life lessons

A sent this contest to me and i entered...i figure if i can't win a photography contest ;) maybe i can win this...am sure there will be stiff competition for this (thousands more entries than the photo contest), but the prize is so incredibly amazing...contest is over now but is annual with different topics, and since this year's was "i never thought i'd..." i decided to write about raising fish and all of the changes/lessons during that time...it was fun to write regardless of the outcome of the contest, just like taking the photos was as well, and it was fun to be creative! i believe we all have it in us, you just have to find what 'it' is!

what's at stake! WOW!!!! now i have to wait until 1/3/11 to find out if i won...oh, the torment!
One winner will receive $3,000, round-trip economy plane tickets for two to New York City from the airport closest to his or her primary residence, hotel accommodations for two nights (double occupancy), tickets to a Broadway play, lunch with Real Simple editors, and publication in Real Simple magazine.

keep calm and carry on

after C and i saw this in san clemente, she bought me two mugs with the slogan on them and i just love it...think it applies to all facets of life, and is a nice reminder at different times...A loved it too and for an early xmas in september, we made this for her to hang in her office...had to cut the poster, but like it without the white border around it like a traditional poster...came really quick from overseas (legit vendor) and really easy/inexpensive to frame at michael's...hope it makes you happy every day, A!

btw - here's the history of the poster, which makes it even more special:

TRAIN

TRAIN downtown saturday night with A...beers at hard rock and dogs on the sidewalk before...beautiful night downtown, easy to get around, really calm inside the venue...great performance as always...opened with "parachute"...played some oldies too...this is us, the audience, holding up our cell phones for one song so pat monahan could take a pic...walked around the arena floor slapping fans' hands while singing "marry me"...so much fun to sing out loud and not care if the people nearby hear you - for some reason that's the only time you can sing out loud in public even if you can't really sing????...wish that would change! haha thanks A, for being my TRAIN buddy for life! ;)

btw - gavin degraw opened and i never liked his music that much, but after seeing him perform (piano and guitar) i am down for giving him another try...extremely talented, really energetic and fun performer, great lyrics and a fabulous live voice.

ellie likes to scoot

...ellie on a dry-run, engine off...

growth chart #2

"commissioned" by S...a lot of steps and i'm not a professional, but really fun to make...hope C likes it! blinged/glittered out the crown and crab (C's birth sign is cancer) and hand-painted everything (which accounts for the imperfect lines!).

btw - acrylic paints, glitter, plastic gems, large piece of wood, wood cutouts, sharpie paint pen, spray paint, sandpaper, superglue, wood glue, stencils and total cost was about $40 versus $70+ in some stores/online stores

comedy is therapy

enjoy!

busy bees

read an article about honeybees...knew they were vitally important but didn't know some of these fun facts and more!

• foragers bring nectar back to the worker bees, and at an empty set of wax cells they work in teams to pump nectar in and out of the cells -- this digests and dehydrates the nectar at the same time. they fan their wings to create more evaporation, the nectar reduces by 80% and the end product is honey.
• females do all of the work in the colony and develop from fertilized eggs; the average colony has 50,000 females
  
• males do not forage for pollen or nectar and do no other work -- they develop from unfertilized eggs, mate with the queen, then die; the average colony has 300 males
• 1 lb. of honey = est. 50,000 miles of flight
• 1/12 teaspoon of honey = may take an individual worker bee its entire lifetime to produce
  
• thought to be the only food capable of passing into bloodstream without having to be digested first
• good as an antiseptic, antioxidant, relaxant, burn remedy among other uses
• used as an embalming fluid -- honey was discovered in king tut's tomb and was still edible after 3,200 years
• 1990's -- 1/4 of america's beekeepers put out of business due to the varroa mite
• 2007-2008 -- 36% of colonies in u.s. died (est. 30 million bees) due to colony collapse disorder (a disease); led to 37% increase in global food prices during that time
• many people have started small colonies in an effort to increase populations -- there might be a hive near your home that you don't even know about but that is extremely important and helping nature's cycles
  

so don't kill them if you see them or if you have them near your home, call someone to remove them and relocate them versus killing them!

btw - american beekeeping federation

eats

T blogged about this so i did a trial-run of "cake balls" with yellow cake and coconut/pecan frosting...decided not to dip them in chocolate, but could see how that would help them hold their shape...next time, next time. they have to be one of the easiest things to make...well, if you don't go overboard and decorate them!

follow these directions but just use any cake mix and any frosting you want...lots of user-submitted "cake pops" to check out, just wonder how much time people have on their hands!



made chile rellenos last night at A&B's and attempted to teach them how to make them which was fun...always think of S teaching us how to make them at 917 in tucson our junior year, out in the back on our brick patio and on a camping grill with a mini propane tank...remember those chiles taking a loooooong time to cook out there! wrapped them in great tortillas with beans, some guac and some sour cream and they were just as awesome as they were when S taught me...think it might be the only 'recipe' i've never written down.

here's a recipe that's pretty close, but you will need more eggs than this calls for and below is how S taught me to prepare the eggs instead...if you do the below, you also don't need to use baking soda/baking powder/salt/milk so it ends up being only several ingredients...once you put the cheese inside of the chile, roll it in flour to cover the skin, then dip into the egg mixture and then put the chile in to the oil to cook it...flip it once to cook the other side and put it on paper towels when you remove it from the pan to soak up some of the oil:

"In order to get authentic tasting chile rellenos, you should use a couple of eggs, separated. Whip the whites w/an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Beat the yolks separately and fold them into the whites (preserving the volume of the whites). Then you can dip the stuffed chiles into the egg...and don't worry about slopping it on. You want the entire chile covered. When your chile comes out of the oil, you'll have a nice fluffy coating...rather than a heavy egg-y tasting batter that most homemade recipes call for."


found this in a magazine A gave me..."these top 10 french rosés are perfect to sip all summer" it claims...they sound refreshing and they seem affordable!

• moulin de gassac 2009 "guilhem" rosé (languedoc-roussillon) -- strawberry flavors with mineral notes and bright acidity ($10)
  
• château routas 2009 "rouvière" rosé (provence) -- crisp and fruity with mint and herbal notes ($12)
  
• jean-luc colombo 2009 cape bleue rosé (provence) -- rose-petal aromas with pleasant strawberry and raspberry flavors ($12)
  
• château la gatte 2009 rose (bordeaux) -- strawberries and cream with bone-dry finish ($13)
  
• domaine de fonstsainte 2009 gris de gris (corbières) -- cherry and strawberry flavors with tropical notes ($14)
  
• domaine des nugues 2009 "libertine" (beaujolais) -- cherry and raspberry flavors ($14)
  
• domaine rouge-bleu 2009 "dentelle" rosé (rhône) -- cherry flavors and notes of peppermint ($14)
  
• château d'aqueria 2009 tavel (rhone) -- bright red with lush raspberry and strawberry flavors and mineral notes ($19)
  
• château de pampelonne 2009 rosé (provence) -- fresh peach and raspberry flavors with a spicy finish ($19)
  
• gerard boulay 2009 sancerre rosé (loire) -- cherry and strawberry notes with crisp acidity; excellent food wine ($27)
  

bon appetit!

baby carlos

i really needed a laugh right now and i can't even remember
how i found it...LOL and thank you, baby carlos

38 and counting

happy 38th anniversary, mom and dad!

you have shown us what love and partnership look like...how to love someone unconditionally...how you can overcome any challenges as one and with each other's support.

cheers to you and many more!

btw - the 40th is ruby

babIES shower

M&J's babIES shower!!!

some homemade gifts...simple pencil [or keepsake] boxes and a growth chart...fun to make!

beautiful weather, not one but two diaper cakes, lots of colorful balloons and crepe paper and decorations, a welcome sign made out of diapers and clothespins, too much food, games, plenty of gifts from generous family and friends, little ones running around, and catching up with people...thank you to everyone who helped make it such a great day!

the cake matched the invitations!

cute, easy centerpieces = custom M&M's and multi-colored beads + tea lights in baby food jars


the spread with the diaper cakes...and here's a recipe for mexican caviar

a wonderful celebration of life and bringing two little people into the world soon...love to M&J and blessings every step of the way with your soon-to-be-larger family! xoxoxo

road trippin'

had a great drive to SD last week starting with a cool morning and windows down...forgot about all of the cattle farms and they reminded me of "food, inc"...needless to say, windows up for some parts of the trip! got to SD and caught up with some old co-workers and got a tour to check out what had changed with the fish...days old to years old and really cool to see how things were different.

hung out with T, C in carlsbad and had fun watching C, the big smiley boy...those cheeks, that smile, the tongue out a lot, walking at 9mos and testing his boundaries! always love seeing my friends with their children and how they have taken to their new responsibilities and changing lives...love you guys!

headed up north and car battery decided to die right near C&B's house at a gas station...a AAA jump, a trip to the mechanic and $125 later, she was ready again...thank goodness it wasn't something more serious and thank goodness it wasn't in the middle of pine valley (where i did almost run out of gas!)...and at least it wasn't on the burning hot pavement off a highway in the desert somewhere!

feasting with C&B and holding little M again, this time feeling like i wasn't going to break her ;) ...those little feet and hands and the way she stares at you...and little designs or ruffles on her pants bottoms...just want to squeeze her more! lunch and shower gifts with M...bigger belly and still glowing. preparations on saturday and lots of errands...dinner with the girls and lots of laughs, plus two beers does the trick these days! ha nothing like hanging with old friends and creating new memories.

slept with the bedroom door open and still love having to wear jeans at night...can't wait to do that back home

great church service on sunday with C,B and then all-out teamwork and preparation for M&J's shower...lots of fun getting ready and working together...really came together nicely and lots of love in everyone's efforts.

saw the nursery on monday morning then a phone interview then to zinc (of course!) for lunch...headed to a favorite bench overlooking the ocean and after sitting for a while, laid down on the bench to relax with the breeze and the breaking waves...woke up about an hour later refreshed but not wanting to leave and also with a very strange tan!

weather was perfect throughout, drive was relaxing and therapeutic, seeing friends was happiness

reached the az welcome sign with the state flag in the background and felt like i was back home...had seen a huge american flag at i-10/vicksburg rd and had been thinking about 9/11 all weekend along with the rest of the country...gb all of the men and women who have served and sacrificed

rolled back into town late and back into 30+ degrees warmer...miss my second home already!

more oil into the ocean

"a society is defined not only by what it creates, but by what it refuses to destroy."
- john sawhill, former president/ceo of the nature conservancy

"i would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority."
- e.b. white

"when one tugs at a single thing in nature, one finds it attached to the rest of the world."
- john muir

"the ultimate test of man's conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard."
- gaylord nelson, earth day founder

jazzy

went downtown last night to hear cousin A play tenor sax in a jazz quartet...unbelievable musicians on guitar, bass and drums as well...my mom and uncle were there too and we stayed for a couple of hours...very relaxing and so much fun to watch them playing too, most of the time with their eyes closed...maybe i'll be able to play guitar like that someday ;) so proud of him for sticking with his dreams and what he loves.

the spot has been there for 50 years (or maybe more)...on the way out, my mom spoke with an older woman towards the back who explained that she had been coming to the club for 50 years since she was in her 20's...saw the light rail car pass by through the window while watching my cousin and then wondered what it must have been like when she was in the same area 50 years prior...

btw - found this and others