weekend work

So in order to spare you (or myself) from looking at that piece of raw fish on my last post, I am now posting some random pictures from this past weekend.

An unexpected cool, rainy Saturday morning. I spent it sitting on my back patio and checking blogs :)


Then we got to work! Took advantage of the slightly cooler weather and got some yard work done. I had know idea our yard was that over grown! Hopefully we are looking not so WT now.


oh. This bush. is. hideous. And dead. And needs to be removed. I just thought you should all see it.


My cute Toms. Doing work.


Trailer full off clippings. Off to the farm.


Saturday night with these girls and our hubbies. We have loved getting together with them all summer for bbq's and Dodger game viewings. Being friends AND neighbors definitely has its perks.

one fish, two fish

So I am not a big fan of fish. Never have been. No fish and chips, no crab, no shrimp, no sushi. NO sushi. I think its the texture of everything. I am not sure. But I wished I liked fish more. I really do. I try to like it, but it usually fails me.

Oddly enough, I like tuna in a can. Which, my fish loving husband, absolutely loathes. Growing up, my family went to dinner at a local chinese restaurant almost every Friday. And I always, ALWAYS ordered the tuna melt. Which, is not Chinese at all, I know. Are you following me? Anyway, to this day, as an adult, I cannot walk into that place without being harassed by the owner and called tuna melt girl. Seriously, like a thousand times. Not exactly flattering. And I havent ordered a tuna melt in over 10 year! So needless to say, we dont go there very often.

Anyway, my in-laws went to Alaska over the summer to spend a week at the vacation home of a family friend. While there, they went fishing and caught a lot of fish. The maximum you could catch actually. So when they came home and offered us some super fresh, vacuum packed halibut and salmon, I gladly accepted. I DO want to like fish, afterall.

So after spending a while on the internet researching recipes, I found a one for the halibut that I thought would work. Citrus glazed halibut with peach salsa. I figured, I like citrus. And we had fresh picked peaches. And I LOVE salsa. So yes, this was going to be good. I could feel it.

And it was! The best part was that the fish was soooo fresh. It made a huge difference for me. Here are some (not so good) pics.




With the salmon, I used a recipe from our church cookbook (one of my favorite sources). Thanks Sharon! Hope you dont mind, but I opted out of the dill and added some orange juice to the marinade.

Simply grilled (on foil) with veggies and cous cous. Again, so yummy!


Oh, and on the same night I made the halibut, my neighbor showed up at my door with these babies

Homemade carne asada tacos. With fresh corn tortillas and cilantro and cabbage. They were amazing.

So we ate those too. We like to stuff ourselves to maximum capacity on a regular basis.

tv is good for you

Two of my favorite shows are back on the tube.

TOP CHEF


The drama, the competition, the food. Love it all! And in true Peter and Toni fashion, we picked our favorite chef the first week. I am hoping for another victory.

Have I mentioned here that we are a tad bit competitive? No? Well we are.

MAD MEN


The 60's, advertising, Madison Avenue, the clothes. Seriously, if you dont watch it, you should.

first pitch

This past Saturday night I took the field at Dodger Stadium. I shook hands with players, walked on the dirt, felt the grass, and touched home plate.

All because I had this.....


Because we were throwing this....


This all started on Friday afternoon. Peter called me from work saying someone from Mastercard and the Dodgers PR organization called him to ask if he wanted to throw out a ceremonial first pitch. Ummm....WHAT?!? To say he was beyond excited was an understatement. He quickly said yes and the plans fell into motion.

He was selected because we used to use an MLB Dodgers mastercard. We have redeemed points a number of times at the stadium (sitting in box seats, free tickets, etc), which has put his name into a pool of people. Mastercard was sponsoring the first pitch the next night (Sat.) and no one had redeemed enough points to have this opportunity. Peter's name was chosen and 4 field passes, field box tickets, and one first pitch ball was waiting in his name at the stadium. No points necessary.

Funny enough, we dont really use that card too much anymore. I made him get us a credit card that earns useful points, like airline miles. I claimed we went to a lot of games anyway and didnt really need the extra perks. Obviously, I am now glad we hung onto it.

So here are some pictures. We arrived at the stadium when it opened and enjoyed batting practice and warm-ups on the field. We basically stood around, snapping pictures, waving at out friends in the stands (we had quite the cheering section, and having an amazing time.

peter, me, aaron (peter's brother), dave (our good friend)


angie and ryan were cheering us on and taking pics from the stands!


Having our names announced. Being on the jumbo screen. Shaking with nerves. Getting ready to throw the pitch!



Although the pitch did not go exactly as planned. Peter got to jog up and stand on the mound. He was told to NOT do that and only stand in front of it. But how could he resist? A lifelong dream for him, for sure.




On the way out we got to walk RIGHT in front of the full Dodger dugout. I would like to say we walked by super cool and confident, but no. We walked as sloooow as the security guard would let us, snapped pictures, yelled their names, waves frantically, and looked in awe. Manny! Ethier! Furcal!






All in all it was an amazing experience! The fact that we got to share it with some close friends made it that much more special.




We cant wait to tell our kids....that one night in early August, we took the field at Dodger Stadium.

love letters

Dear beach house,
I miss you already. Why is the weekend always so short? Thank you for greeting us with California king size beds and cold, cloudy weather.

Even though everyone in the Central Valley decided to be at the coast this weekend, staying in your comfortable digs, we were relaxed.
Till next time....


Dear Apple Farm,
Friday morning brunch on your patio was the best idea ever. Your flowers were in bloom and oh so cute.

Your boysenberry jam was warm and so yummy over my pancakes. Obviously I liked it A LOT.

I will think about you tomorrow morning when I am eating my cold cereal.


Dear husband,
Thank you for taking me away for the weekend. We both needed it. I wish we could do it more often. But I also love coming home to our little house. You're the best.



Dear Scully,
We missed you. We saw another beagle and thought of you. But you are way cuter than that one. Promise. Next time, we will take you with us!