Pave the way

In addition to having their kitchen remodeled, mom and dad decided to have the driveway and front walkway to the house remodeled, too. Previously, the driveway had been asphalt and the walkway was concrete. Both had some pretty significant cracks and were badly in need of repair. For the remodel they chose brick pavers -- they're just beautiful! Take a look:

Before...




During...



After...

Speaking of the kitchen remodel...

Here are a few 'before' and 'during' pictures of mom and dad's kitchen remodel; I can hardly wait to see the 'after'!

Before...




Just getting started...



Closer to being done, but still a long way to go...

Mmmmm - Sunday Dinner...on Saturday!

My parents are in the process of having their kitchen remodeled. It's going to look fantastic! ...but in the meantime, it means their kitchen is something of a disaster area. We thought they might be getting a bit weary of eating fast food for dinner, so we invited them to join us for dinner tonight. Though it's only Saturday, we all agreed that tonight's feast felt more like a good old fashioned Sunday dinner.

When I was thinking of a menu for tonight's dinner, I thought it might be kind of fun to include potato pancakes. When Kevin and I stayed at the Apple Farm over the summer, we were reminded of just how much we LOVE them, so we thought we'd give them a try. While the pancakes are not difficult to make, they are somewhat time consuming. Therefore, if you're ever contemplating making them, I'd advise that you might want to do so on the weekend when you'd have a bit more time to make them. Next time I'd probably tweak the buttermilk pancake batter a bit - add a little less liquid, but overall, they were delicious!

Tonight's menu: marinated grilled pork chops, potato pancakes with sour cream and apple sauce, green beans and a fresh peach crisp for dessert. YUM!! (these aren't mine, but they look very similar...)

08.18.01

What, you may be asking yourselves, is the significance of that particular sequence of numbers. Well, I'm glad you asked. The particular glorious sequence of numbers indicates the most wonderful day of my life: the day that Kevin and I got married. Our story is kind of like Goldilocks and the three bears. How so? Well, we met 9 years ago - but it wasn't right. We re-met 8 years ago - and that was pretty good, but still...not quite right. But... We got married 7 years ago and that was juuuuust right. Perfect in fact!

Thank you, Kevin, for seven wonderful, blissful years of marriage. I am so happy and proud to be your wife! Thank you for loving me the most when I deserve it the least. Thank you for looking beyond the surface and finding the treasure hidden within. Thank you for sharing my life and allowing me to share yours. You're the most wonderful soulmate, partner, lover and friend I could have ever hoped for. I love you very much. Happy anniversary!! I can hardly wait to see what the next '43 years' has in store for us!

Lemon Ice Cream - YUM!

Tomorrow night Kevin and I are going to have dinner with some friends at their home. They're providing steak and artichokes and we were asked to bring dessert. A month or so ago we'd found a recipe in a magazine that sounded so delicious we knew we had to give it a try. This seems like the perfect occasion! The recipe is for homemade lemon ice cream with blackberry sauce. YUM! It's a bit labor intensive, but not enough to scare us off =) It's delicious! It's a bit on the rich side, so you can't eat a lot of it in one sitting. The blackberry sauce in the recipe called for using blackberry jam, but we've opted to use fresh blackberries instead. Since the ice cream is a bit heavy, I think the fresh fruit sauce will lighten it up a bit. We're going to make fresh raspberry sauce, too. After all, variety is the spice of life!

Cowboys and Presidents

We've talked about it all summer and today we finally made it. Kevin and I went to the Gene Autry Museum of the American West. There's an exhibit there we wanted to see called 'Cowboys and Presidents'. It's an interesting commentary on how cowboys - or more specifically, 'the cowboy way' - have influenced American presidents throughout history. From Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Rider days, to LBJ, to Reagan and beyond. What a fun exhibit! They had all sorts of interesting paraphernalia, but unfortunately, they didn't allow photography.

There was another incredibly interesting exhibit at the museum entitled 'All the Saints of the City of Angels'. Interesting concept: it's a look at all of the streets of the city of Los Angeles that are named for saints - for example: San Vicente, San Pasqual, San Fernando, etc. Basically the artist divided the city into sections and researched each of the "Saint" streets and those for whom they were named. Then, he took faces of folks that he met in and around L.A. and painted them into the artwork to depict the Saint. Though some of the subject matter was a bit darker than we'd imagined, it certainly was a compelling exhibit. All in all, a very fun adventure!

Yep, it's that time already...

I can't believe that it's August already. Where did the summer go? Today was technically my last day of vacation - I start back to work on Monday. This school year should be interesting on many fronts. It will be the first time in the 12 years that I've been there that Bev and I won't have our 'first day back, how was your summer, do you have any photos' chat; we have a new principal this year so I have no idea what's in store. He seems like a nice guy and it feels like he will be a good fit at FA - but it will still just be 'different'. For 12 years, Bev, Rod, Linda and I have worked together like a well oiled machine; we can - and do - finish each others' sentences. I sure hope Jeff catches the wave and joins in on our jovial banter and enjoyable work atmosphere; I'm sure he will.

Additionally, we will have construction going on all this year. Blech! I know the reality of it is, when it's all finished, our school will look phenomenal; however, it's the process of getting there that I'm not really looking forward to! The front of our lovely FA now has dead grass and uninviting portable classrooms on it's once beautiful front lawn.

What will be the same, however, is the excitement of starting a brand new school year! Though it involves a great deal of preparation, it's always my favorite time of the school year. There are so many possibilities! New experiences around every corner! I can't wait to see what this school year will hold.

Peach Cobbler

Mmmmmm - peach cobbler! What could be better than that?! We haven't had one in ages and it sounded so good! We're going to my parents this afternoon for a visit, a swim and then dinner. Yesterday I asked mom what we could bring:

ME: "Mom, what can we bring for dinner tomorrow night?"
MOM: "Oh nothing, I've got everything."
ME: "What are you planning for dessert?"
MOM "Well I have some cookies, or ice cream, or fresh fruit."
ME: "Well that sounds good, but how about a cobbler?"
MOM "OKAY!"

Guess she was in the mood for one, too =)

Hooray for Hollywood!

This weekend we have our twin nephews, P and D, staying with us. Wow- are we ever on the go! But we're having a really nice time. For their birthday in March, their Grandma and Papa gave them annual passes to Universal Studios! They haven't had the chance to use them yet so yesterday, Kevin and I took them for their very first (ever!) visit! Oh boy, did we have fun!



Here they are at the very beginning of our big adventure!

We arrived early so, lucky for us, the park wasn't very crowded. Our first stop was the new Simpson's ride. What a hoot! I don't want to give too much away so all I'll say is, if you're ever in the area, you MUST go on the Simpson's; you won't be disappointed. After that, we headed over for the actual tour. Lots of fun and surprises there, too!



Next we headed for Jurassic Park -- ummm...the ride, of course! Boy, did we ever get soaked! It was nice though, and since it was such a warm day, we dried pretty quickly. Next we had lunch with the Flintstones. BBQ. Yum! We were talking about what we might like to do next and P volunteered the fact that he wouldn't mind going on Jurassic Park again. Uncle Kevin volunteered to go with him. D and I watched for them from above and snapped a few pictures when they came out. If you thought I was kidding about being soaked, check out these photos...




After having a fun time at Universal Studios, we thought maybe we'd cap off the day by going to the Dodger game - Brad Penny Bobblehead Night! Even better, the Dodgers won! Yay!
Today it will be a movie, swimming and dinner at Grandma and Papa's and then...falling into bed to SLEEP. Whew! A very fast-paced, eventful weekend. Thanks Deb and Bill for lending us the boys for a weekend of fun!

Generations

This past weekend Kevin's grandpa was here for a visit from El Paso. We had a really nice time visiting while he was here. We were especially thrilled that he came out because, at 86, his sight isn't what it used to be and he didn't think he'd be traveling out here any longer; however, he changed his mind and we're so glad he did!

Saturday night we all went to dinner at Northwoods Inn. Yum! Before we left the restaurant, my mother in law (hi Vicky!) wanted to snap a few photos. After our 'photo shoot' we were all heading back to the car and Kevin snapped this photo. I just love it! Grandpa, his daughter (my other in law), and her granddaughter (our niece, Lilly); three generations all walking hand in hand.

Vacation

One of the things I look forward to during the month of July (besides having the month off work!) is our annual vacation. Our vacations have run the gamut - Cooperstown, Toronto, Hawaii, New York City, Pittsburgh, Oregon, Napa Valley. They've all been different and we've loved each and every place we've visited.

With many folks planning 'stay-cations' this year because of the economy, we feel fortunate that we were still able to take off for at least a few days and visit one of our favorite places: San Luis Obispo. It's so beautiful up there, and it has a certain sentimental value to us - we went there on our honeymoon! We stayed at our favorite inn - The Apple Farm. It's a warm, inviting place with beautiful flowers and charming decor. Here are a few photos so you can see for yourself.






This was actually our fourth stay at the Apple Farm, and the room we had this time is our favorite yet. It was very quaint and cozy. A canopy bed, fireplace and sitting area - perfect to curl up and read a book.






Throughout the inn, there are samplings of items that are for sale in their gift shop. I just love the little vignettes they've created - it really looks more like someone's home than an inn.








We had a great time! We drove over to Paso Robles and went 'antiquing'. Though we only visited a few stores, we were able to find some wonderful things that will make great Christmas gifts for our families. (shhhhh...those are a secret, so no photos!) We also visited the most beautiful lavender farm in Atascadero. It's actually harvest time for the lavender and it will be harvested next week (they had a lavender festival this weekend). Because it was such a warm day when we were there, the air was intensely perfumed with the scent of lavender - what a heady aroma! They make their own natural products using the lavender - essential oil, soaps, culinary herbs and honey. It was amazing walking through the lavender fields - they were abuzz with hundreds of bees.






A local artist painted this mural on the wall of the pathway that leads to the lavender fields...


Though it was only a few days, we are so grateful that we had the opportunity to get away for a while. It was wonderful to see the beautiful scenery and just to be with Kevin. Thanks, honey, for a wonderful time.

Aloooooha!

A few months ago a friend of mine brought me a plumeria plant. Kevin and I fell in love with these when we were in Hawaii a few years ago. We even purchased one to bring home with us. Well, it didn't fare so well and it finally died a short time after we got home. Since then, I've read that plumeria can be somewhat fussy. They don't bloom every year, either. It all depends on what strikes their fancy.

Anyway, I jumped at the offer when my friend asked me if I wanted a plumeria! Of course I do!! He brought it in to work and it looked very healthy. Multiple branches and lots of green leaves. I admit, I was a bit nervous when all of the leaves fell off about two weeks after I brought it home. I thought for sure I'd killed yet another plumeria plant. But alas, it lived! And, I must admit - it's thriving (though I really can't take credit for it since all I've really done is water it!). One of the stems has multiple buds on it just ready to explode. The first one bloomed the other night. In addition to it smelling heavenly, it's also very beautiful. A creamy white with a lovely yellow center. Here's a photo -- I sure wish you could smell it! It would be an instant vacation in Maui =)

Bye, Bye Birdie!

We found yet another baby bird in the back yard the other night. Mama bird was hovering around and keeping baby in close view, but we were still able to get close enough to snap a few photos. Poor baby bird! We think he'd 'flown the coop' so to speak, but was still having great difficulty trying to fly. He couldn't possibly make it back in to the nest - it was much too high up for him to reach. We're not exactly sure where the baby ended up - we kept tabs on him for a good portion of the evening, but by morning, he was nowhere in sight. But I'm sure his mama wouldn't let anything happen to him.

Central Park Restaurant

But not in NYC. Last Sunday morning we took dad out to celebrate Father's Day. We found a fun new (well it is fairly new, but since none of us had ever been there it was brand new to us!) restaurant to try. While small, it was very charming and the food was delicious! Mom raved for several days afterward about the wonderfully crisp Belgian waffle and dad, who swore he wouldn't be able to finish his breakfast, ate all but two small bites. It was a fun find and we'll definitely go back.

We're having a heat wave....

but the tropics have nothing to do with it! It began heating up this past Monday and by Friday, temperatures were well into the 100's -- several local towns were suffering through 118 degree heat!! Even today has been uncomfortably hot. We went to mom and dad's to go for a swim, but it was so hot outside, we opted to just stay inside the air conditioned house.

The heat is supposed to break by Tuesday -- at which point it will only be in the 90's. And summer has just begun!

Let's Go! Batter Up!

Last night we were treated to a great evening: fabulous tickets for the Dodger game. It was sort of a last minute 'what are you guys doing Tuesday night?' kind of thing...and boy, are we ever glad we didn't already have plans!

The tickets were first base field level VIP box seats. It included entry to the First Baseline Box Club - which means food, and lots of it. Tuesday night they were serving Mexican food (yum!) - tacos, taquitos, rice, beans - and a huge assortment of delicious salads. There were, of course, Dodger dogs too, and peanuts and ice cream and soda. The only thing it didn't include was alcohol. But hey, we still had a beer...rootbeer that is =)

MK - we had a blast! Thanks for generously sharing your good fortune with us. You ROCK! And Lisa, it was a pleasure meeting you!

Yard Sale-ing Saturday

Yesterday on my way to the grocery store, I passed a few signs advertising yard sales. It was such a beautiful day, there seemed to be many, many yard sales, but I decided to stop at only two. Wow. I somehow picked wisely...I found several WONDERFUL goodies at rock bottom prices!

I found a beautiful silver pitcher. I picked it up and was surprised by it's weight -- I knew it was good silver. I set it back down and looked at the other items on the table (some wonderful things, I might add!), afraid to ask the price of the pitcher. Finally, when I could no longer resist, I asked in my best nonchalant voice 'what is the price of the pitcher?' I was stunned when she held up five fingers and said 'Five dollars'. I thought sure she was going to say fifty dollars, but no...it really was just five dollars. I'll take it! I brought it home and this morning, polished it up. It's beautiful! Quite the bargain I think!

At the same yard sale, I found an adorable birdhouse that I thought would be perfect in the large window of the garden room. Again, it was only five dollars!

I stopped at another yard sale just sure that I'd already found all the bargains to be had for the day. Nope. Last weekend I was looking at some adorable folding trays on eBay. I considered placing a bid, but chose not to do so. I'm so glad I didn't! I found the sweetest folding tray at the yard sale! It was made in England and was in perfect condition. In fact, it hadn't even been used - the tag was still on it and she had the box it came in. It was marked ten dollars, but when I asked her if she'd take less, she lowered the price to just $8.00. Certainly an irresistible price as far as I was concerned!

All in all, it was a great yard sale Saturday!