i'm really trying here!!

Through the collecting glass

2008-06-18T22:21:00.000-07:00

Sigh. I think my martini glass collecting is beginning to wane. (Look above the cabinets) The space I have for them is getting very full and manufacturers just aren't coming out with as fun designs as a few years back.

Instead I think I may be turning my attention to other glass things. I suppose I am like a moth to a flame - A clumsy, barefoot girl with two dogs who likes to relocate a lot collects fragile glass things.

I love this new candy dish shaped like a fan that I picked up for a buck. I also scored a couple heart shaped glass dishes that would look great with some hershey's kisses.

Or maybe glass pitchers. This one in particular has an "A" pressed into it, which reminds my of one of my aunts. I have two other glass carafes. Not quite a collection, yet... but I like where this is going.

And then there is my cake dome. And damn Martha had to do a huge feature on kitchen domes and how hot they are right now. Shoot.

Of my three choices, these are my current favorite to begin a collection with. Of course, of the candy dishes, carafes and domes, the domes take up the most room. Why can't I take up collecting thimbles? Sigh, I'm really trying here!

Just do it already

2008-06-18T22:07:00.000-07:00

Okay, this isn't a lecture. BUT, I think we all need to start thinking about the environment more. With gas prices this high (I'm going to start buying my fuel in TJ) and freaky weather, we've got to do something.

My effort this month? I picked up some of those reusable bags they sell for less than a buck at the grocery store. And I'm trying to remember to use them.

Every time I use them at the place I bought them, I am worried that the checker will ring me up for them. So, I added some of my own ribbon.

Another benefit? Carrying in your groceries is WAY easier! The bags fit twice as much as any one time use bag (paper OR plastic) and the have these great straps that will go over your shoulder.

That's my green effort for the day, what's your next move?

That's gonna have to soak for a minute

2008-06-18T21:57:00.001-07:00

Oh Betty Crocker, you have done me dirty. I set out to make the boy fudge brownies on Sunday. My thought was to add the extra egg ("for more cake-like brownies") and toss them in to a muffin tin for brownies cupcakes. And for extra measure, why not throw in a few mini marshmallows and tiny chocolate chips.

There's a reason why I named my blog what I did.

The god news? Once I chiseled them out, they were the best marshmallow brownie chunks I've ever made.

Backyard at Night

2008-06-18T21:34:00.000-07:00

In case you haven't picked up on it yet, I really love my back yard. After YEARS of apartment dwelling and a backyard under ongoing construction before that, I really appreciate what I have now.

Above is my "tweak-on-the tiki" Somehow roping these together draws more attention then single torches. Plus, it gives the backyard a bit of a Pirate theme.

Hurricane lanterns add a nice touch. BUT, I need to remember not to leave the candles out during the day, or melting can occur. (update - yesterday it was over 105 and that whole candle is mush!)

This is the canopy at night. I have tried to do what all the magazines and shows say - make the outside space a room. I even have a gorgeous Asian rug on the ground.

One might feel guilty putting a Asian rug outside, but, a) it has seen better years (doggie potty training and my aunt's kids) and b) I use it every friggin' day. The lights hanging from the corners are tea lights in mason jars hung from wire.

Thank you Martha Stewart for that one!

Go put something from the inside of your house outside. Then sit back with a glass of wine and tell me it doesn't improve your deck, patio or balcony instantly!

Sigh of relief

2008-06-02T19:38:00.000-07:00

Dogs are hard. When I got Lulu, I joked to my then-boyfriend that she was a "practice" baby. Turns out, they aren't practice anything. They get sick, hurt, scared and now (thankfully) better.

Thank you for the calls, the emails and the flowers on our door step. Katana, aka"That damn dog," is happily digging in the garden, burying the new bone she got as a get well gift.

Is it summer yet?

2008-05-29T18:13:00.000-07:00

Recently we replaced our canopy cover. The original one was destroyed in the Santa Ana winds. Apparently we live in such a throwaway/disposable/single use world that you cannot just by a canopy cover with out special ordering it and waiting for months. Instead of that headache, we used painters canvas for the top and fabric shower liners for the sides. Who know a drop cloth and splash stopper could come out so cute?

The scraps? Well those were used to make (free)covers for the new fire pit and BBQs.

Here is our dinner for tonite. The white paper sack is the sausage. You may notice that I have lettuce in a grill basket. That will be a grilled Caesar salad. I'll let y'all know how it turns out!

Corn with salt, pepper, Cayenne and garlic is wrapped up in foil on the left. The double skewers are teriyaki marinaded portabella mushrooms.

Finished the invitations to our "kickin' off summer" BBQ. Here it is (the folded up piece of paper is covering my address - stalkers aren't so much fun).

Below is my dirt. Actually, we are on Day 5 of wild flower watch. I threw some seeds out there. Let's see what happens, shall we?

I think the Charcoal just caught, gotta run!

Kickin' off another flip-flop summer

2008-05-27T21:51:00.000-07:00

Ahh, summer is in the air. The boy and I have decided (well, I informed him) that we will be hosting our first BIG party!

For the event we needed to purchase new patio stuff. Because pulling our indoor dining furniture outside is cool and all...

We almost put the brakes on right there. You see, patio stuff is REALLY expensive. It seems that if you want to entertain, you have to spend a damn fortune filling up your patio.

Have y'all seen gas prices? We needed a quick fix, or our little BBQ as doomed at the gate. So, the boy and I checked out the Memorial Day Sales at the discount stores.

Everything was very economical and I can't wait to warm my toesies under the new fire pit (Walmart, $44.58). We also invested in 2 cheapo grills ($19.94 & $24.38, Wally World again) so we can have "dueling grills" for our party.

Big Lots! yielded us tiki torches, extra large citronella candles and a $5 jumbo beverage (keg) bucket. And at Home Depot we scored 8 solar garden lights for under $20.

Lowe's Memorial Day sale was also a great find! Although it is a plastic set, our 6 new chairs and 36" patio table were under $60.

We also got a whole bunch of other stuff, grill accessories, fuel (torches and Qs) and a surprisingly cute top - as in shirt (Gotta love those big box stores).

I guess the moral is, you CAN have your cake and eat it too. A little extra price comparison, cute fabric to cover a plastic beige table and a "take it or leave it" attitude might get you pretty far and still be able to fill up your tank.

What I need NOW is great grillin' recipes. More then just ribs and corn, I need the GOOD stuff. So let me know, I have to outshine the plastic chairs!

“You can call her an outdoor girl if she has the bloom of youth on her cheeks and the cheeks of youth in her bloomers”

Going back to Cali

2008-05-15T09:12:00.000-07:00

As we get ready to hop on our plane back to California, I am reflective of our trip and the nice time we had. My SIL's house is amazing, decorated to the nines tastefully yet boldly. She is raising 3 great kids - William who just starred in his kindergarten musical debut of "Tiki Tiki Tembo", Ally - who is learning sex ed with hr 8th grade class and Rochelle - who is so 15 is brings back all sorts of memories (15 is the hardest age, I think). The house is also populated with my MIL who works the overnight shift and somehow sleeps through all the ruckus in this full house, my BIL and his best friend - they joke that they would get married if only they didn't have to consummate the marriage, and sometimes my nephew - who wants to play basket-foot-soccer-wrestling-karate and maybe, just maybe ninjas.

Bless Rochelle's heart - she let the boy and I stay in her room all week so we had reasonably comfortable digs. We visited the Zoo and Pike's Market. The backyard was graced with multiple games of every sport known to little boys. We ate way too much and drank even more.

Bonney Lake, Washington is a little different then the Bay Area or SoCal...

My SIL gets her milk delivered.

All the neighbors know each other. Really well.

Some people don't have fences.

The boy bet me $10 I would not see a single person at the grocery who was not of European descent - I lost. Twice.

You cannot purchase liquor at the grocery store. You cannot purchase liquor on Sundays. The liquor store closes at 7 (8 on Fridays).

AND - if you attempt to buy booze at the liquor store and realize you left your ID in your other purse back at the house because you just flew in and are a little bit discombobulated - they will admonish you in front of the entire store, yell at your BF and SIL for trying to purchase for a minor and kick you out. Your whole group will be kicked out of the store. Welcome to Washington, bitches.

“Washington is nicknamed "The Evergreen State" because it sounds better than "The Incessant Nagging Drizzle State."” - Dave Berry

Of all the things to do...

2008-05-11T20:19:00.000-07:00

The highlight of the trip so far?

I learned how to armpit fart from 6 year old William. He says I'm not bad - for a girl!

Kentucky Derby Day

2008-05-03T12:03:00.000-07:00

I don't know why I love the Kentucky Derby so much. Oh, yes I do, the hats. I want a reason to wear a hat, a tea length dress and kitten heels. Sign. Maybe some day I will make it...

“There is something about riding down the street on a prancing horse that makes you feel like something, even when you ain't a thing.” -Will Rogers

Pay it forward

2008-04-28T21:02:00.000-07:00

Due to an early morning event last week, I had to be at work at 6:15. AM that is. Now, living in Temecula, that means I had to leave no later then 5 am to make it with traffic and whatnot. Well, my butt was out of the house at 4:52, (we are still talking AM) and thought I deserved to treat myself to Starbucks.

As a girl who is cutting calories and sticking to a strict budget, this was a big deal. Sitting in line in the drive thru, I watch the car ahead of me pull forward and I roll up to collect and pay for my morning goodness.

The girl at the window says "I'm sorry, I don't have a total for you-"

Me (in my head, not out loud) What?! It is before 5 in the goddamn morning and if your are too stupid to figure out the God damn register so I can get my coffee, so help me God, I will climb through that window and show-

"Because that man," and she gestures at the car, "just paid for you."

"-" <-- this is me sputtering like my dear sweet mother

"He said he didn't know you," she continued, "and just paid for you."

"-" <--now I am pushing my credit card at her

"You'd better wave back!" She again gestures at the man's car which is paused at the end of the drive through.

As I wave to him and he waves back and pulls away. I turn to her and say,

"I feel like I am in a movie!"

"Me too," she says.

Made. my. whole. morning. No really. MADE. MY. MORNING. WITH A-CRAP-EATING-GRIN ON MY FACE THROUGH ESCONDIDO.

And no, there was nobody behind me that I could pay it forward to.

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world" -Anne Frank (unless there is no one behind you in line!)

Sugar rush!

2008-04-20T19:29:00.000-07:00

We tried to make caramel apples the other night. Here's a chocolate "jimmie" one. I used the biggest juiciest Granny Smith apples I could find.

OOoooohhh, this one was made with caramel shortbread cookies. Notice it is also squished. We put them on the plate to soon! (see blog name)

(I need a manicure!) The only problem with our cute apples was the darn caramel. I think I overcooked it because it was C.R.U.N.C.H.Y. Break your fillings crunchy. (again, see blog name)

Does anyone have a good caramel apple recipe? Mainly the caramel part, my teeth are begging you!

“If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas.”

-George Bernard Shaw

It's all fun and games...

2008-04-20T19:07:00.000-07:00

Until somebody starts wearing the beer box.

Isn't it fun, to just be silly?

Honest to goodness silliness.

Do you still giggle with your friends? Do they make you laugh so hard you snort?

Can you do something totally ridiculous and then have everyone else in the room do it too?

Do you have friends that you can make an ass out of yourself with no worries?

Sometimes we need to step away from all the seriousness of every day life and just be silly. And we have to pictures to prove it. So here's to letting your hair down and wearing the beer box on your head.

“I cannot even imagine where I would be today were it not for that handful of friends who have given me a heart full of joy. Let's face it, friends make life a lot more fun."

-Charles R Swindoll

The roses make up for it

2008-04-20T18:46:00.000-07:00

Remember the scrawny cotton candy trees?

Well, the roses make up for it.

I think we are the only house on the street with rose bushes out front. And they look like they are about to explode!

“I once had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalogue: no good in a bed, but fine up against a wall."

-Eleanor Roosevelt.

A Serious Undertaking

2008-04-20T18:42:00.000-07:00

Is when I break out the scrapbooking stuff...

The good news? I finished 3 projects AND cleaned everything up!

I'm really trying here - Spring Forward Edition

2008-03-12T14:19:00.000-07:00

Ahh, Spring is in the air.

I am convinced that when our little suburban tract was first put up for sale, it must have been exactly this time of year.

This is why..

Breathtaking isn't it?

These pink trees line our whole street. When the wind picks up, it looks like a warm, pink snow is dusting the block.

They look like big globs of cotton candy, I think. Reminds me of D.C., although this time of year I think its rainy and cold. I'll take my 70 and sunny!

I wonder if anyone else on the block has taken notice of these pretty trees?

Hmmmm, I sure do like free decorations!

Oh, I forgot to show you our tree...

It's situations like this, that make me title my blog, "I'm really trying here."

Sometimes I think I get the short end of the stick. (Keep going, it's not this one...)

Sigh. I have the runt of the litter.

Maybe he's just a slow learner.

Happy (early) Spring!

xoxo

Things "they" never teach you

2008-03-07T21:47:00.001-08:00

Going through life there are certain things that nobody ever takes time to explicitly explain to you in any sort of detail. Important things. Things that if you don't know them v. well, you may find yourself in trouble.

Now, I'm not blaming my parents, just society in general. These are things I think you should learn in high school.

1. How to Register for College Courses-
oh, they do? Hmmm, must have been "elsewhere" during that class.

Let's try this again.

The List of Things "They" Should have taught you in High School.

1. You must change the oil in your car every 3,000 miles or the repairs will be 100x what a stupid oil change would have cost you in the first place.

2. No, that car DIDN'T see you. Neither did the woman yakking on her cell phone driving it.

3. You will turn in to your mother. And I'm okay with that. I think its funny. I'm not just saying that because she reads this. Hi Mom.

4. The mail/newspaper/trashcans/phone books/plastic baggies with small rocks and lawn mowing service ads will not bring themselves in the house/behind the fence/into the trash bin no matter how hard you will them to. And I know you see them. Don't act like you don't.

5. How to successfully board a plane. Seriously, from parking to checking in at the ticket counter and checking your bags to finding security and getting to your gate and finding the Starbucks with the best line length the distance from gate ratio, its hard the first dozen or so times.

6. How to buy a car without getting ripped off. I did this process twice with my dad. When I finally went on my own, my eyeballs still sucked in and I sweated like a whore in church.

7. That even though that guy who you stopped in the middle of the street so he could cross- when you had to get home to pee/let the dogs out/watch gossip girl - DIDN'T even bother to NOD his appreciation that YOU out of ALL the other cars who FLEW by him, stopped for HIS CONVENIENCE so he could cross where there isn't even a friggin' crosswalk, you should still feel good and karma will kiss you back. In other words, if you do a good deed and it goes unnoticed, it will be paid forward.

and on a lighter note, they should also teach you...

8. You can't lie to the dentist and tell him you floss. He knows you are full of it.

Have a great weekend my little chickadees!

Cheers!

A litle unfinished business

2008-03-03T18:42:00.001-08:00

Note to Self: in the world of scrapbooking, it doesn't count of you don't finish it!

This is the outside of the heart page book. It is very sturdy and has about 8 pages.

And the inside. Note, it is not technically a scrapbook, as THERE ARE NO PICTURES IN IT! I am repeating this to myself,

I will finish this one project,
I will finish this one project,
I will finish this one project,

But then I look at this project, and my attention wanders....
These pretty tags will go inside the above booklets. Note, again, no pictures, yet...
I will finish this one project,
I will finish this one project,
I will finish this one project,

To all of you who have the same problem as me, lots of creativity and sucky follow through,
Cheers!

You will finish this one project,
You will finish this one project,
You will finish this one project,

if not, just blog about it, you WILL feel better.

I love the 80s?

2008-03-01T18:36:00.000-08:00

I've decided that the best medicine for unfinished projects might be showing them to your peers who will then harass you for not finishing them. I also call this a diversion tactic, of course I couldn't finish my scrapbooking, I was updating my blog. Updating one's myspace also counts as a good excuse but is generally not considered as strong an alibi since myspace requires little to no creativity. Simply press "upload" and you are now displaying last nights drunken pictures. Speaking of intoxication, unfinished business and flowers (see picture at left for the flower reference), I have a story.

Last night we went to a friend of a friend's townhouse for an 80s party. Now I have 2 problems with 80s parties. One, I lived through them and they really didn't leave much of an impression on me. I mean, what is "avoid the noid" all about anyway? I had, like, four people explain it to me and I still don't get it. Second, everyone always wears the same thing. It's like people think that all we wore in the eighties is Madonna shirts and tight black jeans.

The party we went remarkably well. I gotta hand it to this girl. She threw one heck of a party! From the authentic candies to the funny sayings posted on the walls to the impromptu costume contest, it was a great party! The boy and I decided to even drink authentically, enjoying Keystone and Miller 32s. Note the picture at left, the boy is dressed as the older brother from the Goonies (his idea, entirely!) and he won he contest! That's ma' boy!

The catch in getting into the party is a little adventure I like to call "hopping a fence." Now some of you are familiar with my last fence scaling story... (See my mom, reference the Panfil orange bush incident of 2000) But this one is pretty good. So, we literally have to hop a fence to get in and out of this young lady's casa. On the way out, I miss. What I miss, I'm not sure, but I definitely missed somethin' because my swollen bruised ankle tells me so. Oh well, I guess it serves me right. Scaling walls at my age. Sheesh.

Here's to the 80s, when we were all a lot younger, and we bounced back a little faster from wayward fences!

Bitchin'.

Does this make my butt look big?

2008-02-24T18:45:00.001-08:00

You know why it's so hard to get in shape for bikini season? The whole season leading up to the sunshine days is working against you!

I mean, we finally recover from the holiday eat-a-thons...

Doesn't that look good?

So anyway, we finally recover from the holiday overeating and start the season of "prep-work." But the problem is, it's a little hard to work out when the weather is so crappy! It's like mother nature is working against you! It's like she's sabotaging everything because she doesn't like the competition!

Take today, for instance. I decide that I need to go for a run. Yet, it is pouring outside. Now, this isn't an out of the blue "I'm gonna start running" moment. No, I have been running quite frequently lately, thank you very much...

Running to the cleaners, the post office, late to work...

So why does mother nature insist on crying her eyes out the day I wanna flatten my bootie? Probably because she saw my not so six pack abs (they're down there somewhere!) I mean, I was really getting steamed.

But, I went anyway. In the rain. 3.5 miles. Mostly uphill. And it was cold. And my nose was running all down my face. And my stupid i-thingie ran out of juice. And this car hit a puddle that landed all over me. And some teenage boys drove by and catcalled at me. And I got muddy.

And it was the highlight of my day. Look out summer.

Mmmm...

2008-02-12T20:08:00.000-08:00

Mad props to the ladies who put up this blog - in a "I kinda hate you for sabatoging my diet, but your cupcakes are so irresistable" way.

PS...

2008-02-11T21:33:00.000-08:00

OHMIGOD! I just got my first comment from somebody that has not had a hand in changing my diapers!

Come on, you know YOU remember how cool that felt... Ahh, blog-stardom... here I come!

Hmm, maybe I should do a giveaway now!

Cheers!

Sal's Boutique does me good!

2008-02-11T21:16:00.000-08:00

Went to Salvation Army the other day and found this little gem...

20 Bucks. It is a "New Home" machine. Using the serial number, I have it dated to 1926. Check out the plug in the top picture... I wouldn't plug this baby in for anything in the whole world.

No, instead I shall polish it up and make it a shelf decoration- err, conversation piece. And, after hefting this thing around, I can see why the Featherweight line took over, it weighs a TON!

Cheers!

PS The boy is ok for now, we have a follow up on Friday. We will know more then. Thank you for the emails and voicemails with good wishes. XOXO!!

75 and Sunny in SoCal...

2008-02-10T18:00:00.000-08:00

Which reminds me that bikini season is on the way. Ugh.

Anyone else up for moving to the snow?

Cheers! And here's to a happy dieting season.

I've gone shabby, and I love it!

2008-02-09T19:57:00.000-08:00

Well, well, well. Thanks for coming back to me, my little chic-a-dees. We've made a few changes around here. But more on that later. I have a new passion in my life - shabby chic!

It all started with an inooccent enough link that my auntie sent me regarding a "barn sale" in my little town of Temecula, California. She urged me to go, saying that "they never have anything like that around here- ever!"

So I went to the sale. It was in Wine Country (which is more horse country then wine country), in a big barn with 3 very nice ladies running around. I arrived about 20 mintes after they opened shop for the day, so I pretty much had the place to myself to browse. They had some really cute stuff. A lot was out of my price range, but I loved the way all these pretty things made me feel.

I noticed the main focus of the sale was several white metal objects that had been well weathered. Many items made of wood also appeared to have stood out in the elements for a while. And the more beat up, water damaged and crooked things were, the more charming they looked!

And you know what I learned?

If you leave anything out in the rain long enough, you will get a pretty good return!

First, a candle...

(before)

And then after leaving it out in the rain for a week...

(after)

Cute, huh?

And then I tried the milk carton...

(before)

And now...

(after)

Moo!

I also looked at things that are always outside...

(before)

And learned that they, too, have hidden potential!

(after)

Isn't Mother Nature awesome?

But seriously, I really love all this stuff! I love getting my hands on something old and sprucing it up, adding some sparkle and calling it 'chic.

I'll leave you with this tonite, ladies... This is the China set that the boy's grandfather gave to us last year. He said it was old stuff he wasn't going to use any more. I loved it when we got it home, and now? I'm smitten!

Cheers, folks! And happy 'chicing!

Those damn dogs!

2007-10-03T18:45:00.000-07:00

So,
the other day the boy and I go to SeaWorld for the day. We had a great time. It was the middle of the week so no one was around. Then we drove our happy, very sunburned selves home to relax with the doggies.

We get home and we have a nasty note on our front door from none other the Animal Control. (Somebody really should talk to them, leaving notes on fluorescent pink paper isn't very scary. Well, actually it kinda is in a handlebar mustache 80's way) We had received a citation for the dogs "repeatedly running at large."

There is no way Lulu could "at large" anything.
And Katana's getting up there, she's not one for "repeating."

The dogs were found running in the street and cornered a neighbor and didn't allow her out of her car for 10 minutes as she feared for her life.

I immediately run over to 3 of our direct neighboors to genuinely apologize because, ohmigosh, if my dogs really did somehow get out and terrorize the neighborhood, I would really feel dreadful! No avail. 2 neighbors aren't home. The other one (not the lady who has "relations" in her pool, the one on the other side) says, "Who's dogs don't get out every once in a while" and that she saw them sitting on the grass, waiting for us to come home.

I go home and start to explain this to the boy and- BLAM BLAM BLAM. Shyt. This is probably the neighboor.

I answer the door to a half naked, chubby, frizzy haired woman with bad teeth. Before I have a chance to-

"I'M THE ONE WHO CALLED THE COPS! YOUR DOGS WERE...BLAH BLAH BLAH"

Yeah, she goes off on me. So I turn on the charm. I tell her how sorry I am, I clasp my hands to my chest and furrow my brow as I nod in apologetic sympathy. (And, I really did mean it, a 80 pound Rottie can be scary) But I eventually have to tell her that I am not sure it was my dogs since the gate was locked and there were no holes under the fence. Then the woman has the nerve to shove two 8.5X11, full color photos in my face. Like she was going to blackmail me. There, in both pictures, were my doggies, chillin in the front yard. With the front door wide open.

I tell her I can't believe how sorry I am, I can't understand how they could open a door. But then I grow a bit more angry. I ask her, why, if she'd seen these dogs out before, why she didn't stop by and let me know?

She said she didn't think it was polite to meddle.

Then, I kinda yelled at her. "What kind of a neighborhood do we live in that when somebody's animals, part of the family, are in potential danger, running in the streets, we don't immediately tell that neighbor? Since when is it socially unacceptable to let someone know that hey, they may have made a mistake and you are looking out for them?"

She left on good terms. The woman had come over to kick my butt. But she couldn't. Because I was nice and right. Sheesh.

THEN the kid from across the street comes through selling RobinWrap with mother in tow. Mother wants to know all about everything that happened. And I tell her. In a Wisteria Lane sort of way, how I feel soooo bad, and I am soooo embarrassed. Oh and do they like the new deadbolt and handle I am in the middle of installing? I'll take 3 orders of the gold foil wrap and its good to see you got the cast off your arm little Johnny, have a great night!

There is nothing like Suburban politics to bring out the little Broadway starlett in me. Mwah, hah ha!

Sweet Home Temecula

2007-08-21T16:10:00.000-07:00

It is hot as hell here!

But I digress. And oh, there will be a lot of digressing here.

Weather first. It's v. warm all the time. At night it's really nice, we eat outside every night. In fact, we don't even have a table inside, its outside under our gazebo. I found a great hanging light in Oceanside that lights up out little outdoor dining room at night.

During the day, things are a little different. Luckily, central air is only a click away. It hits 80 by 9 and tops out from 95-105. Folks down here don't refer to the "electric" or "pg&e" bill, they call it the "air conditioning" bill. I'll post it when we get our first one.

When one moves, there are little details that are so easily forgotten. I've found a grocery store, well two actually. I know where the closest Target is. But what about a hair place? Dentist? Nail lady? Doctor?

Well, I have the important ones down, hair and nails. Still working on the others.

And oh my gosh is gas cheap down here or what?! I heard in Northern California it has gone down to the $3 mark. That's really good for the Bay Area. I pay $2.67. Shut the front door.

Work is also going well, the two ladies in the office are nice. We are close to hitting our numbers. Sales are tracked every day and we post grids and tables all over the office. The girls have also started tracking something else. They tally the number of times I say "hella." I think it's hella dumb. I use it instead of the f word or other colorful words. But whatever. If I say it less then 19 times in a week I get a "little present" from my boss. I say if I can sell hella, I can say hella.

Hey Good Lookin...

2007-07-14T17:58:00.000-07:00

Lemme tell ya' 'bout what I got cookin'.

Once a week I go to my local Safeway(which is a pretty crappy one) and spend $100 on the week's groceries. It's funny, every week I am within $3 of my budget. Then I go home and cook. And cook and cook.

And I love it.

This little guilty pleasure of mine has been going on for a couple months. I cook and freeze food for the next week. This weekend I cooked for two weeks because of the move. This week I tried something new, however. I didn't use a single recipe. Which worked in some cases and screwed me in others. So here is my journey in the kitchen.

First up was Rice Krispie Treats. Pretty basic, Rice Krispies, Marshmallows, Butter and Chocolate-Peanut Butter Chips. Then it was on to cornbread. One batch was very simple an basic. The other I added Anaheim Peppers (not-so-spicy) and Cheddar cheese, too.

Yeah, totally forgot the whole salt thing. I'm really trying here!

So I moved on to enchiladas. For these I used ground turkey, refried beans and Cheddar cheese.

My two very authentic ingredients? Corn tortillas ($2.50 for 90!) and that Mexican spicy sauce.

Oh well. Time for chili!

New Baby in the Family!

2007-07-13T23:02:00.000-07:00

The boy and I have a new baby. And I didn't even have to go through morning sickness!

You see, in the boy's time, B.M. (before moi), he had a dog. Circumstances lead to the dog being cared for by his mother up in Seattle. Well, this week we got word that his mom would be unable to care for said dog anymore and the boy needed to come claim his baby.

An overnight drive to Seattle in my new car yielded the delivery of our new bundle of joy.

Get this- on Tuesday the new car had 650 miles on it. By Thursday it hit 2600!

I just looked at the speedometer in this photo. Hmm.

The boy did clean the car upon arrival and is covering the next oil change, so I'm really not upset.

Her name is Katana. 7 years old, Rottweiler and Yellow Lab mix. Sweet as can be. Loud ass bark. Know a TON of tricks. Not so fun fact: Severe hip dysplasia. Actually has a plastic hip.

"In dogs, there is considerable evidence that genetics plays a large role in the development of this defect. There might be several contributing genetic factors, including a femur that does not fit correctly into the pelvic socket, or poorly developed muscles in the pelvic area. Large and giant breeds are susceptible to hip dysplasia, and Cocker spaniels and Shetland sheepdogs are also known to suffer from it...It is most common in medium-large pure bred dogs, such as German Shepherd Dogs, Labrador or Golden retrievers, Rottweilers and Mastiffs, ..."

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip_dysplasia#Causes_and_effects

There, see, you learned something.

The good thing is, she seems pretty used to it, not in much pain. The darn dog took me for a walk today!

And I'm off to study this condition and the correct care of it. Any feedback would be appreciated.

Miss-Adventures with M.

2007-07-08T20:44:00.000-07:00

Seriously, who's idea was meringue anyway? What an awful idea.

One is not supposed to begin one's blog with bitching, I'm sure. After all, this is supposed to be an attempt in making my life sound (read) interesting enough for you to continue reading after you have googled some random word and serendipitously come across my not-so-little world. Right? So the last thing desired is an almost housewife complaining about the complex world of meringue. Which is entirely too complicated to spell after a bottle of Pinot.

But I digress. A lot.

I have been trying to conquer the world of clean, naked spatulas (no grease!) egg whites (NO YOLKS) and sugar for about a week and a half and I am about ready to scrap the whole project. Except I have a sweet tooth the size of Paris Hilton's credit card bill to feed.

Apologies to those of you who googled "Naked Paris Hilton" and got me.

First I tried M. cookies (merangie is too hard to spell. Okay? We like M. better!). Simple ingredients, egg whites, check, sugar, check and cream of tartar, kinda check. You see I have an occasional craving for dessert mints, which are mainly cream of tartar. So I figured those might work.

I chopped up the dessert mints and added them to my egg whites. The roommates must have thought I was doing coke, after seeing grainy white powder left on a cutting board...

After adding all the ingredients together and cooking them for about 4 hours I got great cookies- on the outside. The inside was liquid. Nasty overly sweetened liquid oozing all over my counter.

Apologies to those of you who googled "Nasty Naked Paris Hilton" and got me.

Today, after a couple of other failed attempts at M. I tried again. This time it would be M. over a vanilla pudding pie. The first two ingredients were easy, a pre-made Graham cracker crust and instant vanilla pudding, thank you very much, Safeway. However, "instant" and "just add water" M. do not exist. So, once again, I tried. I used real cream of tartar (five bucks!), clean egg yolks and extra fine granulated sugar. I whipped it all together and added te M. on top of my pie. After a few minutes under the broiler, I thought I was done.

Just kidding. I had created crunchy M. And not in a good crunchy way. I mean a the-sugar-didn't-melt-for-squat sort of way.

Sigh. I'm going to Baker's Square.