you wish to see...

Fun with Annie & Steve

2009-07-09T06:45:00.000-07:00

After the smashing success of Summerfest, we got to spend even more time with Annie & Steve. This does not happen often, so I was super excited!! We drove up north to camp at Humboldt Redwoods State Park. This was extra fun because Steve had just had shoulder surgery a few weeks beforehand. And yes, we really did need all this stuff, and more.....

Avenue of the Giants:

Sweet shady campsite:

We may or may not have taken all the leftover beer from Summerfest......

Nothing better than camping food:

And drinking out of squishy cups:

I love these two:

After a couple of days, we drove home along the coast, where someone who will not be named did some brutal carsickness-side-of-the-road puking. We also got to stop at a couple different beaches in Mendocino.

Annie discovered the Pacific Ocean is cold:

Jason & Steve did some serious kung-fu-fighting:

There were Bigfoot sightings:

And Shrek:

After a one-night detour in Ft. Bragg (which involved the very creepy Carnival-by-the-Sea and a lot of women's softball), we made a final stop at the Korbel winery for lunch & champagne tasting. Sweet!

This was the most time I've got to spend with Annie and Steve in a few years and we had a blast!! I miss them and wish we didn't live so far apart. Moving to Maine won't help, since I was informed that Minnesota is pretty much smack dab in the middle of the country. So hurrah for good times and good memories!!!!!

House for Sale!!!!

2009-07-08T16:09:00.000-07:00

Have you been wondering what I've been up to during my long absence from the blogosphere?? Since our Memorial Week camping trip (which I'll post pics of in my next post), we have been working on our house, day in and day out. Cosmetically, the house needed a lot of updating. A lot. Especially if we wanted to sell it. Which, as you can tell by the title of this post, we have decided to do.

Jason has always planned to move back to the promised land of Maine and that was something I agreed to before I jumped on this marriage train with him. Although truth be told, even before he and I became "we", I was itching. Restless. Wanting a change. Looking for something different. somewhere greener and cooler. Maine is alright by me. Close to his family. Close to cheap lobster. A place where we can have an old house with some land. Maybe even some animals. I'm hoping this will bring me one step closer to fulfilling my childhood dream of being Laura Ingalls Wilder. And I'm not talking about Melissa Gilbert, I'm talking about the real deal:

This was always our "someday" plan, but thanks to the recent shenanigans of those wacky UC Regents, our "someday" plan has become our "now" plan. And so, we prepared our house. We painted and tiled and painted and recarpeted and painted and planted and remodeled and painted and cleaned and painted and packed and painted and painted some more. I am proud to say, the house looks fabulous. All things we have wanted to do, given a certain sense of urgency by events out of our control.

Which leads us to the next thing out of our control: selling the house. We hope and pray that someone will fall in love with it's quirky charms just the way Jason did when he bought it years ago. We have a wonderful realtor and we've done all we could to make this house beautiful and welcoming. Now, we wait. And curse the Sacramento weather for killing off all my new flowers after I planted them.

Welcome in...............

It has been completely bizarre to come home from work this week and realize that there wasn't a project waiting to be completed, a door that needed painting, a box that needed packing. We have an open house on Sunday and after that, I plan on getting my scrapping supplies back out (in a controlled fashion of course) and catching up on my pictures with all the free time I suddenly have!

Wish us luck!!!

Summerfest!

2009-05-25T14:59:00.000-07:00

Annie & Steve are here in town -- YAY!!! Please excuse Jason. He was very excited to see them.

Lucky for us, their visit coincided with Steve's parents' annual Grass Family Memorial Day Weekend Summerfest Beer Tasting BBQ Extravaganza. Otherwise known as Summerfest. The premise is simple: everyone brings a favorite summer beer, all the beers are sampled and voted upon, and a winner is declared. There are no prizes, only the glory of bringing the winning beer!

The competition was pretty stiff this year, as there were 15 beers to taste! Trust me, even for a beer lover, that is a lot of tasting and ranking to do! There was definitely a clear male-female divide in the voting, with most members of one gender ranking beers the opposite of the other gender. I wonder if someone could get a grant to do a research study on that??

Of course there was also food. Lots and lots of food. Mainly involving things you can put on a BBQ.

We had a blast, of course catching up with Annie & Steve. This was also the first time I had seen Steve's parents in a few years; they got to finally meet Jason after hearing many tales! It was a wonderful way to spend the afternoon: beautiful weather, good food and beer, great friends, and lots of laughs.

As a bonus, Jason brought not only the winning beer, but also the close second. Let's hear it for Chamberlain Pale Ale and Sam Adams Summer Ale! It was a sweep for New England. Too bad the Red Sox couldn't do the same this weekend........

The darkhorse entry was Grandpa Earl's Big Ass Beer. It was a surprise tie for third! You never know what Grandpa Earl has got up his sleeve.

And that concludes our Memorial Day weekend. Tomorrow we're heading north with Annie & Steve, to go camping in the redwoods all week. I'll have lots of pictures when we get back and hopefully some good tales. Viva les S'mores!!

Outdoor Wednesday

2009-05-19T13:18:00.000-07:00

I thought I would share with you all how well our little garden is doing so far. This past weekend it was over 100 degrees -- yuck! Thankfully, we'd been really generous with the watering and all our veggies seem to have taken off. The heat didn't seem to phase them and there is already evidence of deliciousness to come!

The red lettuce and Chinese cabbage are already going strong:

The cucumbers have a lot of flowers on them and the beans are happily climbing their trellises. Many of them already have pods!

The tomato plant is looking a little sad, but hopefully these yellow blooms will bear some juicy fruit:

And last we have the salsa garden. Green onions in the front, I've never grown them so I don't know if they look healthy or not?

I'm hoping for a bumper crop of all these hot peppers!

The roses in the front yard seem to be in their final bloom for now. They've still got a few gorgeous blooms left on them:

This little tea rose wasn't trellised and it got so heavy with blooms it just flopped over on its side!

And finally these little guys, some annuals that I had planted in my hanging baskets last fall. At least I thought they were annuals. Jason swore they were going to come back to life after the winter and I really didn't believe him. Now I have to admit, he was correct:

So that's what been growing around our little homestead! I still have a bunch of wine barrels to fill on the side of the front yard. I'm looking for something tall, colorful, likes partial sun, and will survive a brutal Sacramento summer. Any ideas???????

I'm linking up to Outdoor Wednesday at A Southern Daydreamer. You should head over there too and see what else everyone has been to up to outdoors. I'm counting on lots of spring flowers and early gardens!

Getting the Mojo Back

2009-05-16T13:11:00.001-07:00

Thanks to some prodding from Mara....I realized I had not been scrapping since...ummm.....before Christmas?? The sad thing is I made a December Daily album ala Ali Edwards and took pictures all through the month for it. And then never put it together. Nice. Thankfully she prodded me right back over to two of my favorite scrapbooking message boards and encouraged me to join in on some May fun and motivation. And boy has it worked!!

In case you were unawares (and seriously...how could you possibly not know), May 2nd was National Scrapbooking Day! Did anyone catch Michelle Obama showing off a few of her favorites layouts of Barack and the kids? Okay well she didn't really do that...but it's just one short step from organic gardening to scrapbooking. Back to reality.

Color Me Daisy and Moments 2 Remember are two awesome places to go for some scrappy fun and inspiration. CMD is having a month long "Be Happy" online crop full of challenges and prizes. Leave a comment on their blog, because they are awarding a RAK a day for the entire month to commenters! They have a fun message board and their kits are to DIE for. Always chock full of beautiful paper, lots of embellies, and beautiful add-ons to tempt you!

M2R is also having a month long online crop to celebrate National Scrapbooking Day. They have an around the world theme, with challenges based on different parts of the globe each week. Their design team does incredible work and the crop has been very inspiring....really gotten me off my butt and back scrapping again. Their message board is super friendly and supportive; I know several of the ladies have become friends in "real life." They have monthly challegnes, and the design team also does monthly tutorials on different techniques. Everyone that posts there is really talented, lots and lots of great eye candy in the gallery. And if you want one of their kits, you have to act fast, they always sell out super quick!

So enough talk. The point is that I've been diving back into my pictures and getting a lot done and having fun! If you need some inspiration too, check out these sites, they'll be sure to get your creative juices flowing again. I'll leave you with some of my recent favorite layout and projects. A lot of them are really simple, but I've definitely got my mojo back!

Thanks for looking!!

Uppers & Bottoms & Counters -- Oh My!

2009-05-10T20:42:00.000-07:00

Susan is hosting her weekly Metamorphosis Monday blog party over at her blog: Between Naps on the Porch . Check out the changes that have been going on around here, then head over her way and look at all the other amazing transformations!
I know all of you have been waiting to see some pics of our kitchen remodel. Try to hold down the excitement. We debated redoing the kitchen....over and over and over. We are really hoping to sell the house this summer and have been a bit addicted to HGTV lately (okay I have, but Jason watches it too!). After hearing "kitchens sell a house" about a bazillion times, and looking at our crooked cabinets every single day as we walk in the front door, we decided to take the plunge and go for it!

We're still in the middle of things, but I'll update you so far. We've been doing the vast majority of the work ourselves. So for time and budgetary reasons, things have been done piece by piece. Which has actually been a good way to do things, I can't imagine living without a kitchen for weeks on end!

Without further ado, some befores:
Nice empty space in the cabinets. And where's the stove you say? Waaaaaaaaaaaaaay over on the other side of the room:
No, it's not my photography skills, the cabinets really are that crooked. And what about the fridge? Surely we have a fridge? Ah yes, it's tucked around the corner:
Work triangle? Ha! We don't need no stinkin' work triangle! Moving walls and plumbing and gas lines was not an option. We needed to figure out a better flow and a better way to define the kitchen from the living room, while keeping the same general setup. The front door opens right into the "great room" which is currently defined by this lovely sight:

Sweet lino in the kitchen, nasty carpet in the living room! First order of business was putting up a half wall. I was a little unsure about this, afraid it would make a not-too-big space seem even smaller.However, once it was up, the kitchen area felt twice as big!
Now we have room for a little rolling island/cart up against the wall (which I don't have a pic of). Since there is hardly any counter space next to the stove, this is perfect for rolling over there to do veggie prep. Jason and Roger did an awesome job!
Plus, when we have people over, they'll be able to sit in the living room without feeling like they're in the sink.

Next step? New cabinets! I absolutely, completely, without reservation HEART our new cabs! They are the already assembled, straight off the shelf line from the Despot. Verrrry convenient:

And they look great! It's so nice to put dishes on the shelves without being afraid they'll bow and crack. Old crooked shelves and sticky hood:
New straight cabinets with new microwave/hood combo. Love the space-saving!
We ripped off the old white laminate and forest green tiles (matched the carpet) and put down the lower cabs. We also hung a new upper cabinet on the left side of the window, to help define the kitchen space. Between that and a corner base cabinet, we gained a lot more space. Plywood is all ready for new counters!

And so I bring you, our granite counters. They are so beautiful, I love them, so glad we picked this color. This is where we wisely let the professionas take over. After all the work we have done to the house, it was quite an indulgence to watch somebody else! Besides, granite cutting is really better left to those who know what they're doing:
They did a fantastic job! Check it out:

Now the half wall is a sweet little spot for sitting and having breakfast in the morning (and checking my blogroll on my laptop!). It'll be a perfect bar for parties too. We got a new stainless dishwasher and sink and now the stove looks really crappy so that's next on our list. Yea.

We're thrilled with how everything's turned out so far. There's a lot of work still to be done, but seeing this progress is super encouraging. It feels like a different house already! I'll try and be better about posting.....so they aren't as long as this one!

Head on over to Susan's to check out more cool metamorphoses.

And make sure to check back here. Next up........we're tackling this:

Starbucks Knock-Offs!

2009-05-07T16:55:00.000-07:00

There are so many stories right now, in the media and in the blogosphere, about people saving money and changing their habits during this recession. Much has been made about the "latte factor," the way that little daily expenditures can add up to big money over time.

I am definitely a coffee addict, and since their is (or was) a Starbucks on every corner, I'm a bit of a Starbucks addict too. I've never gone there for a daily coffee fix, we brew our own at home. But I love their lattes, mochas, frappuccinos, you name it! I'm not neccessarily particular to their brand. I love Peet's espresso, and there are several good local coffee shops around we enjoy going to (I especially like Coffee Works). But most of the time we end up at good ole Starbucks.

I realized that while we weren't spending exorbitant amounts of money there (it's a pretty cheap way to pass a weekend morning), we could stand to save some money. And so I learned......to make Starbucks knockoffs! I'm totally Hooked on this, and I'll share some easy tips with you.

First off, if you don't already have an espresso machine, don't buy one. That will not save you money! Most coffee drinks are perfectly fine made with strongly brewed coffee, especially from a French press. Target has several perfectly good presses for under $20. Just make sure your beans are coarsely ground and you press SLOWLY. Trust me on this. You can also get a milk frother like this one, for around $15. You'll have to heat the milk first, but you'll get a nice foam with one of these hand-held tools.

If you are lucky enough to have an espresso maker, USE IT! We have an incredibly awesome machine, a wedding gift from Jason's friend Roger. It is of a quality that we never would have purchased for ourselves!

Once you get comfortable making a basic espresso/coffee and milk drink, this is when you get to have fun! All the tasty flavors Starbucks puts in your lattes? They sell everything in their stores, but you can find similar products much cheaper. You can get Torani syrup for a good price at most grocery/discount stores (I got mine at Food Source, which is no gourmet market!). Target also has their own brand of syrups, including sugar-free. Cruise the bakery/spice section, looking for tasty add-ins like cocoa powder, vanilla sugar, whatever you like! I especially enjoy pumpkin pie spice sprinkled in my drinks during the winter:

It helps to have a super cute set of cups and saucers (thanks Annie & Steve!!):

Caramel ice cream topping + spiced apple cider = super yummy on a cold night! I have also found some really yummy recipes online for different drink combinations and add-ins. You can whip up this recipe for Chocolate Caramel Latte Syrup and keep it in your fridge for a super sweet morning add-in! Allrecipes.com has a great tutorial for making hot and cold coffee drinks.

Speaking of cold drinks, now that it's getting warm, haul out your blender! The trick to tasty iced coffee that's not watered down? Coffee ice cubes! Next time you make a pot and have a bunch leftover, freeze it in a couple of ice cube trays and then put the cubes in a freezer bag. Substitute for ice cubes in any iced coffee recipe. I like this one and this one, but your imagination is the only limit. And of course, you can use lowfat/nonfat versions of the essential ingredients to make a drink with waaaaaaay less calories than a Frappuccino! For those of you who like green tea, check out this awesome lowfat Green Tea Frapp recipe my sister posted on her blog. I think it's even better than the Starbucks version!
Last time she came to visit she brought me a little recipe kit with all the ingredients for making these! Isn't she sweet?

So there you have it. We rarely go out for coffee or lattes anymore. I get a lot of satisfaction out of making them at home. We're saving a little money, and it's fun to experiment with different recipes. If any of you have a great one -- feel free to send it my way! And if you have never tried it before, go for it (and let me know how it turns out!). I'm totally Hooked!

Now head on over to Julia's blog for Hooked on Fridays and see what everyone else is Hooked on!

Reno 911!

2009-05-01T19:50:00.000-07:00

I know it's been way too long since my last blog (sorry Mara!), and we have been up to quite a lot lately! Back in April Jason and I headed up to Reno with Mom for a big big big bowling tournament. It's the United States Bowling Congress Women's National Tournament. Which is probably not the correct official name, but it is BIG. It runs for about 3 months in Reno at the national Bowling Stadium and features people from all over the country. Mom was bowling Team with some other wacky ladies from Brentwood. Us three decided to go up early by ourselves, for a little pre-tournament fun & gambling!

Of course we had to stop along the way for a little geocaching. We had a little trouble finding a few, since a lot of spots were still under snow. Jason prevailed here:
I found the geocache at this site, which makes me disproportionately happy:

The vista of Donner lake in the clear spring air was absolutely beautiful. Anyone hungry??(In Mom's defense here, although she is pretty short, I think I was standing uphill of her.)

Geocaching is always a great way to break up a road trip! We made it to Reno and checked out the National Bowling Stadium, all ready for the big tournament.

Mom was pretty excited...........
............as was Jason.
Together they scoped out the competition:

Let me tell you, it is really hard to get good pictures in a bowling alley. Especially when you're not allowed to use a flash. It might distract the bowlers!

We had a few days before Mom was scheduled to bowl, so we spent the time checking out the local sights (Jason had never been to Reno before), eating at buffets, drinking watered-down drinks, gambling, and just soaking up the overall classiness of Reno.

Mom played some Omaha Hold-Em (keeping her sunglasses on of course), Jason ruled the 25 cent roulette table, and I found $3 blackjack at the Cal-Neva. I learned some great tips from the dealers there and came out $5 ahead after playing for two nights!

The tournament day came, and Mom and her team were ready to roll. Literally!

Check out Mom's form!

Unfortunately Jason and I had to leave before they were finished bowling. Mom claims she didn't bowl as well as she would have liked, but she's pretty competitive and hard on herself (gee....that didn't get passed to any of us kids right?). We'll have to wait till the end of the summer to see how her team stacked up.

All in all, we had an absolute blast! Reno was cheesey and skeezy, just like it should be. It was so much fun to spend a couple of days with Mom, especially to see her in her element! Thanks so much for taking us -- we will definitely do this again!!!!!!

Adventures in Juicing

2009-04-07T18:02:00.000-07:00

Would you like to know the best part about getting married? I mean besides making a lifelong commitment to my best friend and sharing a wonderful, beautiful, spiritual, fun day with my closest family and friends? This. This was the best part:

This is my pride and joy, my KitchenAid stand mixer, in a luscious shade of Persimmon. It was the only material thing I really, really wanted and hoped I would get for a wedding present. Being of the male gender, Jason did not quite understand my lust. I have wanted a KitchenAid mixer for years. I coveted my sister's. I coveted my mom's. I was envious of any person on TV I saw using one. And as we planned our wedding, I saw my chance.

We debated registering for gifts. We were both torn on the subject. As a wedding guest, I often loved the simplicity of picking a gift off someone's registry, something I knew they would love and use. As a bride-to-be, it felt cheesey and somewhat tacky to request which gifts I would prefer to receive. I had also seen many people convinced to register for items they didn't really want or even like, because that's what one does.

Although the discourse was thoughtful, the decision to register was made once Jason discovered you could register at REI! Admittedly, I was happy too, because now I could register for my dream item. And so my dear brother Myke and his wife Anjanette bought it for me, months before the wedding. It was one of the very first gifts we received, and I opened it right away! When they were at our house a few days before the wedding, Myke saw the mixer on our counter and asked, "You opened it already?!?" Uh, yes! I knew there was only one thing that could be inside that giant Target box and there was no way I was letting it sit unopened for 6 months!

So far, I'm pretty sure I've only scratched the surface of what this bad boy can do. My current favorite activity? Juicing! Not wacky wheat-grass-carrot-beet juicing, mind you. Just straight up citrus juicing. With our CSA subscription, we get a lot of citrus in the winter; the oranges, grapefruits, and tangelos are always sweet and bursting with juice.However, coupled with our own orange tree, there are always more than Jason and I can eat in a week. So I did a bunch of research, read way too many reviews, and finally late one night hopped online and ordered this:
It was money well spent. Why buy a separate juicer when this takes about 20 seconds to attach and hardly any cupboard space? The attachment screws on the front of the KitchenAid, bringing all of the mixer's lovely power to juicing. And boy, does it juice! Look at these lovelies, picked straight off of our little tree (which you can see here):

Makes a bit of a mess, but nothing beyond my usual kitchen destruction.

For maybe 30 minutes worth of work, I got a big pitcher full of fresh squeezed citrus juice and 4 ice cube trays to freeze. Our little tree is almost bare and there will be no more citrus in our produce box, so I'm glad I got all this in the freezer. I love eating local, and now I've got a little stockpile! The cubes will be great for smoothies this summer, and I already have a recipe to try out that calls for fresh OJ. How yum does this look?!?

If you already have a KitchenAid, I highly recommend getting this attachment. Love it, love it, love it!! Nothing better than fresh juice. It totally Works for Me.

If you want to check out a whole PILE of tips and tricks from a bunch of smart bloggers, go over to We Are THAT Family and check out Works for Me Wednesday!

Please excuse me now, I need to make a trip to the compost pile....

Crafty Fun!

2009-04-06T16:46:00.001-07:00

We have been so busy working on the house, that I haven't had any time (or made any time) for scrapbooking. It's been since Christmas that I have crafted anything, and I'm going through a serious withdrawal! I love all the renovations that we're doing to the house, but sometimes a girl just needs an instant gratification project.

Enter Annie. This is Annie (isn't she beautiful?): She's my best friend and she lives WAAAAAAAAAY too far away from me. She also just had her tonsils out. Many of you might remember getting your own tonsils out as a child. Not too bad, right? You got to stay home from school and eat ice cream and popsicles! Unfortunately, it is a much different story as an adult. Not a fun surgery, and definitely not a fun recovery! I know several adults who have had it done, and every one said it was a horrible experience.
Don't let that scare you though! It really makes a world of difference if you are constantly getting sick with strep throat and other icky respiratory things (especially if you have germ-machines, I mean little kids).

Back to Annie. I wanted to make her something, send her a little treat, since I couldn't hang out with her and be her personal nurse. I figured chocolate chip cookies were out of the question. As well as anything else in solid form. Since ice cream and smoothies don't travel well through the mail, I bought her a gift card for Jamba Juice. And you know I couldn't just put it in a plain old card!

I headed over to Papertrey Ink for some ideas. There I found a whole slew of templates that you can purchase and download, to make all sorts of cute items to hold little treasures. They're designed by Lauren Meader and there are a couple you can download for free to try out. At only $5, they are well worth the price, as you get a printable template and instructions, as well as a bunch of project ideas!

The template I got was called Music Makeover and I already have lots of ideas for using it again. The instructions are really easy to follow. I just printed the template on cardstock, cut and scored the lines, and then got to decorating it.
The patterned paper was from the DCWV Summer Stack and the little blings came in a kit I got long ago. I remember thinking, "When am I ever going to use orange and green rhinestones?" I think it came out great for a little touch of spring! Do you like how I smeared the sentiment? I am so impatient with stamping, I never wait long enough for the ink to dry. Oh well, distressed is still in, right??

I whipped up a matching card (I got that big Fiskars flower punch for Christmas -- love it!), attached my gift card inside with a couple of glue dots, and tucked it all inside my little box.I realized later that I didn't think about whether or not there was a Jamba Juice near where Annie lives, so far away. The great part about that? Turns out there is one right next to her surgeon's office. He should probably get a referral bonus.

I had so much fun being crafty again, hopefully I'll carve out more time for it in the midst of our house deconstruction. I did Ali Edwards' December Daily album but haven't had a chance to fill it yet. This could be the mojo motivation I need!

Monday Metamorphosis

2009-04-05T20:49:00.000-07:00

I'm excited, this is my first time participating in Metamorphosis Monday over at Between Naps on the Porch! I'm going to share something I've been working on for a little while and finally got finished today. We've been working on our master bedroom, and it's about 90% done. I'll do a full before & after post later. For now I'll just show you one of things I really, really wanted to change about the room!

We have a large, deep closet that I commandeered for myself after moving in (I know, typical female behavior). It has built-in shelves and tons of room and I love it! Unfortunately it also had those typical ugly, white, hollowcore builder's doors. They were dingy and had stick-on mirror tiles, which were functional, but not very aesthetic.
We debated a lot of different ideas for this area, and my wonderful crafty husband came up with the idea of frames covered with stretched fabric. Having a super awesome garage full of power tools (yes, we love gender roles!), Jason whipped up these frames and reused the old hardware for the track.
Then, I looked and looked for the right fabric. And looked and looked and looked. We finally found the right stuff at, of course, IKEA. Have I professed my love of IKEA on this blog yet? Perhaps another time. I ended up buying some cheap cream-colored twin sheets and two cream blankets. With the sheets, I just doubled them over, stapled them onto the frames, and cut away the excess.
I thought getting the blankets attached would be just as easy, but the material turned out to be rather stretchy and since it had a horizontal textured stripe, I was worried about it getting distorted. This is when I broke out the big guns. Literally.

Let's stop for a minute and talk about staple guns. This is the one I have had forever. It resided in what Jason likes to refer to as my "single girl tool box." I would like to note that said tool box served me perfectly adequately for many years, in many apartments. So there.
This gun was okay for attaching the thin bedsheets, but when it came to the blanket, it was a no go. The staples were too short for the thick fabric and sturdy wood. And so ladies, we turn to our little friend, Porter Cable.That's right baby, 150 PSIs of staply goodness, coming atcha'. With this little charmer in hand, we made short work of the project! A two-person project for sure, due to the stretchy nature of the fabric, but we managed to keep the lines pretty straight. We started stapling at the top, cutting room for the hardware, and then went down the sides, pulling the fabric taut around the corners. I cut off the extra fabric in the back, which leaves it a little raggedy looking. Someday when I have the oomph I might find some wide ribbon and glue gun it over the edges. But for now, the only way you would see it is if you were in my closet, and that would be creepy.
Jason attached some handles, hung the doors on the track, and we were done! It is so nice to have closet doors again. Not that I don't love admiring my shoes....

And there you have it -- the metamorphosis of my closet doors! They're creamy and soft and textured and I love them! The new wall color helps a lot too. Don't mind the giant bed that sticks out in front of the doors. Or the crap above the closet. That's for another day. Today was full of crafty fun. I was a little intimidated by this project, but once I got going, it went really smoothly. The only piece of advice I would leave you with is this: When in doubt, use the power tool. It's much more satisfying!

Now go on over to Between Naps on the Porch and check out everyone else's changes!

Things I Love

2009-04-01T17:39:00.000-07:00

I love these square dishes:When Jason and I combined households, we each had a lot of post-college hand-me-down crap. We decided to get new dishes, ones that matched and had enough for at least 4 whole people to eat at the same time! Very grown-up I know, it was a big moment. He really wanted square dishes, and we looked and looked and looked. We finally found these at Macy's, which is ridiculous because I would never think of buying dishes there. I don't even buy clothes there! But they were on sale and had a Buy 1 Get 1 Free deal (also strange for Macy's), so we went for it.

We got them in all four colors and they are awesome. The colors are fun and Mediterranean and they are already chipped everywhere and we broke a bowl, but I don't care. It makes me happy to serve food on them because they make everything appear a whole lot more pro and I feel like I'm on Top Chef. Don't you just want to eat this salad? And lest you think I'm starving my poor husband, this salad is to be followed by a leek and sausage tortilla wrap. Trust me, he'll love it. Anyways, my point is that even though we got really nice dishes for our wedding (which I have not actually unpacked yet....), I will always love these dishes. Mostly because they are the first thing Jason and I bought together, for our home and our future life. And he is really the thing I love the most. The vomiting may now commence.

TEASER: Are those new kitchen cabinets peeking out behind those dishes????

Spring has Sprung!

2009-03-29T21:38:00.000-07:00

After a semi-rainy, and oftentimes very cold, winter (okay, cold only for Sacramento), it is Spring! The hills are a beautiful green, and the air is cool with a hint of softness and warmth to come. Afternoons have been featuring bright blue skies and fluffy white clouds. I only wish I could enjoy it more. The problem? The arrival of spring inevitably causes me to feel the impending doom of another hot summer. Instead of reveling in the change of seasons, I dread the upcoming months when it will be 90, 100, even 110 degrees. I could write post after post about why I hate this valley in the summer. And please don't try to tell me it's a dry heat. Please.

However, I am trying to cultivate a mindset of embracing the moment, for whatever that moment might be. I have decided to put off thoughts of Summer, and focus on the beauty of Spring!

The turn of the seasons means new produce coming in our CSA box. Yay for asparagus! This first picking was sweet and perfect. A little salt & olive oil and I roasted it right up on the grill:

I love our front yard, it's almost completely hidden from the street and sometimes it feels like our secret. Everything is starting to wake up from the winter hibernation:

I especially love the Breath of Heaven bush. I had one outside my bedroom window growing up and now we have one beneath our front window. I have big plans for that spot (stay tuned).

We planted a second row of these little Italian Cypress last fall and they already have grown a couple of inches (look at the bright green new growth). In a year or so they'll be shading the driveway!

And of course, the Little Orange Bush That Could:

I went to pick the oranges a few days ago and discovered nearly 50 hidden among it's branches! I picked around 30 to juice, the rest should be ready in a week or so.

Jason discovered this gem last week:
On a whim we planted two artichoke plants in the garden last year, not really having any idea how to take care of them. Nothing happened all summer, then in the fall they suddenly grew really big. Our curiosity was piqued, but we still didn't see anything. Then all of a sudden -- a baby choke! It's barely bigger than a golf ball and buried way down in the core of the plant. It's absolutely adorable and we're bursting with parental pride.

Lest you think it's all sunshine and roses here at the compound, let me show you something. See this tree? It is an evil, evil tree. Oh sure, you think it looks all majestic silhouetted against the evening sky. Don't let that fool you. It is pure evil. It's not flowering yet, but soon it will be. And that is bad. Both Jason and I are super allergic to it, and it is right outside our bedroom window. So much for enjoying a spring breeze! After some sleuthing, we're pretty sure it is some sort of pecan tree. But never fear -- I have my Claritin, my Zyrtec, my Flonase, my Benadryl, my eyedrops, and even an N-95 mask should I need it. This tree will not take away my spring enjoyment this year!

Disclaimer: check back with me when the tree starts blooming.

So there you have it: a little peek of Spring at our abode. I'm truly enjoying it, thinking about new flowerpots and vegetable beds and only dreading the summer a tiny, tiny bit. Did that sound convincing? I've almost convinced myself!

We've also been doing mad reno on the house, so keep your eye out for before & after pics!!

EDIT: I decided to come back and link this post up to the Outdoor Wednesday series over at A Southern Daydreamer. Check out everyone's awesome Spring pictures!

Just Relax & Enjoy It

2009-03-28T19:21:00.000-07:00

I love The Nester. I love her blog, I love her decorating ideas, I especially love her window mistreatments! Her tag line says it all: "it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful." In today's "Bird Watching" blog round-up I was led to this wonderful gem: down to earth. It's a blog about simple living and the post was about "The secret life of a happy homemaker." Now, a homemaker is a far cry from what I consider myself. I read that title and snorted a little and almost clicked away. But for some reason I decided to read the whole post, and what an eye opener! You should read it yourself, but the basic premise was that we all have tasks that fill our day and there is no way around them. So to perform those tasks with a sense of purpose, a sense of calmness, and even a sense of gratitude can completely change the tone of our day.

I must have had an open mind when I woke up this morning, because I completely fell in love with this idea! I already had a Saturday full of errands planned, and I was NOT looking forward to it. I ride my bike to work and to the grocery store, so the idea of being in the car all day, driving through in-town traffic, does not appeal to me. I absorbed down to earth's article and decided to fully embrace my day. To take my time on my errands and to enjoy the opportunity to listen to music and run the AC in the car at full blast. The report: it truly made a difference! Nothing life-shattering, but I was definitely not miserable as I expected I was going to be.

The truth is, unless you have a live-in maid and cook, home duties never end. Instead of dreading every load of laundry and putting it off and then trying to cram through it quickly just to get it done, I can savor the moment to do something relaxing that will eventually please myself and my family. Although I am a natural mess, I feel so much calmer when the house is straightened and put away. Clothes will always need to be rewashed, food will always need to be prepared, cats will continually shed fur. But I will never have back the moments of my day, and how much better to pass them with a sense of purpose, then a sense of drudgery?

Trust me, I'm not going all Duggar on you here. But why not have a sense of mindfulness instead of fighting against all the things that need to happen in your day? Whether it's washing dishes, or filing paperwork, or changing diapers, be present in the moment! Being zen, meditating, centering, daydreaming, whatever you want to call it -- try it. Remember that all the tiny things you do throughout your day, make someone else's day a tiny bit better. And with that, I leave you with some wise words, from someone who spent her very short life doing insignificant, mundane tasks, yet managed to inspire greatness:

“Remember that nothing is small in the eyes of God. Do all that you do with love.” -Saint Therese (she's my homegirl)

I've Been Tagged!!

2009-03-27T20:31:00.000-07:00

Sweet, my sister Mara just tagged me on her blog! Apparently that means I have to take a picture of myself RIGHT NOW and post it here. Fortunately, it was just the kick I needed to get my bloggy butt in gear and get posting again. So without further ado....here's how hot I'm looking on a Friday night:

Try not to be jealous. I live a life of glamour and excitement. And poor self-portrait-taking skills. My hair is still wet from when I put it up in a clip after my shower for an impromptu trip to IKEA. Which yielded many, many finds for home improvement. Which reminds me, I really need to do some before and after pictures on here of the rooms we've finished so far.

The IKEA trip also gave me an opportunity to be reminded of how similar Jason and my dear Dad are. They never met each other, but at least once a day Jason does something that makes me laugh because it reminds me of my Dad, and then I get a little creeped out because I can't believe I pulled a Freud and completely "married my father." I could list the ways they are similar, but I only need to illustrate with this story, and I think you will understand.

As Jason was having a slight stroke tonight after paying at IKEA, we parked the carts and I told him to wait and I went to the snack bar. Feeling like a big spender, and so grateful he had just bought me some new house doo-hickeys, I pulled out a couple bills and 2 quarters and ordered up some hot dogs (okay, I also got myself a cinnamon roll, they're really good and only $1!).

When I returned with the hot dogs, Jason's eyes lit up and he declared me a wonderful wife.

And this my friends, is quite similar to what would have happened had my Dad been here with us. Except the calling me a wonderful wife part (knock it off creepy Freudites!). After checking out, Dad would have snuck away to the snack bar, ever so happy with a 50 cent hot dog. The man never met a hot dog, or a sausage-type meat product, that he did not like. I think it was his German heritage. After telling Jason this for what I'm sure is the 400th time (with him listening indulgently), he finished his hot dog, wiped his mouth, and declared "He was obviously a man of taste."

And this is why I love my husband *sigh* I miss my Dad ever so much, but I see a little bit of him in Jason every single day, and that makes me so happy. And it's not creepy, right?? Right?? Seriously, it's not, right??

The Dentist & Other Things

2009-03-11T10:24:00.000-07:00

I currently have so much Novocaine in my face that my eyeball is numb. I'm not kidding, it is a very bizarre feeling. Much as I'd rather spend my morning doing something other than getting 3 old fillings redrilled and refilled, I love my dentist. He wears flip-flops with his scrubs, which I find refreshing, but also has those really bad cheesey posters on the ceilings of his exam rooms, which I find reassuringly old-school. I think he loves me too, cause I've probably bought him a new BMW or three in all the years I've been seeing him. If you are reading this blog, please say prayers that my future children will inherit Jason's teeth and not mine. I love my Mom and Dad, but their dental DNA sucks.

In far brighter news, we got back this weekend from Costa Rica and I have many pictures to share. Until I get them all downloaded and sorted, please enjoy this preview:

George Washington

2009-02-22T11:40:00.001-08:00

In honor of our country's first president, whose birthday is today, I offer you the following:

This Is Your House On Drugs

2009-02-02T07:08:00.000-08:00

I have spent the last several days painting our master bedroom and it has reminded me of a simple fact. Something that is so basic, yet we seem to forget on so many occasions. It is logical, yet profound. It very well could be the underpinning of municipal governance. And the fact is this: PEOPLE WHO DO DRUGS SHOULDN'T BE ISSUED BUILDING PERMITS. I don't say this to be funny or facetious. We've talked to our neighbors, they watched the house being built, they knew how it was going down. So let me reiterate: heavy drug use during construction = Crazy Fun House.

Some of the fun things that result are walls that are nowhere near square. Or even straight. Love crown moulding? Too bad, you can't put it up when the ceiling is undulating. I thought Jason was going to lose his mind trying to lay tile in a room that wasn't square -- although it did have a lovely peak in the middle.

The wiring is another story. There are multiple switches that all go to the same plug. There are switches that go to nowhere. Although we did discover that one was actually turning all the smoke alarms on & off. Nothing more convenient than a smoke alarm on a dimmer, in case you want to sleep in. We made sure all the batteries were working after discovering that little tidbit. You know you're in for a treat when the electrician laughs at you.

All of this is a prelude to my favorite design feature of this house. The textured walls. The heavily textured walls. THE EXTREMELY CHUNKY 1/2" THICK TEXTURED WALLS. What was the thought process here?? Let's just see how intensely we can texture before the drywall simply buckles?? The guy at the paint counter at the Despot tried to tell me I was buying way too much paint for one bedroom. I tried to explain to him how our walls are like a black hole for paint. Greedily sucking it up, ne'er to be seen again. He kept arguing with me. Apparently because I have a vagina and therefore can't possibly know how to paint a wall. Seriously?!? The economy's in the crapper and you're trying to talk me into buying less product?? Mix the freakin' paint!!

The paint did turn out lovely, even though it seems half the wall is now held together with spackle. It's awesome when a single swipe of the paint roller knocks off chunks of the wall. Spackle. More spackle. Spackle is always the answer. I've also been known to use toothpaste. And before you think our house is a cute, vintage, 1940s Oak Park bungalow, it's not. If it was, I could excuse the crumbling walls and the dangerous wiring. It's early 1990s. Which does not excuse the forest green carpet/aqua & gold linoleum combo. Nor do the drugs.

Before and after pics coming soon.........

Things I Observed On My Way Home From Mass This Morning

2009-01-25T10:44:00.000-08:00

1. There was a smashed pumpkin in the intersection of Stockton and 39th. Seriously, who has been hanging onto a pumpkin for this long and what made them decide that last night was the night to let it go? What was left of it looked really moldy.

2. The 5 or so deflated Mylar balloons stuck in the branches of the tree next to the bus stop in front of the hospital have been there for over 6 months. And it's not like they're 40 feet up in the tree, they're about 8 feet off the ground. Hello, Maintenance? Can you take them down? They look really sad and depressing.

Okay Okay I'll Post More On My Blog!!!!!!!

2009-01-24T16:17:00.001-08:00

Seriously. Really I will. I actually have much to post about and sometimes when I can't fall asleep at night I think about the things I should post and then I never get around to it. Yes, I'm a procrastinator, this is not a news flash. Ask my mom how many times I was up until Ridiculous o'Clock in the morning trying to finish (okay, start) some school project that I had known about for weeks. Or longer. Such behavior even led me to steal some reference materials from the Livermore Public Library because I needed them for a World History report that was due the next day and the library closed at 6PM on Sunday nights. Come on! Didn't they realize that 6 PM on Sunday night was the prime time to START doing projects due on Monday morning?? They should have had special extended procrastinator hours.

So I would like to take this occasion to apologize to the Livermore Public Library for absconding with their reference materials which were clearly stamped REFERENCE: NOT TO LEAVE THE LIBRARY. I also apologize to any unwitting patrons who really really needed information on Poland during the Cold War and who couldn't seem to find any materials in the reference section. I would also like to point out that I DID return said materials. Like, 3 years later.

And if you're wondering why I didn't just look this stuff up online?? Hello people, this was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay before the Internet.......
.

DISCLAIMER: This is not me. But you get the point.

Just FYI......

2009-01-02T10:30:00.000-08:00

24%
Unfortunately, if 2009 brings an undead infestation upon this fair city, I most likely will not be around to blog about it. I took the test. It was on the internet. Tests on the internet don't lie.

Happy New Year!!!

2009-01-02T10:08:00.000-08:00

Hello and Happy New Year to all my faithful blog followers! You know you're out there, don't be ashamed to admit it. Perhaps you have been dismayed by my lack of regular blogging. This is something I hope to change in this coming year. I have much to catch you up on from the last month of holiday festivities. And the coming year promises to hold many exciting changes and adventures!

I am proud to admit that I have finally become on of "those people" who can't even stay awake till midnight on New Year's Eve. Although I did wake up to the sound of fireworks outside our window (I love living in Oak Park) so does that sortof count?? I spent yesterday sleeping in, drinking coffee, and zoning out on college football. Man I can't stand USC. Did you catch the sweet ending to the Nebraska game?? GO HUSKERS!!

So like I said, stay tuned for holiday recap, as well as some sneak peeks of 2009!! I'll also tell you about my Word for 2009. Check out Ali Edwards' post about it for an explanation. Much love and kisses to all my readers!!!!

An open letter to people who pass by our house after shopping across the street at Walgreens/Food Source/Jack In The Box:

2008-12-15T22:56:00.000-08:00

QUIT THROWING TRASH IN OUR YARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes We Can part 2

2008-11-28T05:57:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, I've been a terrible blogger!! Over three weeks and no new posts. Who would have thought I'd have so many fans clamoring for new info from me?? Okay, it's mostly my Mom who keeps asking when I'm going to put up a new post, but she counts right??

You may have noticed I was a bit excited about the Presidential election results. Just counting down the days till January 20th! I voted for Barack Obama and this is the first time ever that the person I voted for was elected. Do I agree with every single one of Obama's policies, positions, and statements? Heck no! But I do strongly believe he was the much better choice for this country. And to see him elected made me incredibly proud to be an American, something that I have not felt much in the last decade or so.

I have heard so many people echo that very statement, that this moment, this election made them so proud. And I've thought a lot about what that visceral feeling really translated to. For me, it is this: that we as Americans had the courage to reject the policy of fear that has been ruling this country for the past 8 years. Fear that may have been justified at the outset, immediately following the terrible day of September 11th, but which was then manipulated and used to the advantage of an administration hungry for power and control. We bought into that fear and turned a blind eye to the eroding of our civil liberties. We allowed ourselves to fear each other, our neighbors, people who looked different, talked different, had a different religion. And are these the people who have brought our country to it's economic knees? No, it has been our own poor individual decision-making, exploited by the leaders of a greedy, reckless financial system. Not exactly what we were encouraged to fear.

So if you're still reading this, kudos to you, especially if you don't agree with me. Maybe the catchphrases of "Change" and "Yes we can" are cheesy and naive. I don't care. People need hope, and hope is the very opposite of fear. Obama is not my Personal Lord and Saviour, no one is expecting him to work miracles. Okay, nobody who is sane. But he has made me care about this country when I didn't think I could stomach caring anymore. And I believe that a nation of people who are engaged, aware, and opinionated is much better than a nation in fear.

Oh yeah, and we've got Michael Phelps too.

Yes We Can!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-11-05T07:36:00.000-08:00

Today, I am so proud to be an American citizen!!!

Look who's caching now.....

2008-10-27T19:48:00.000-07:00

You may or may not know about my obsession with geocaching. It is the perfect storm of outdoorsiness and complete nerdiness. Plus you get to be super suspicious and lurk around places and look for things which is pretty fun if you are a giant dork like me and want to pretend that you are some sort of secret agent, like this guy.

Jason and I indulge in these hijinks every chance we get. There are geocaches everywhere, urban, rural, international, underwater. Many a hiking and camping trip have been enhanced by finding these hidden treasures. You can read about our exploits here and here and here. However, this weekend's caching adventures were made that much better by the addition of........my mom!!

We spent the weekend at her house and took her out on Sunday to find a couple of caches. I had NO idea she would get so into it! We started out with Jason finding the first one -- Mom had been close. And holy cow her competitive juices got flowing!! The second cache gave us some trouble....but Jason finally spotted it, followed quickly by Mom. She was determined to be the first to find one!! And on the last cache of the afternoon, while Jason and I were still looking at the GPS trying to figure out which direction to go, we heard a triumphant shout from the bushes -- Mom had found it!! Needless to say....she was pretty darn excited. Check her out:

Success!! Please ignore the Private Property sign. She can't help it, it runs in her family.

We had a blast caching with Mom -- it's so much fun to get other people interested in the game!! I think we may have a future superstar on our hands.......

Scrapalicious!

2008-10-22T15:17:00.000-07:00

So here are some of my recent favorite layouts that I've scrapped lately. A bunch I did at the last scrapbook retreat I went on, back in September, at the San Diego Scrap Inn. The place was awesome!! Highly recommend it, plenty of room to spread out and endless snacks and drinks provided by the inn. The weekend away charged up my scrapping mojo and I've been on a pretty good roll since then. Enjoy!

Could it be??

2008-10-20T16:56:00.000-07:00

So it has still been in the mid-80s weather wise. Not very fallish and it was starting to make me angry. Jason's parents in Maine have leaves changing colors and nippy weather. I'm jealous. I finally said forget it -- and just put out all my fall and Halloween decorations anyway. Like perhaps I could will the weather to change, give it a little hint. I think it may have worked.

I was driving through the Fabulous 40s the other day, on my way home from a few errands. I love driving through this neighborhood, not so much because of the houses, but because of the incredible trees. They're old and huge and arch up forming a beautiful canopy over the streets. I was cruising with the windows down, enjoying the slight breeze and then....I saw them. Leaves. Leaves falling off the trees and blowing about the street. It was if all the trees suddenly made an executive decision to turn and fall, weather be damned! Brown and orange and yellow and, well, mostly brown (this is not a hotspot for leaf-peeping). The way they were flying about and crunching under my tires made me inexplicably happy.

And so it finally feels like fall! A little too warm, but fall nonetheless. Chilly riding my bike to work in the morning. Getting dark just a touch earlier. Root vegetables showing up in our CSA produce box. Jason slightly less cranky mowing the lawn. Snuggling under the (not too heavy) covers at night.

Welcome fall, I've missed you.

Tasty Treats

2008-10-15T10:22:00.000-07:00

Jason has been feeling not so well lately (yea for working in the hospital and catching every cold and flu that goes around!) so I decided the other night to make something tasty for him. I found this scrumdiddlyumptious peanut butter cake recipe and it came out awesome!! Seriously, if you like PB and chocolate, MAKE THIS CAKE:

I added baking chocolate to the PB frosting and it was something akin to a Reese's peanut butter cup in cake form. Giant shout-out here to the KitchenAid mixer, making homemade frosting fluffy and effortless!

After having this cake in the house for a few days, I figured it would be best to remove it from the premises. I took it to work where it was quickly devoured by overworked fellows. Sorry all you hungry patients who have been fasting for 8+ hours -- you don't want our blood sugar to drop too low, do you??

It's Truly A-Mazing...

2008-10-09T19:44:00.000-07:00

...how many bad puns one can come up with involving a corn maze. Maize Maze. Amazing. Or Amaizing. Maize Squared. It's incredibly corny. HA! Linguistics aside, corn mazes are truly cool. Jason and I went out to this one today, the largest in the world according to Guinness. At nearly 43 acres, it completely kicks this hedge maze's butt. We came prepared for battle, as we had heard tales of 3-hour tours, parties becoming separated, and the ever-present corn goblins. We took our trusty GPS, in hopes it might give us an edge. Armed with an aerial map, we ventured forth.

I did spot quite a few corn goblins, but I didn't let them slow me down!

It was hot (not very fall-like!) and super windy. It was a tricky maze, with many points where we could have gone very very astray. There was ample evidence of panicked maze-goers trampling their own paths through the corn! But we refused to give up. We stayed calm, we worked as a team, and we were rewarded with a time of under an hour!

It was a wonderful way to spend the afternoon. And it just goes to show that the couple that makes it through the corn maze together..........................

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Finally!! (part 2)

2008-10-04T21:31:00.000-07:00

It really really must be fall now. Jason was wearing sweats tonight. This is a man who laughs at the cold. A man who does not crack in the face of snow & ice. Yes Virginia, it's fall.

Finally!!

2008-10-04T08:26:00.001-07:00

It rained. It honest-to-goodness rained!! You know, the wet stuff falling out of the sky?? It has been such a hot summer here and according to the calender, it has been fall for a few weeks now. Unfortunately you wouldn't know it by the hot hot hot weather. Finally yesterday it was overcast and smelled like rain coming. And last night it happened!

I cannot explain how happy this makes me. I'm ready for cold!! I'm ready to wear jeans and sweaters and scarves and be snuggled on the couch with the windows closed against the howling wind. I want to take a drive up 50 and see the leaves changing and pick apples and carve pumpkins. I'M TIRED OF BEING HOT!!!!!

Of course it is only supposed to last today and then get back up to 86 degrees next week. Grrrr. Such fickle California weather. But I'll take it as a start. Fall decorations are coming out today and it's time to start praying for snow!!!!! For it is on the wintery slopes where one will find.....Captain Awesome....

What a Difference A Few Years Make

2008-10-02T09:20:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was my birthday. Woo-Hoo!! I'm not one to get torn up about my age -- I'm 31 and proud of it! Proud of it because there was a time that I didn't think I'd get here. Or if I did, I would certainly not be this well put together. It is amazing how dramatically one's life can turn around, with hard work and people who love you and believe in you. On a daily basis I think about how grateful I am for my many blessings and tell myself how awesome my life is!

Is any of this earth-shattering news to you? Maybe not, but it is to me. And so I wanted to document it here, to remind myself. I'm trying to learn to be more aware: more self-aware, more cognizant of my feelings, more conscious of the good things in my day, in my life. Ali Edwards has a regular feature on her blog called "Three Things", so in this vein I'm going to share with you 3 Things I'm Grateful For. Hopefully I'll do this weekly!

#1 Camping
Could there be a better way to spend a few days? Outside, maybe sunny, maybe not. Hiking and exploring somewhere new. Cold at night, perfect for snuggling. The smell of the campfire lingering in your hair. S'mores toasted and roasted (or caught on fire). Animal sounds at night, who knows what they are. Laughter drifting from other people's campsites. Sharing (or not) a bottle of wine, knowing the worst harm you can do is run into the picnic table in the dark. Red checkered plastic tablecloths. Fantastic.

#2 My cats
Yes call me the crazy cat lady, but there is something about them that is so soothing. One of ours is large, fluffy, orange, a complete land seal. The other is skinny, gray, wiry, possibly schizophrenic. At the very least I think he had an anoxic birth injury. They're annoying, crying in the morning for food. But also very cute, curling up with me when I'm sleepy or don't feel good. Sometimes they hunt and bring things in the house. This I am not terribly appreciative for. But the purring and love can stay.

#3 Homemade cinnamon-soy lattes
Jason's friend Roger gave us this completely awesome Italian espresso maker for our wedding. Boo-yah!! No longer beholden to Starbucks for my latte fix, I have perfected the art of home barista-ing. The smell of the brewing espresso. The sound of steam in the soy milk. The satisfaction of pulling a great shot with lovely crema and frothing up a good foam. It's part of my morning routine and a slightly meditative way to start the day. Bottoms up.

Welcome to my Blog!

2008-09-28T20:57:00.000-07:00

Check it out.......I have a blog!! What's this blog about, you might ask?? Well me, mostly. Still interested?? Obviously you are, since you're reading this. Keep reading. I figure I'll use this blog as a place to spew my random musings out into the universe. Which could end up being funny, witty, and enlightening....or completely inane. Let the blogosphere be the judge!!!

I am a bad bad bad monkey

2008-09-11T10:33:00.001-07:00