Category Archives: Pictures

January Resolution: New Food

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As I mentioned a while back in the month, I will be sticking to one resolution per month this year, and January’s resolution was to try new food. Specifically, I resolved to try something new each week. I would not say that I am not an adventurous eater, but I can’t try things that just sound inherently dangerous or outright gross. So puffer fish and chocoate covered ants were just out. This was a bit of a cheat for me because I had voluntarily tried brussel sprouts within the first week of the month, before I put together my resolutions for the year, but I hope you will just forget that.

Each week I considered what my food adventure would be. I did not limit myself to just produce – although that is where my failings lie – but I did try a bit of this and a bit of that.

Week 1 – Brussel Sprouts – brush with a bit of olive oil and roast; I will try these again.

Week 2 – Cinnamon Chicken – ever since I saw a Little House on the Prarie episode where Laura switched out the cinnamon for cayenne pepper before Nellie Olson made cinnamon chicken for Almanzo Wilder, I have wanted to try this dish. I posted on Facebook for food ideas and my friend Brianna sent me the recipe. It was quite good! More savory than sweet because there is no sugar.

I served it with brown rice and green beans and it was a nice change to our regular fare of “chicken something” and veggies. It takes two tablespoons of cinnamon, so poor Almanzo having to politely eat chicken with two tablespoons of cayenne pepper on it!!

Week 3 – Pineapple Melon – I have seen these in the grocery store and wondered about them. Since it was something I doubted I would ever try unless under duress, I purchased one and Melody and I tried it a day or so later.

I sliced it, not knowing what the inside would be like, but somehow not expecting what I found:

This thing is seedy and around the seeds is a gelantanous goo. This wasn’t looking good. I pried out a small piece and put it in my mouth…and immediately spat it out! This thing is horrid! I can only liken this fruit to the consistency of the inside of a tomato (and you all know how I feel about THAT) and bitter, sour, unpleasant. Yuck! Melody tasted a bit and enjoyed pulling the seeds out more than eating it. I threw the whole thing in the trash and shudder when I recall the taste.

Week 4 – Graham Cracker Cake – In an attempt to redeem my tasting tribulation of the previous week, I made a vintage recipe called graham cracker cake, except I didn’t have graham crackers, so I crushed Nilla Wafers. This cake was very good though I think I might have not baked it long enough. It acted a bit like a sponge or angel cake at first, but soon fell while it was cooling. The recipe card didn’t indicate how long to bake it, so next time I’ll try it for longer. It’s worth a second attemp and yes, we did eat it all even if it was a bit messed up.

With a bit of whipped cream, it redeemed the new foods resolution completely! I didn’t mind trying the new foods and I will continue to try to work more foods into our dietary routine. I’ve got a turnip or two in my fridge right now and I’m actively looking for preparations, plus I’ll be trying some new recipes for my sister site Gram’s Recipe Box as the months progress. All in all, I’d call January’s resolution of new foods a success!

October’s been here and gone already

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It is already early November, I can’t believe it! Yet again the year has flown by while I have been watching. 

I never did tell you about my ankle surgery, which you don’t really need to hear about, but suffice it to say that two months off during sumemr was not the idylic summer of years gone by that I remembered from grade school. Sure, there was lots of sleeping and TV involved, but doing all that while you are in pain and wearing a cast just isn’t as fun as the carefree days of yore. Oh well. I am in physical therapy and maybe someday I will be recovered fully from this injury.

To add insult to ingury, I don’t need to describe it more than to say “bang.” We will be getting a new car a few years earlier than originally planned.

You saw the pictures of Melody at the pumpkin patch. We carved our pumpkins on the 30th and they turned out great! On Halloween, her school had a little carnival geared at preschoolers – tic tac toe, magnet fishing, stuff like that – and a costume parade. Our little princess very much enjoyed the parade part. She definitely likes being in the spotlight!

Melody went out trick or treating with her Daddy and the neighbors. This

Finding beauty

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You might think that coming off the high of two days with friends and plenty of cocktails my week could not get any better, but for me it did. Sunday I flew down to Knoxville to visit with my bestie Tara. It was three and a half days of glorious happiness that I haven’t had since we saw each other last year. Starting with baked brie and wine on Sunday evening and concluding with Waffle House on Wednesday morning, this was by far my best vacation in ages! You might not think that Knoxville is all that sophistocated, what with the proliferation of Cracker Barrel, but Knoxville has something that we do not have here in California, and that is Painting With A Twist. This art studio teaches painting classes to novices and at the end of a class, you go home with your finished work of art.

I had some trepidation when we signed up, but then I heard we could bring our own wine. I figured with enough wine any painting can look fantastic! So, fearlessly we went to the class one evening, ready to unleash our inner artists. We had signed up to paint a piece called Black Dress. The instructor takes the class step by step through the painting process, first with the background and then with the focal point, finishing up with some finer flourishes. It is very interesting to see the variations that occur in a group – one lady had an entirely pink background, one had bold strokes of color all through the background, I had large brush strokes and Tara had fine blending. We all heard the same instructions but each has different taste, and so, completely different paintings.

I won’t give away the secret, I just can’t, but just know that you do not need any sort of talent to leave that room with a beautiful painting. I am delighted with the results and although I don’t know yet where I am going to hang this in my house, I am incredibly proud of it! The class had some mushy text they wanted us to write on the painting, something about not judging yourself and feeling strong about your appearance. Tara and I went with something that embodied our few days together: shopping. We shopped until our feet hurt! Tara had found a quote from Carrie Bradshaw (Sex in the City) which was “I like my money where I can see it. Hanging in my closet.” So, that’s what we put on our paintings. No sentiments of empowerment or individual strength for us, just pure consumerism! 

Even though it was an all-too-short visit, the real beauty of this trip was not in the painting. It was in the ease with which we slide right back together after being apart for over a year. It’s tough having a best friend who lives 2000+ miles away. We don’t get to talk every day and you might think that the little details of life that we miss would serve to thrust us further apart. But they don’t. I think we pack as much feeling and enjoyment into every second we are together, even if we are watching True Blood or American Dad. You don’t find friends like my T every day, and so I appreciate every second we get together, and in the months until we see each other again, I take those memories out and relish the laughter, the joy and the comfort of our friendship.

I sometimes find it difficult to be completely at ease with people, even close friends and family. I’m always worrying about my appearance, or what Melody is getting into, or if I remembered to complement a new hairstyle. I know, insecurities all. But with Tara, I can completely relax and truly be myself. That is a beautiful relationship. One for which I am greatful every single day.

Did you miss me?

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Hi folks! Sorry I’ve been away, I had a surgery to fix my ruptured ligament in my foot and it has taken quite a while to get back up to speed. I hope I can make it up to you. While I was languishing I found a neat little iPhone app called ColorBurst and I’ve been playing with it. I hope you enjoy the photos I’ve created.

“Shades”

“Disneyland Parade”

There’s a new photo album called ColorBurst where I will add photos that I have edited. Plus, I used some of the ColorBurst photos on Instagram, taking advantage of the IG filters to create some neat images.

Click on the photo of Melody to get to the ColorBurst album and click on the flower photo to get to the Instagram album.

Santa, I’d like…

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This is a much better holiday photo session, probably because Melody knew that Santa could physically see her, lol. She’s somewhat uncertain about the whole “sees you when you’re sleeping, knows when you’re awake” business. Sometimes, Santa calls to check up on her, so she knows that somehow he’s finding out about her behavior, but she probably figures that her parents are ratting her out. Regardless, she was elated to see Santa and was a very good girl.

My baby is three!

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It sounds so cliche, but I simply cannot believe that in a blink of an eye, Melody has turned three years old. Seems like just a while ago, she was this tiny little baby who was completely dependent on us for everything. Now she is very INdependent and probably wishes we’d leave her alone at times. Well, maybe not leave her alone, but tonight she did tell me “Mommy, I want you to be nice to me when I poop my pants.” Guess, I’ve been a bit stern about this whole “using the potty” concept.

To celebrate this milestone (seems as though TWO was a huge milestone and ONE was a huge milestone, do they every diminish in their importance??), last week I took Melody and some of her daycare buddies and Rhonda to the Santa Ana Zoo. It was really such a fun and relaxing day! How could I relax at the zoo with four under 4, you ask? It was so easy! Two were in strollers and Mark and Melody walked everywhere. Their enthusiasm for the emu, llamas, bald eagle, golden lion capuchin, and of course the blue tongued skink, all just carried me through on a wave of enjoyment. The little ones were so good, too. Little Kiana is only 19 months and her cute little “look at that!” at everything was so funny, I just had to laugh. The Santa Ana Zoo is perfect for this crowd because it’s over quickly but they feel like they have seen every kind of animal there is.

Saturday of course was Melody’s birthday and we had a party for her here at the house. We had a bounce house again, but surprisingly, Melody was not interested in it until Delaney got here and went into it. From that point until cake, we couldn’t really get her out of it. Caelen came over and bounced, and the three were fast friends. Once Danika and Geneva, Mark and Kadie joined in, the bounce house was full of laughing, tumbling, happy kids. Kudos go out to Diane B who created a sort of game of “throwing” the kids from the side of the bounce house into the middle. It’s hard to explain, but let me tell you, every one of them wanted Diane to grab their butts and throw them. Delaney is particularly aerodynamic and flew the farthest! My friend Melissa and her mom made the gorgeous Tinkerbell cake and it was delicious too. Amazing work, ladies!

Valentine’s Day we just puttered around the house as we were all three exhausted. Of course, that was after Melody and I spent about three hours over at Fort Knott’s for their Civil War encampment. In the past we tried to participate in this event, but since it will always fall on the weekend of Melody’s birthday and Valentine’s Day, I figured it was time to hang up my hoop skirts over President’s Day Weekend and instead be with my family. Didn’t stop me from visiting incognito, but we were able to leave, heh. I did find a beautiful toddler dress that someone had made and altered very poorly. I can only imagine they didn’t know what the heck they were doing since the armscye was only big enough for a doll’s arm to get through. Fortunately I happen to know what I’m doing and I can alter it much better and Melody will have a new dress with a corded petticoat that is simply adorable. It coincidentally perfectly matches the shawl Gramma Alice knitted for Melody’s birthday present.

Today Melody and I were home together and we did a few “fun” chores. We took the front off her crib and turned it into a big girl bed, gulp! She was very excited about it and fascinated with the Tinkerbell sheet set we put on the bed. Very clever, the top sheet has elastic on one end – like a bottom sheet – to keep it tucked in. Dad and I are a teeny tiny bit nervous about her getting out of bed in the middle of the night, but it’s got to happen eventually. Her third birthday is as good a time as any. She also happened to wear big girl panties all day today and didn’t have one accident.

Yes, my baby is growing up and turning into a little girl! Check out new albums in the photo gallery for more pictures.

Not a SkyWatch submission, but…

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…I wanted to share it none the less. I don’t think my pictures are good enough yet for SkyWatch Friday, which is a global link-up every Friday featuring the skies of the world. If you like pretty skylines, check them out here.

Thursday last week, a storm was rolling in to bring us some more rain. As I drove home, the first clouds were making their way across Orange County, and the sun was obscured, yet still shining brightly. I took a couple photos with my phone – we were in the “stop” phase of stop-and-go traffic, don’t worry – and here is the best shot.