Project Pine

Week 38

2012-02-16T17:06:00.000-08:00

As I am typing this, I am actually one day shy of 39 weeks.

I am definitely not comfortable, but I have been enjoying recent bursts of energy. I have loved being home and getting everything ready for our baby's arrival - which I have (more than once) reminded the baby can be any day now.

As I not-so-patiently wait, I am trying to soak up my free, unattached time and take lots of naps.

baby laundry

2012-02-07T09:00:00.000-08:00

...is much more cute.

I never knew doing laundry would bring me so much joy!

That is, before the spit up and explosive poop arrives. But even then I think it will be fun.

Today marks day 2 of me being on maternity leave. After my leave is up in late May, the plan is for me to be a work-from-home mom. I will continue with my current company (which I love) and work part time from home doing PR work. My hours will be pretty loose and I can work around my (and baby's!) schedule. Although I know settling into a groove that works for me, the baby, and my work may be challenging, I am so thankful for this opportunity.

Until then, I plan on soaking up every minute of getting to know our baby.

I do have plans for the next couple weeks (or sooner or later!) until Baby Frantz arrives.
Cleaning, organizing, making freezer meals, packing our hospital bags, and enjoying the last days of quietness - all to myself.

Week 36 and 37

2012-02-06T21:48:00.000-08:00

I officially reached full-term last week. I feel like I just took that positive test, and yet here we are - almost done.

Although, really, its just the beginning.

ps....what the heck is a crenshaw melon??

nursery progress

2012-01-25T20:47:00.000-08:00

The baby's room is definitely coming along and it makes me so happy. I love going in there and I think our baby will enjoy the bright, happy space.

It is still a work in progress. The stuff on the bookshelf will probably change. The crib bedding is being made. I am waiting for some artwork for the walls. And I may add some fabric to the curtains.

And, judging by the boxes, I still have some cleaning up to do.
I have a few weeks to finish everything and I can't wait to see it all come together.

One of my favorite things in the room is this chair.

I knew I wanted a rocking chair in the room but I was having a hard time finding one that wasn't super bulky or way too expensive. After doing some research, I found a couple blogs that solved the nursery chair dilemma by taking an Ektorp Jennylund chair from Ikea and retrofitting the bottom with a rocking mechanism. This seemed like a great solution! After a trip down to Ikea and sitting in the chair, I knew this was what I wanted to do as well. Peter ordered and installed the rocking piece and my nursery chair was complete. I love the feel of the chair, the washable slipcover, and the fast that it is small enough to fit nicely in that corner.

I am excited to finish the room in the next few weeks!

new trees

2012-01-22T15:52:00.000-08:00

The almond trees surrounding Peter's parents home were taken out at the end of last year. After 23 years of producing nuts, they were old, tired and ready to be replaced.

As you can imagine, this greatly changed the landscape around their house. But the exciting thing is, new baby trees have been planted - continuing the legacy of almond farming in the family.

Fun tidbit is that these new trees were planted in 2012. So they will be the same "age" as our baby. I am envisioning yearly pictures with our little one in front of the trees, tracking both their growth :)

Week 34 and 35

2012-01-22T15:15:00.000-08:00

Is it just me or do I look a LOT bigger in the 35 week picture? I mean, I know I am still growing but jeez. I am choosing to attribute some of it to my shirt. And probably some of it to the large YogurtLand I just finished eating. They say at this stage your baby is just putting on fat. Hmmm...I would agree.

I am actually almost 36 weeks as I write this post. Normal things are becoming increasingly difficult. I find myself completely winded after getting dressed in the morning. Putting on socks? Forget about it. Lugging my lunch bag, gym bag, purse, and various other items from my car to my office every morning? Exhausting. You know its bad when its 8:15 am and you already need a nap. Heartburn is in full swing, no matter what I eat and my right leg seems to hate me and cramps up in protest every night.

But the tiny elbows and feet jabbing me. And the kicks waking me up every morning make everything worth it. And after the birth of a dear friend's baby this weekend (welcome to the world, Ruby!) we are even more excited to start this new adventure.

baby shower

2012-01-09T20:00:00.000-08:00

This past weekend, Baby Frantz and I were showered with love and gifts by friends and family.

We enjoyed a yummy breakfast, complete with homemade coffee cake, farm fresh oranges, German sausage, and (my fav!) a waffle bar.

My friends did an amazing job with planning such a wonderful event. It turned out so perfect! Super cute and definitely my style.

I was overwhelmed with the love and support from everyone there. It is so nice to know Baby Frantz is already so loved!

Auntie Nikki and Grammie

Auntie Tara and Grandma Sue

Auntie Vanessa

All thanks to these girls! I could not ask for better friends.

Week 33

2012-01-08T18:46:00.000-08:00

My belly button has not popped out (yet...) so ignore the lumpy tummy. My dress is not doing me any favors apparently.

I had a amazing baby shower this weekend (pics to come soon!) and we have made more progress on the baby's room, so everything is starting to really come together. For so long February 2012 seemed so far away and now it is right around the corner. I am at that stage of feeling more prepared, yet still having many to-do lists floating around in my head. Thankfully, I have about 6 weeks to get it all done :)

the only proof Christmas occured in my home

2012-01-02T21:46:00.000-08:00

Every year, I try to remember and take pictures of my Christmas decorations. Its fun to look back and see changes we made to our home throughout the past few years.

This year, I took one photo. Here it is.

And yes. Its blurry.

Needless to say, I did not take very many pictures this year.

Although I did score this gem of a Christmas photo at my parents house.

My dad. Some weird santa/elf/reindeer hat. And his dog in a sweater vest. Asleep.
Priceless.

Week 31 and 32

2012-01-02T21:18:00.001-08:00

I am trying hard to catch up on these photos. More than anything, they are fun for me to look back on and see the growth of my belly. And to think I thought I looked huge at like, 20 weeks. Ha!

Things are starting to get more and more uncomfortable. Mainly in my legs. I was not prepared for the intense leg pain. All day, everyday. Small price to pay, of course. And I am thankful it has not spread to my back. Sleep is also becoming more elusive, as it is hard to shut my brain down every night. Work lists, baby lists, house lists, its never ending.

I am trying hard to enjoy these last few weeks though. Last few weeks of feeling baby kicks. Last few weeks of my full-time job. Last few weeks of just Peter and I. In all the excitement that is to come, I need to remember not to get ahead of myself and enjoy these moments.

christmas crack

2011-12-28T10:55:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I realize Christmas is over and I should have posted this sooner. But really. It doesnt matter. This is a delicious treat that can be made all year. Oh! New Years. Yes, this would be perfect for a New Years party.

Its so easy and you probably already have everything you need in your pantry.

Ingredients
1 to 2 sleeves of saltine crackers
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 package chocolate chips

- Preheat oven to 400
- Arrange saltines in a single layer on a greased cookie sheet

- In a saucepan, melt butter and add brown sugar. Bring to a low boil and boil for 3 minutes
- Take off heat and pour over crackers

- Place in oven for 5 minutes
- Take out of oven and pour chocolate chips over top. Wait a few minutes for chips to melt and spread all over crackers
- Refridgerate till set
- Crack into pieces and enjoy!

I took this to two parties over Christmas. I stored left overs in a tupperwear in the fridge and they lasted for a few days.

Warning - they are addicting. I would highly recommend taking this to a party, unless you have the metabolism of a 9 year old boy.

project: carpet

2011-12-23T20:53:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago, we crossed off a project that had been on our list since the first day we moved into our house.
New carpet.

To refresh your memory...here are some shots of the carpet from when we first moved in. (It was actually hard to find more current photos. I must have purposely avoided taking pics of the floor over the past few years)

Rose? Mauve? Pumpkin? Ugly.
In addition to the overall displeasing aesthetic, the carpet was very old and worn in places.

Enter fresh, new, neutral carpet.

In the process, we were also able to clear the baby's room out and turn the office into an office/guest room.

We can now really start working on the nursery!

Week 29 and 30

2011-12-23T19:59:00.000-08:00

Things are starting to get a bit more uncomfortable around here, but I am still having a wonderful pregnancy. We are getting more and more anxious and excited to meet our baby!

cinnamon sugar almonds

2011-12-09T21:36:00.000-08:00

I have made a batch of these almonds a couple times over the past few weeks. They are super easy, tasty, and great to take to a holiday party. Or just snack on at the house.

And they are super healthy. I mean, almonds. Like a superfood or something.

And no butter!

Just ignore the whole sugar part....

Take 3-4 cups of almonds. Rinse them off if needed. (these are from this year's harvest and needed a good rinse)
Dry.

Whip one egg white with 1 teaspoon cold water until frothy. I just use a whisk and beat until thick and foamy. Dont worry about making peaks or anything. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Coat almonds in egg white. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture. Stir to combine.

Spread out on greased cookie sheet and bake for 1 hour at 250, stirring every 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

1 egg white
1 teaspoon cold water
1 teaspoon vanilla
3-4 cups whole almonds
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Another great way to use almonds from Frantz Farms!

Week 27 and 28

2011-12-06T21:10:00.000-08:00

Hello third trimester.

verenika making

2011-11-30T20:09:00.000-08:00

Every year, the day after Thanksgiving, the Frantz ladies get together to make verenika in preparation for the annual verenika, german sausage, and zwieback Christmas feast. This was the first year I have gone to help.

Although I am not ethnically Mennonite, I was raised in a Mennonite church, thus I have always been familiar with verenika. It was a special treat enjoyed every few years or so. Since being married to Peter, who is Mennonite, I get to have this dish every year at Christmas time. Its basically another version of a raviloi or perogi. But better, of course.

I mean, who can go wrong with cheese filled dough, pan fried, then served with sausage gravy??

And what is even better, is that this dish is made every year from multiple generations of family. This day was spent creating the verenika, boiling and freezing it - all in preparation to share with the whole family in a few weeks!

Baby B Shower

2011-11-25T17:52:00.000-08:00

Last week, we celebrated the upcoming arrival of Jill's wee babe. Sadly, I did not get any pictures of the shower in action, but Jill was definitely showered with love and fun gifts for Baby Brooks.

We were totally super inventive with our decor and didnt pull any ideas from Pinterest. Nope, not at all.

Side note...do you guys remember when baby's breath was, like, so not cool? Like, there better not be one sprig of baby's breath in my prom bouquet. Or don't even think about adding baby's breath to anything at my wedding. Suddenly its all the rage. And I do admit, when clumped together in mason jars, it looks super cute.

Side note #2...this baby's breath came from Ecuador. What?? I wasn't aware baby's breath was indigenous to South America.

Over the years, we have planned birthdays, beach weekends, bridal showers, and now, baby showers. I can't imagine life without these girls.

So excited for Baby Brooks' arrival! Only a month before our baby and I pray they will be lifelong friends too.

26 weeks

2011-11-25T17:18:00.000-08:00

Last week, as my 26th birthday arrived, I hit my 26th week of pregnancy.
I thought this was a fun milestone, unlikely to be repeated with any other pregnancies.

project: closet clean out

2011-11-17T22:22:00.000-08:00

Before anything can really happen in the baby room, we have to have new carpet installed. Call me crazy, but I am not in love with our old mauve carpet. Besides the color, its old and pretty worn in places.
But before that can happen...I had to clean out a couple closets. Yay. Great. My favorite thing to do.

Here are a couple things that I found in this closet:
- A photo album from my 8th grade band trip to Disneyland
- Mix cds from my summers working as a lifeguard
- Approximately 984 printed pictures of Mexico missions trips
- Every planner I have ever had. In my entire life.
- Tickets stubs for every sporting event Peter has attended since 1995 (I made the initial mistake of putting these in the trash pile. Yeah, apparently these are NOT trash)
- Scraps of paper from wedding shower invitations I made 4 years ago
- A gorgeous gold lamp

Um...Hoarder, anyone?

You see, all of this stuff was perfectly stored at my parents house, in my old bedroom. Then one day, my mom decided she wanted the space back and just dropped off a bunch of boxes. Thanks Mom....How dare you want to clear out your own house of my old crap.

I also realized that I have an obsession with collecting empty bags and boxes. I mean, you never know when you might need 7 empty shoeboxes. Or 4 large Macy's bags.

Good news...only 2 closets left to clean out
Bad news...I still have 2 closet left.

Week 25

2011-11-17T21:10:00.000-08:00

I am a week behind, but wanted to post the picture nonetheless.

The end of my second trimester is going great. Lots of baby kicks and rolls, which I love. And the start of pregnancy insomnia, which I dont love.

church garage sale

2011-11-06T20:07:00.000-08:00

Every year, the Women's Ministries group at my church organizes a large garage (well, actually its held in a gym) sale. And every year, I go home with a few treasures.

This year was no exception.

For $15 I scored an old-fashioned (it looks handmade, but I cant be sure) children's push cart toy, a great Pendleton wool blanket, and two large glass jars.

The push cart will be filled will stuffed animals and blankets and reside in the nursery-until it can be put to good use by a little one wheeling toys around the house or outside picking up sticks. Not sure if I want to keep the natural wood or paint it a fun color.

The blanket will be great for picnics and playing outside.

The jars just look cute on my bookshelf. Reason enough to spend $1 on them, in my opinion.

Its always fun to see what I might find at the garage sale. And the best part is all money raised goes to supporting our missions fund.

Week 24

2011-11-06T19:54:00.000-08:00

Week 22 and 23

2011-10-28T20:36:00.000-07:00

I can understand why everyone says the second trimester is the easiest.

Other than hip pain and almost-nightly leg cramps, I feel great. Food is no longer an enemy (quite the opposite actually), I am finally getting used to sleeping on my side, and have enough energy to work out at our work gym (granted my work outs aren't exactly strenuous).

My favorite part of the past few weeks have definitely been the baby kicks. Best feeling ever.

nursery ideas

2011-10-25T22:01:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking about our baby's nursery for a long time. As in, long before this baby even existed. The room is now our guest bedroom, but is mainly used to store stuff that doesnt belong anywhere else and house piles of clean laundry. It has become my laundry folding room and I would often get side tracked, day dreaming of the little baby that would one day fill the space. As that day gets closer and closer, the reality is starting to set in. A baby will soon be here. And I have lots of work to do!

And right now, this is the current state of that room (keeping it real here)

But I have plans! I always knew I would want a more gender neutral, colorful nursery, which is perfect since Baby Frantz will be a surprise. I am sure I will add in more boy or girl items/colors after the baby is born. But for now, I am excited about creating a cute, colorful space for our baby.

Here are some inspiration fabrics to get me going.

Disclaimer...I have actually not purchased any fabric yet, but I will. Soon! I would like to use the fabric for a tiered crib skirt, curtains (probably the yellow chevron), and fabric accents for the room. A white crib has already been picked out, the white dresser will stay as a changing table and I am on the lookout for a cute bookshelf and chair.

Before all of this can happen, I need to clean out the closet. And that in itself will be an adventure. Anyone know where, in my little house, I can store bulky snowboarding clothes, stuff leftover from our childhood bedrooms, and boxes of high school yearbooks??

To cheer me up from this daunting task, I purchased a couple cute things for the room.

An old globe in all the right colors (and, duh, to obviously quiz my kid on geography) and vintage-inspired alphabet fabric (to either use as a wall hanging, soft book, or another crafty idea I have never attempted)

I have about four months to go and am really excited to get started!

letters

2011-10-17T21:22:00.000-07:00

Dear Multigrain Cheerios,

Thank you for existing. You have been my cereal of choice for the past year. The longest any cereal has held that title. You have helped me through some rough months, when all I wanted was to eat you for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You better not ever be discontinued. EVER.

Dear Fall,

Um. Where the heck are you? Its the middle of October, in case you have not heard.
I dont really appreciate the 90 degree weather. You can show up at any time. Thankyouverymuch.

My dearest Autumn Wreath candle,
You are my scent of the month. And even though its 89 degrees outside, I will still burn you and drink apple cider every night.

Dear clean laundry pile,

I loathe you. Why cant you just fold yourself? The end.

21 weeks

2011-10-16T20:05:00.000-07:00

Baby Frantz is the length of a carrot!

Very thankful that my Dr appt went well last week. Strong heartbeat and zero complications.

19 more weeks to go!

ps...my chalkboard got a facelift. So much better!

20 weeks

2011-10-09T19:44:00.000-07:00

Judging from my last two recent ultrasounds and the feelings in my belly, we have a pretty active baby on our hands. I started feeling flutters a bit late (in comparison to other moms) but the flutters progressed to little kicks fairly quickly. Baby Frantz is especially active in the morning at work when I am sitting at my desk and at night after dinner. Peter can feel the kicks too, which makes it even more fun.

The feeling of my baby kicking me is truly indescribable. So amazing.

Doctor checkup this week. We are praying everything looks good (especially the heartbeat) and baby is growing strong. I also hope my Dr. has nothing but nice things to say about my *ahem* weight gain. She has pretty strict opinions on this topic and is not afraid to tell me to lay off the cookies.
(I swear...I have been trying....Sorta....Sometimes)

sunday mornings...

2011-10-03T18:41:00.000-07:00

...mean pancakes in our house.

The first Sunday morning in October meant
pumpkin pancakes

Based on this recipe. I added a bit more spice.

A great way to use leftover pumpkin you may have from muffins or bread!

week 18 and 19

2011-10-01T17:41:00.000-07:00

I honestly cannot believe I am almost 20 weeks. Halfway done. Everyone says the second half does not go by quite as fast as the first. Could it be due to the ever expanding tummy, leg cramps, sleepless nights, and general uncomfortableness? Maybe.

I have been very blessed this pregnancy so far. Sure, I had my share of nausea, exhaustion, food aversions, mood swings (ok. some of those I still have) but I know it could have been much worse. And I although I know the real adventure is ahead, I am a little sad to already be halfway done. So many firsts. First positive test, first time hearing the heartbeat, first ultrasound, first little flutter, first time seeing THAT number on the scale....Ha!

And I know it is cliche, but more than anything I am thankful for a healthy baby. After a little scare at my ultrasound last week, lots of tears, and and a trip to a specialist (all to confirm that everything is fine, baby just had a momentary irregular heartbeat that corrected itself) I am more thankful than ever. This baby is such a gift to us.

lamps

2011-09-27T21:49:00.000-07:00

I have had these lamps sitting around since last fall. I purchased them for $3 at my church yard sale. And they have been sitting in a closet ever since.

The color was a blah blue and the finish was crackle.
Yes, crackle.

But I loved the shape and knew they had potential. And, lets be honest I would rather spend money on other things than lamps, so the $3 price tag was very appealing.

A can of yellow spray paint and two new shades later, I have new lamps.

I think they look cute!
(and yes, I am aware the buffet needs to be refinished)

week by week (15, 16, 17)

2011-09-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

Since about week 10 of my pregnancy, I have been taking pictures of my belly growth.
Its fun to look back and think "Ha! I thought I had a belly THEN?!?"

My, how quickly things change.

{disclaimer: I am not naive and I fully realize my belly is not THAT big. Yet. And I will only get bigger from here on out.}

I also like to see the fruit/vegetable size comparison.
From a poppyseed to a pumpkin. Amazing.
Although I must say, things like a blueberry, lime, or peach are much cuter than a hairy root vegetable. Turnip? No thanks.

Here are some pictures so far.

pins and bread

2011-09-20T22:04:00.000-07:00

So by now, I am sure everyone has heard of Pinterest.
If not....where have you been?
I personally love it. It is such a nice way to organize the good ideas we all find on the internets. Admittedly, most of my pins revolve around baby room inspiration (seriously, I can think about this all day) and food (again, I can think about this all day).

I have been trying to actually MAKE the recipes I have been pinning. Instead of, you know, just looking at them. So this breadstick is from my pins to you.

Olive Garden Knock-off Breadsticks
(not sure if they are just like Olive Garden...but they are good. And easy. And you can make some after work before dinner and not have to eat at like, 9 pm)
..............
1 1/2 cups warm water (between 110 - 120 degrees F)
1 package active dry yeast
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt

In a large bowl, dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water and allow to sit for 10 minutes, covered. Mixture should be frothy.

In separate bowl, combine flour and salt. Add to yeast mixture. Add melted butter. Mix with paddle attachment of stand mixer or wooden spoon until fully combined.

Knead dough for a few minutes

(this is when I split the dough and freeze half for later)

Grease a cookie sheet. Pull off pieces of dough and roll out into strips.
Cover the dough and let sit in a warm place for 45 minutes to an hour.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and once heated, pop in the bread sticks. In microwave, combine the following:

2 T unsalted butter
1 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoons salt

After 6 or 7 minutes, brush the bread sticks with half the butter mixture.
Then continue to bake for another 6 or 7 minutes.

Enjoy!

new project

2011-09-12T20:38:00.000-07:00

This little bloggy space of mine has been pretty quiet all summer.
But that does not mean I have not been busy.

In fact, I have been working on the most important project of my life....

baby Frantz at 11 weeks

I am currently 17 weeks and feeling great. The exhaustion is here to stay, it seems, but the other first trimester symptoms thankfully disappeared a few weeks ago. In their place came a growing belly, tighter pants, and leg pains.

But I could not be more thankful. Peter and I are thrilled and so blessed to have a healthy, growing baby. We constantly talk about our little baby girl or baby boy (the gender will remain a surprise till birth) and are so excited to become a family of three. (plus Scully, of course)

First trimester thoughts:
*Keeping baby a secret for 10 weeks was easier than I thought
*Plane rides will make me throw up. Pray for understanding seat mates.
*Telling our parents (especially my mom) AFTER we came back from Costa Rica was a smart idea (...are you sure you should have ziplined?!?!)
*Growing a garden full of cucumbers and zucchini is rather sad when the thought of vegetables makes me want to die
*It is absolutley necessary to sleep for hours after coming home from work everyday
*When you pin countless amounts of nursery ideas to your Pinterest, people will assume you are pregnant
*Jolly Ranchers and life saver mints will literally save your life
*Sonic happy hour limeade and tots are a perfectly acceptable snack
*I have never been more happy, excited, worried, and scared in my life

This baby is already such a blessing to Peter and I and our families. We cant wait for the adventure that is to come!

costa rica

2011-07-28T21:15:00.000-07:00

We just returned from an amazing trip to Costa Rica.
We have been planning this vacation for quite awhile and it exceeded all of our expectations.

We decided to rent a small suv and navigate the country on our own (with the help of a GPS, of course - MUCH needed as the streets do not have names!) In addition to arriving and departing from the capitol city of San Jose, we visited three main areas.

*La Fortuna, the site of the Arenal Volcano
*Monteverde, a cloud-forest region
*Playa Flamingo, a beach on the Pacific side

{click to enlarge}

We loved having our own vehicle (as opposed to a tour company) because we were able to take our time and enjoy driving through the small towns and stunning countryside. Not all of the roads were smooth (as in, driving over an hour on unpaved rocks) but it was definitely an adventure. We were a little worried, after reading all about the rainy season, but we were so blessed that it really only rained one day. We enjoyed pleasant, tropical temps for the majority of the trip!

Costa Rica is a perfect destination for an active, yet relaxing, vacation. We stayed in wonderful, authentic hotels, hiked in national parks, climbed volcanoes, discovered waterfalls, walked across hanging bridges, zip-lined over the rainforest, learned about coffee, and saw all types of wild life. We ended our trip by spending a few days at the coast. Amazing. Best beach I have ever been to. The water was the perfect temperature, fun waves, soft sand, clean, and quiet. We did feel a small earthquake and I panicked, convinced there would be a tsunami, however no one else seemed to be concerned.

We fell in love with the gorgeous land and the warm, friendly people. We felt safe wherever we traveled and Costa Rican people (Ticos) have a lot of pride in their families, country, and their environment.

It is always amazing to travel and see another masterpiece of God's creation. The country is simply breathtaking. We are so thankful we were able to take this amazing trip.

Pura Vida!

like a boss

2011-07-08T21:17:00.000-07:00

Oh, this guy?

Let me introduce you to Peter Frantz, CPA.

After 13 months of paying for study materials, studying, paying for tests, and taking tests, my husband is now a California licensed CPA. And I couldn't be more proud.

In full disclosure, he actually finished the tests earlier this year, but the license processing took a while. He can now officially call himself a Certified Public Accountant.

This past year was stressful for both of us. There were many nights I spent alone on the couch with Scully while he studied for hours. Weekends were consumed with studying. Plans were postponed.
I mean, I made dinner every night AANNDD had to clean the dishes.
That's when you know its serious.

Throughout the year, my prayer was to be a patient and encouraging wife. And I hope I was. (most of the time, at least) I tried to support Peter through this process, because I know it is great for his career and great for our family. And we are very thankful he had this opportunity.

So thanks, Peter. No one else can analyze big corporate financial statements AND catch foul balls one-handed at Dodger Stadium without spilling one drop of his beverage. And look cute doing it.

philadelphia: a summary

2011-07-02T18:15:00.000-07:00

I dont really talk about my job on this here blog. And that is pretty intentional. One, because although its a great job and I am super thankful, its not really fun blog material. And two, when I get home after working all day, I usually like to ignore the fact that I even have a job.

I travel for work a few times a year. And sometimes, my job takes me to fun places. And sometimes, it does not.

This is the story of the latter.

I spent the last week in Philadelphia. And I (multiple times) had to resist the urge to break out in the Fresh Prince theme song. Everyone now! In west Philadelphia born and raised.....

Overall, although the actual work part of the trip was successful, I did not enjoy Philadelphia. It was humid, crowded, dirty, and sorta trashy. And that is my expert opinion. I am fully aware I stuck to a small radius around downtown and I am sure there are lovely areas of the city. But this is my blog and I can write whatever I want.

All I am sayin' is no wonder the Fresh Prince whistled for a cab to Bel Air.

Here are some cell phone pics. Feel free to use this as your official travel guide to the city. I include lots of detail and honest reviews.

I think this is City Hall. I think.

I had a crappy salad here. I dont remember the name.

This building is probably historic. Dont quote me on that, though.

This was the view out of my hotel room. I think this is William Penn. The most famous Philadelphian. After Ben Franklin. And Will Smith, of course.

This was a nice park. We had dinner at a nice restaurant across the street. I had roasted red pepper gazpacho. It was lovely. And then a huge cockroach proceeded to crawl across the back of my seat. I screamed and had nightmares all week.

Oh! There was one thing I did like. Reading Terminal Market.
Its a large, indoor food market with fresh farmer's produce stands, bakeries, and many different food vendors. There were a number of Amish vendors as well. And I dont know if you know, but I love Amish people. And because I love them, I know they do not like their picture being taken. So I didnt. Just visualize adorable teenage girls in bonnets selling homebaked goods.

By the end of the week, my feet hurt, I was tired of smelling garbage everywhere, and I wanted to come home. So what does one do when they are feeling pathetic and sorry for themselves?

They eat a giant frozen yogurt in bed for dinner and watch trashy tv. My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, anyone?

mason jars

2011-06-16T21:41:00.000-07:00

Inspired by this lovely girl, I decided to do something about the mess of bulk items in my pantry.

I like to buy most grains (rice, cous cous, quinoa, oatmeal, etc) in bulk. Saves money and saves space. Well sorta. It also adds a mess of disorganized bags, not to mention the fear of tearing a small hole and cous cous spilling all over my floor.

Enter mason jars. Large ones. I already use smaller ones for drinking glasses (and love them) so I knew larger jars would be the perfect solution.

I can now clearly see my dry goods and have a semi-more organized pantry. (I said semi. Notice how I didnt include any pictures of my actual pantry...) I also had enough jars to store some baking supplies and Frantz Farm almonds. I like them so much, I might need to order some more!

summertime

2011-06-12T14:40:00.000-07:00

I have been neglecting this blog lately. And that is good. It is so easy to get caught up in the lives of others (what they are doing, what they are wearing, where they are going, etc) and lose sight of all the blessings in your own life. So sometimes, a break is just what I need.

Every June, it takes a couple weeks to face the reality that I do not have a summer vacation. But once I accept that fact, I get over it and move on. Just because I cant spend my weekdays relaxing, doesn't mean I shouldn't make the most of my summer weekends.

Saturday bike ride.

River front bike path (aka ag road by irrigation canal)

homemade whole wheat burger buns

bbq burger with grilled onions and sweet potato fries. enjoyed on the patio.

scully. looking cute. waiting for any crumbs to drop.

lately

2011-05-10T21:41:00.000-07:00

Lately....I have been loving strawberries. Like, I cant get enough. Luckily I live about 5 minutes away from the best BEST strawberry field and stand.

They have seen me every Sunday for the past few weeks. I am already sad thinking about the day they run out.

Lately....we celebrated Aaron's (Peter's brother) graduation. The last Frantz to graduate college.

Lately...I have been taking my morning cream with coffee. Seriously, how pale can my cup be? I am currently loving the combination of french vanilla and irish cream. I have the 7/11 in Arroyo Grande to thank for this magical combination.
Call me crazy, but that place makes some of the best coffee I have ever had.

Lately...I have been ditching the oven for easy, fresh dinners. Reality...my house is small and turning on the oven can feel like a furnace sometimes.

Bruschetta is our favorite.

Lately...I have been loving our new mason jars. Peter ordered a bunch for me as a surprise (which was nice, considering he broke my last one). I use them to make and store salad dressings and, mainly, as a drinking glass. In my opinion, everything is better in a mason jar.

Lately...In the midst of stress at work and thinking about future decisions, I have been finding joy in the simple things. I love coming home everyday to Peter and Scully and my little house. It truly is my very favorite place to be.

mama

2011-05-08T22:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Mothers Day!

To my mom. Who has been holding me in her arms for over 25 years.

I love you, Mom.

It's been me and you, always, from the very beginning.

spring break

2011-04-28T20:26:00.000-07:00

Ok, so we dont technically have a Spring Break.

But we do have an annual After Tax Season Break. And after almost four long months of long hours, weekend working, and hardly seeing each other, we needed a break.

The week started with our first Dodger game of the season. The game was lame, but we had a great time.

Then it was on the the beach house for a few days of bliss.

Big Sky Cafe in SLO. Our favorite.

We came home just in time for Easter Sunday. After an amazing church service, we enjoyed the rest of the afternoon with family.

I am well aware that I am not the one working like crazy during this time.
Peter is.
So, thanks Pete. You're the best ever.

project: laundry room

2011-04-10T17:54:00.000-07:00

So I am not sure if this classifies as a laundry room. Its more of a laundry space.
But it does the job and its all I have.
And I am thankful that its not outside in the garage.

Regardless, the laundry room was a not-cute, highly disorganized space that has remained untouched for the past three years. Before we moved in, the owner of the house had this room (and a few others) painted a horrible shade of "neutral". Think yellowish-beige. All over. Walls, ceiling, door, trim.
....shudder....

Aesthetically, it was not good.
Also, (and this I can't blame on anyone but us)it quickly became a disorganized dumping ground for all sorts of stuff. I have learned by living in a small house, that you have to take advantage of storage space and use it efficiently. And I was definitely NOT taking advantage of this space.

It is with storage and organization in mind, that I decided to tackle the laundry room this past weekend. Nothing major, so dont expect new cherry red, front loading machines....

Just fresh paint for the walls, cabinets, trim, and door. Cleaned, organized cabinets, and some pops of color, to help make doing laundry a bit more bearable.

This project was done using some existing materials. The gray paint was leftover from our bedroom. The yellow shelving rack used to be the microwave cart in our old apartment. It has been in a closet for 3 years and by turning it sideways and spray painting it, serves a whole new purpose.

I utilized the space by installing a closet rod for drying clothes. This allowed me to get rid of the janky drying rack I've had since college, which took up space and was barely staying upright. The built-in hamper will now be used (as well as a hamper in our bathroom)and in the empty space, we plan on putting a small chest freezer.

Overall, this was a quick, simple project that most people wont even notice, but makes a huge difference to me.

dodger baseball

2011-03-31T22:27:00.000-07:00

The boys are back in town.

The Frantz family love for Dodger baseball has been well documented on this blog.

I mean we named our dog after Vin Scully for crying out loud.

It should not surprise you that Opening Day is treated like a holiday around here. For years, Peter would go to Opening Day with his dad - unfortunately, it just so happens to be tax season now and Peter is a grown up now.

BUT! We still celebrate, like any true fans would.

{please excuse my messy kitchen. we were mid-bbq}

We love having great friends so close (practically neighbors) that we love and who also love the Dodgers. When we cant go to the game, we love watching it with them.

{please excuse Scully's backside. she is normally more modest}

Last inning is serious business. No sitting down.

Thanks Macks! First of many games this season.

Go Blue!

burlap wreath

2011-03-23T19:23:00.000-07:00

Inspired by Angie and her love for burlap and a few other cute wreaths I have seen on the blogosphere, I decided to make the most of these free weeknights and rainy evenings and get my crafty craft on.

I just love wreaths. They are so cheery and can be used year-round.

Everything was going fine, until I got to these damn flowers.
{can you say damn when being crafty?}
Took a little while, and a few do overs, but I finally got the hang of it. I think these rolled flowers would also look cute attached to a headband or used in gift packaging.

This new wreath is on a coat closet door in our {small} entry way.
It is far from perfect, but I think the loose strings and raw edges gives it some charm.

saturday

2011-03-20T09:04:00.000-07:00

This was my first free Saturday since January 8.

I have spent the last three months volunteering with my town's Distinguished Young Woman's (aka Jr. Miss) program. And although I love it, I am very, very happy to have my weekends (and Monday and Thursday nights) back.

So yesterday, I spent the day doing what I wanted to do. It may seem mundane (boring?) to you, but it was wonderful to me.

Climbing Mt. Laundry

am I the only one who has this?

You see, Peter thinks he has no clean socks. But that is just me tricking him! Actually, ALL of his socks are clean! They are just under Mt. Laundry and he has to find them! Its a little game we play. So far, its not really catching on.

Ahhh....thats better. At least he can find a towel.

I am happy to report, that Mt. Laundry has been leveled. That is, until next time my life gets busy, or hectic, or stressed, or....

Enjoying a pedicure and lunch with my mom and sister. Not only did I need this time with them, but my toes needed it too. Lets just say I have not gotten a pedicure in....a while.

The rest of the day was spent at home. My favorite place to be.

In my apron.

Cleaning and cooking and baking and reading and resting. And drinking multiple cups of coffee.

Even Scully enjoyed her afternoon.

I am so happy to have my weekends back.
Only 30 more days till April 18.
Then I will have my husband back.

bloom

2011-03-08T21:50:00.000-08:00

I LOVE seeing this sight everyday.

When the orchards around my house and that surround our small town are breathtakingly beautiful

The bare winter branches are gone and a brilliant white appears before the familiar green starts to set in.

The trees are literally buzzing with activity from thousands of bees, working their magic on the blossoms.

{which can also make running and walking the dog along my usual country path a little dangerous}

For a few weeks in late February, our little town becomes alive.

evening walks

2011-02-25T11:47:00.000-08:00

I am so happy the sun is staying out a little bit longer.

I can take Scully out for a long walk when I get home.
Its good for her. Its good for me.

Quiet. Calm.

The almond trees are starting to bloom. And I have one geranium showing her face.

Spring is almost here. And that suits me just fine.

letters

2011-02-17T19:40:00.000-08:00

Dear Denver,
I am ready to come home. You are cold and you are making my skin dry and my lips chapped. Oh, and your altitude is making me out of breath. Like, even when I am walking.
And I really miss these two cuties.

.....................

Dear Tax Season,
Already?
I am not ready for you this year.
You take my husband and hold him hostage.
I dont like you and never will.

.....................

Dear Spring,
Please come soon. I am tired of being cold. And wearing closed-toe shoes.
And I want to open up my windows.
Thank you.

.....................

Dear Pilot,
Tomorrow, do me a favor. Please make a smooth landing.
Because I would really not like to have to pull out the barf bag.
And I REALLY would not like to see the look on my neighbors face when I pull out said barf bag.
It was a close, close call.

.....................

happy birthday peter

2011-01-30T10:11:00.000-08:00

happy birthday to my peter!

{ladder golf on the beach}

We have spent the past weekend celebrating Peter's birthday.

Moo Creamery with friends.
Frugattis with family.
Matterhorn cake from Sweet Surrender.
Dodger-themed gifts.
Orange zest waffles for breakfast.

{freezer mugs, book by favorite Dodger blogger/writer, under armor shirt}

He seems to like the book....

Peter is my best friend. I am so blessed to have him as my husband.

I have a feeling 26 is going to be a good year.

winter citrus

2011-01-23T08:45:00.000-08:00

We eat a ton of fruit in out house. And I try to eat mainly fruit that is in season. Summer, obviously, is the best with all the fresh peaches from the farm. September - November lags on, with only apples from the grocery store.

But December brings anticipation of the Frantz oranges and lemons.

Thanks again to my father-in-law for growing absolutely delicious citrus.

We mainly eat the oranges plain (with lunch and dinner), but I have also been enjoying this favorite snack. Thanks Katie!

{plain yogurt, oranges, granola}

Here are a few of my other favorite citrus recipes:
spicy orange chicken
lemon buttermilk cookies
baked lemon pasta
lemon poppy seed loaf

best of my days

2011-01-16T14:25:00.000-08:00

So this is a little late, but I wanted to share this simple, sweet idea for remembering moments in 2011.

...like I said, this is a little late and I didnt start on Janurary 1. I obviously have more than two days by now

This daily calendar notepad is meant for you to record the best moment of your day. Every day.
I am not good at keeping a journal, so this is an easy way for me to reflect on my day and simply write down a great moment, or something I am thankful for.

Things like, trying a new recipe, or spending time with my mom, or a great conversation with Peter, or, most recently, the effectiveness of neti pots.
{I am currently dying from sinus congestion}

No promises I will keep this up everyday, all year. But I am going to try.

I think it will be fun to look back and see all of my simple, daily blessings throuhout the year.

I discovered this free template on a cute blog. (where else?)
You can have one too!

project: bookshelf

2011-01-08T14:26:00.000-08:00

During my stay-cation a couple weeks ago, I tackled a couple projects around the house. The largest and most time-consuming was definitely painting the built-in bookshelf in our front room.

{Most of the other projects revolved around laundry.
As in, actually doing some.
And taming the clean clothes mountain. I loathe folding.}

The bookshelf is something that we have talked about painting since we bought our house. It used to match our kitchen cabinets, but those got a major makeover a couple years ago, and this built-in has been neglected ever since.

Not to say that I have not used it, I have. It does not hold books, but rather my collection of white serving pieces. Partly because I love white ware, but mainly because I have no where else to put them.

Here are some before and after shots:

when we first looked at the house...

week we moved in...obviously I had nothing to put up there

Ahh!! that shine. scary. wood should not look like that

Much better...

We used the same paint as our cabinets, installed beadboard in a gray shade to the back, and added new knobs and molding.

I really like the way it turned out!

stay-cation

2011-01-02T14:35:00.000-08:00

I am lucky to work for a great company that gives their employees a week vacation after Christmas. It makes this looong stretch to Memorial Day (my next paid day off, sigh) that much more bearable.

We are soon embarking upon tax season (shudder...) around here, so this week off to refresh, organize my house, clean, and work on a couple projects has been so, so nice. And yes, I stayed home the entire week (with the exception of going snowboarding one day) and it suited me just fine. I have embraced the fact that being home is my favorite place to be. I can keep myself occupied all day, while still feeling relaxed.

I dont really have any pictures for this post (project pictures coming soon...hopefully) except for this:

{good earth tea}

Have you tried it? I love it. Its sweet and full of spices. It has been a staple of mine for the past few weeks (thanks to my co-worker) and I have thoroughly enjoyed my mug of tea every morning during my week at home.

Drinking it at my desk in my office is just not quite the same...

homemade marshmallows

2010-12-28T08:31:00.000-08:00

For the past few years, I have tried to make a new candy confection over the Christmas season to bag and give out to friends. This year, I knew I wanted to tackle homemade marshmallows.

Using the techniques from these two recipes, I created the basic marshmallow. Then I saw this idea and loved it.

Making marshmallows is not difficult, but it does take time and a little patience. Oh, and you should just be prepared for a gooey, sticky mess.

Its inevitable.

What starts as just humble gelatin....

ps..do you know what gelatin is made out of? If not, dont look it up.

...soon turns to this!

And after a few hours in the fridge....

Marshmallows!

These keep for about a week. They are yummy in hot chocolate, dipped in fondue, or just plain!

And, regrettably, I probably consumed half of them myself.

christmas

2010-12-26T19:14:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2010

{in pictures}

gifts

2010-12-22T18:30:00.000-08:00

Nothing too special, but I like to change up my wrapping from year to year. This year was brown paper, striped ribbon, and twine.

I really like simple wrapping. Throughout the year I stock up on plain brown paper (not the thick craft paper--too hard to fold) and plain white paper from Michaels. I always have a supply of ribbons and twine on hand to help create cute packages.

Also, this year I copied my sweet friend and placed my tree in a large galvanized bucket. We have one for holding drinks during summer bbqs, and this was such a cute way to hold our tree this year. I have a feeling this has replaced our normal tree stand.

This year, more than ever, I have been reminded about how trivial gifts can be. That we should really be focused on giving throughout the season. With this is mind, Peter and I were more conscious about what we gave to our family and how we spent our money. There are definitely less gifts under the tree, but Christmas is just as sweet.

But that doesn't mean what is under the tree shouldn't look cute !

deck the halls

2010-12-05T20:21:00.000-08:00

Christmas on Pine Street

friday night

2010-12-03T22:33:00.000-08:00

Tonight, we ended a long work week by picking out our Christmas tree.

{noble fir. seven feet}

Keeping with our tradition, we went out for burgers and ice cream after.
Healthy, I know.

Moo Creamy is the ONLY place I order burgers. (I much prefer homemade) But Moo burgers are too good to resist.

turkey burger and hand-mixed fountain cherry coke

peppermint oreo sundae

Good news: The tree is up and my house already smells sooo good.

Not so good news: I am still stuffed.

sunday afternoons

2010-11-28T14:53:00.000-08:00

Every Sunday afternoon, Peter and I take Scully out for a walk.
It feels like our last chance to relax before the hectic week begins.
Our last chance to talk. About anything and everything. Or our last chance to be quiet and just walk.

Its also my chance to clearly state how much I DONT want to go to work tomorrow.

{in case he didn't know}

We have been taking these Sunday walks since we were engaged and lots of important decisions have been discussed on these mini excursions.
Where to live? What job to take? When to move? What house to buy? Dog? Babies?
What team to choose on Amazing Race??

It also gives us a chance to enjoy the little town we live in. Sure. We don't have fancy walking trails, or a big grocery store, or a Target, or anything vaguely close to a Target.

But, we do have old houses. And big trees. And almond orchards. And fields. And most importantly, friendly, familiar faces that we see on our Sunday walks.
And that is just right for us.

As I listen to Christmas music and unpack my decorations, I dont want to forget about our Sunday walks in the fall.

wreath

2010-11-21T08:34:00.000-08:00

Coffee filter wreath.
So I have been noticing these wreaths around the internet world lately and not really thinking twice about them. And then this girl posted a super cute white one on her facebook and I was sold.

The crafting bug does not usually bite me, so when it does, I have to act on it.
So after a trip to Target for the coffee filters and Michaels for the foam wreath and straight pins, I was ready to go.

I will not lie, this project took a considerable amount of time. Thankfully, it was quite simple. Which is good, because I sometimes find my brain cells a little depleted after a long day of work.

I just turned on the tv, watched Pioneer Woman show Bobby Flay who's boss, and starting pinning.

I really loved the way it turned out! Perfect for fall. I think I might make one for Christmas, using white filters and possibly some gold spray paint.

Just need to wait for that crafting bug to come bite me again...

making whoopie

2010-11-07T19:43:00.000-08:00

Whoopie Pies, that is.
Pumpkin whoopie pies to be exact.

I have wanted to make these treats for a while now and hosting our small group tonight presented the perfect opportunity.

Although they were a bit time consuming, they turned out cute, and more importantly, tasted great.

I followed this recipe but changed the frosting.
Cream cheese frosting was suggested in some reviews. And in my world, cream cheese frosting wins out every time.

date night

2010-10-08T22:35:00.000-07:00

Tonight, Peter and I went out on a date.

Its so important to date. Even when you are married. And sometimes a quick dinner after a trip to Lowes or Target counts. But sometimes you have to go out without an errand attached. And that is what we did tonight.

Dinner after work. Walking around and drinks downtown. Friday night Flics at the Fox.

Do you know about this? On certain Friday nights, Flics shows independent, often foreign, movies at the Fox. These are movies that do not hit our local theaters. Best part? A quality movie, respectful crowd, and only $5 tickets.

Tonight we saw Babies.

I have been wanting to see this movie for months and was so excited to see it on the Flics schedule.

It does not disappoint. So cute. The vast differences and, yet, overwhelming similarities of these 4 babies from across the globe was so compelling. I had a smile on my face the whole time. And, I admit, may have gotten a little teary eyed. Peter even liked it :)

Rent it. Buy it. And just try not to fall in love with Bayar from Mongolia.

rodeo

2010-10-03T19:53:00.000-07:00

My Saturday night was spent at the Kern County Fair, more specifically the rodeo, with my parents. Peter already had plans (USC game) on Saturday night, so when my mom called me earlier last week to invite me to the rodeo, I enthusiastically said yes.

I was excited for a number of reasons...

1. Its the fair. And I haven't been in years.
2. I love the rodeo.
3. Hand-dipped corn dogs.
4. My parents are great. And for one night, I got to have them to myself.

I did not take very many pictures. I was hoping to document my corn dog experience, but I ate it too fast. Seriously, I inhaled that thing. So, so good. With a mixture of mustard and ketchup. I know. I'm strange.

But here is something else I ate.

Funnel cake. Another version of fried dough! In full disclosure, I DID share this, ok.

On to the rodeo.

Of course, the opening ceremonies. Complete with flags, Star Spangled Banner, and an America loving, country music listening, boots wearing crowd. Loved it.

Aside from the usual bull riding, team roping, and barrel racing, there was this...

Buffalo round-up!

Now THIS was entertaining! Seriously.
I mean, I knew I would see bulls, and horses, and steers, but I had no idea I would see buffalo.
And buffalo that were corralled by a one-armed cowboy and made to stand on top of a huge truck, no less. Madness!

To make a great night even better, my dad spotted his all-time favorite treat.

Dippin' Dots.
My dad has an unusual love for this strange frozen dessert. Which he passed down to my sister. The Rainbow Ice flavor to be exact. The Dippin' Dots stand used to be his only reason for going to the mall. When my parents lived in Ventura for a year they actually lived down the street from a Dippin' Dots shop. To them, it was pretty much heaven. He was so excited to see this at the fair. Cute.

Thanks mom and dad for the fun night!

sewing projects

2010-09-25T12:31:00.000-07:00

I ordered a few fabrics to help spruce things up around my house.

First, two from this girl.

I have loved this stripe for awhile and am always on the look out for fabric that incorporates my 50's aqua kitchen counter color. I am thinking about using this for a new curtain on my kitchen window.

This cute floral is for the seat on an old chair I found at Woolworths. This chair lives in my front dining room and has had and old ugly brown seat for far too long.

I love the fabric with the wall color in this room, the question is...
Should I paint the chair?? I need help!

This fabric should be arriving any day now and will be transformed into pillows for my bedroom.

Now comes the hard part...actually completing these projects!

caramel corn

2010-09-10T23:03:00.000-07:00

I love caramel corn. My grammie loved it too. One of my favorite memories of her was always visiting the caramel corn store in the Modesto mall. We had to stop there. Every time we were in town. And we had to get the largest bag of fresh caramel corn.
And then we had to buy a second bag to make sure we would have some when we got home. Because the first bag never lasted that long.

Lucky for me, my mother-in-law has a great caramel corn recipe. Its simple, classic, and reminds me of my grammie.

Hope you like it too!

- Pop 6 qts. popcorn

- Divide popcorn between 2 foil covered, sprayed baking pans

- Melt butter, add brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring for 5 minutes

- Remove from heat, add baking soda and vanilla. Try not to lick the spoon. No really, dont even touch your pinky finger on it. Its hot. I know this from experience.

- Stir caramel over popcorn. Mix well

- Bake at 250 for one hour. Stirring every 15 minutes.

- Let cool a bit, break apart, and put in air tight container. If you can resist eating all of it at once. Difficult.

.....................................
Sue's Baked Caramel Corn
1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup karo syrup, light or dark
1 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. vanilla
6 qts popcorn
**you can also add nuts if you like. our preference: almonds.

labor day

2010-09-07T21:11:00.000-07:00

Our Labor Day weekend in pictures....

My friend (and co-worker) Crissy's baby shower. Only 4 more weeks till her little one arrives.

Lovely wedding of friends from church

Annual Frantz family Labor Day trip to the beach.
Tennis, walks, paddle ball, Village Grill, Klondikes, Brad's breakfast, Wiebe family, intense domino game, quality family time.
The best.

Thanks Labor Day.
See you next year.

till next year....

2010-08-22T09:35:00.000-07:00

So when you work year around, like we do, summer is just a season. Sure, we try to live it up as best we can... This year we went on a great vacation. Had bbqs with friends. Took late night walks with the Scullster. Ate wonderful, farm-grown fruits and veggies. Spent weekends lying in the pool. Rediscovered our love for competitive lawn games (bocce ball, croquet, anyone?). Suffered under the oppressive heat that is July without a working ac....You get the picture.

Another vital component of summer, is the Dodgers. As you all know. We are fans. (some of us more dedicated than others). If the game is not on the tv, than it is floating through the house via Vin Scully (side note: we are very happy about this) on the radio. We are fortunate to be able to go to quite a few games a year, and last week, we marked the end of summer by going to another. Probably the last one of the season.

the Frantz men

p.s. today was 105 degrees. apparently summer has decided to kick back and stay for a while.

peaches

2010-08-07T15:22:00.000-07:00

My father-in-law grows peaches around his property. And every summer, we are the lucky recipients of a weekly supply. And I dont know if its his special farmer touch (I am willing to bet it is), but these peaches are the best. Ever.

Better than any fruit stand and definitely better than the store, these peaches taste like candy. They are so sweet and wonderful.

We are lucky to live in an area where we can find so many fresh, local fruits and veggies during the summer. We have been enjoying peaches, plums, watermelon, zucchini, and corn (all local) all summer. I love it.

Aside from simply sliced in a bowl, one of my favorite way to eat these peaches is on my Sunday morning waffles with powdered sugar.

tea towels

2010-07-30T20:58:00.000-07:00

When a girl in my family gets married, my Grandma makes her a hand embroidered sheet and tea towel set. This gift is always made with care, beautifully wrapped, and such a treasure.

I took these towels out the other day and fell in love with them all over again. Just something cute to look at. Hope you like them too.

Any ideas for a cute way to display these?

ac

2010-07-25T18:07:00.000-07:00

We are no longer sitting in a 93 degree house.
We no longer have to spend every evening and weekend somewhere else.
I can get ready, do laundry, cook, exist, without feeling (and looking) like I am in a sauna.

Project: New Air Conditioner is complete.
\

Scully was less than thrilled with the whole operation. She retreated to the farthest corner of our yard and would not come out. This is also her style in regards to the Terminix man. Way to be a big girl Scully.

Older homes come with older systems that need to be replaced.
In spite of all my complaining (I mean, let's face it. Wouldn't you?) I am very thankful we have the means to take care of this project and I do not take it for granted.

summer night

2010-07-23T17:09:00.000-07:00

Because I have been traveling so much I feel like this summer is flying right by. This makes me sad. Even though I dont have summers off, I still want to make the most of my favorite season.

We need to have more nights like Thursday night.

fresh peaches and corn from the farm. every night.

eyes on the Dodger game.

walking scully

The time that I have been home, we have mostly spent outside or in the pool at my parents.
Why?
This. is. why.

Thats right people. 93 degrees inside. At 9 p.m.
This is deceiving though.
It didnt feel like 93.
It felt like 193. I am not even joking.
It was cooler outside. Even when it was 100.

Have you ever been so hot you have cried? I have. 2 weeks ago.
I also threatened that night to move back home permanently to my parents if I didnt cool off in 10 minutes. And I was serious. Peter said I was being dramatic and go to sleep.
No way! I have never been dramatic in my life!

Ok. Thats a lie. But I meant business this time. Lucky for him I finally started to feel the fan. Or else, I was outta here.

But. BUT! As I type this there are men up on my roof and in my house working on rescuing me from an early death by heat exhaustion.

Goal: New ac by Saturday afternoon. Almost a month after it died.

Stay tuned for an update tomorrow. With (hopefully!) good news.

baseboards

2010-07-18T08:58:00.000-07:00

The evolution of the flooring in our house is a long, on-going process. Obviously, the most drastic change was when we installed new wood floors in the front half of the house. We did that over a year ago, and we are absolutley happy with the overall result. However, one missing piece has been baseboards.
As in, we have not had any.
As in, there have been spaces between the flooring and the wall.
As in, the space under or kitchen cabinets has been a combination of dried paint and old crusty linoleum.
All over.

As you can imagine, not the best look. The new floors still looked great, just not finished.

I am happy to report, we now have baseboards! Peter painted, cut, and installed them while I was on a work trip. He is the best. I think he prefers to do big projects like this while I am not around to comment, critique, or bug about the mess. And I dont blame him!

First, the progress of the front room...

It might be subtle to you, but the baseboards really finish the room for me!
We wanted a really clean, no frills, baseboard that would also look great installed under our white kitchen cabinets. I am really happy with the result.

A few more shots....

homemade pizza

2010-07-11T18:33:00.000-07:00

We are big homemade pizza fans over here. Well, pizza in general, but when I started making homemade dough a couple years ago, it won us over. I experimented with a few recipes in the beginning but have been making this particular one for a long time. I love the crust, a little crispy on the bottom but soft and chewy on the inside. I now make homemade pizza almost every weekend. We switch out the toppings, but bbq chicken is our favorite.

I realize you all probably have a recipe for this, but I thought I would share anyway...

Pizza Dough
2 1/4 t. active dry yeast
1/2 t. brown sugar
1 1/2 c. warm water
1 t. salt
2 T. olive oil
3 1/2 c. flour (maybe a little more or a little less)

1. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water. Let sit for about 10 minutes

2. Stir in the salt and olive oil. Mix in 2 1/2 cups of the flour (should start to form a loose ball, so add more flour if needed)

3. Turn dough onto a well floured surface and knead in more flour till dough is no longer very sticky. Knead for a few minutes and form into a ball. Place dough into an oiled bowl (i just spray with cooking spray) and cover with plastic wrap or a cloth. Let rise till double (about 1-2 hours)
*Sometimes I will make the dough in the morning before work and just let proof all day in the fridge

4. After it has risen, punch the dough down and allow to rest for a few minutes. Then take the dough and stretch it onto desired pan. (I use a non stick pizza pan or a pizza stone)

5. Bake the crust in a 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes, or until the bottom is almost done. Add toppings and finish cooking, about 15 minutes
*I usually turn up the heat at this point

6. Eat!

**This dough also works really well on the grill. You can also use it to make calzones. To make whole wheat crust, substitute half of the white flour with whole wheat.

summer vacation

2010-07-08T18:37:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Peter and I ditched our jobs and daily stresses to take a little vacation. This all started last year when the Dodger's schedule came out. The Red Sox were on the list, we had always wanted to go to Boston, and the plan was born.

We spent some time in Boston and then took the train to NYC. Which, by the way, I highly recommend the train. Easy, cheap, and you get to see the beautiful coast of Connecticut- so charming!

Without going into a lengthy description, I will just say, our trip was fabulous. Boston was amazing (loved it!), it was fun to see NYC again, great friends, yummy food and drinks, and, most of all, precious time with my hubs.

Here are a few (of the many!) pictures....

Red eye flight from LA. Right after the Lakers beat the Celtics. Plane FULL of LA fans.

First stop: Cambridge.

Mr. Bartley's Burgers (found on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives). Amazing. Entertaining wall art.

Of course we went to a game the first night!

We just so happened in be in Boston Common at the exact time this man finished his 2,000+ mile journey. This is him crossing the finish line. All in the name of doggie cancer. He had quite the following. The whole thing was amusing

Public Garden. So pretty.

A few Freedom Trail stops...
We walked the whole thing and I loved it!

Stand in Opposition!

Beacon Hill. Where even the 7-11 is classy

Dinner on the water. With the best sangria I have ever had.

Duck tour - highly recommended!

Taking cover during a rain/wind storm. We dont have rain like this in California!

First night in New York. Serendipity and Top of the Rock.

Highline Park

View of the city from Dumbo Park in Brooklyn

Lombardis....yum

Central Park

Last night. Memphis, a fantastic show.

Such a fun trip spent with people I love!
And great time away with my Peter.

3rd of July

2010-07-04T12:15:00.000-07:00

This year marked our third 3rd of July party. Our little town celebrates with a fireworks show on the third (Shafter's Independence Day), and with a great view from our front yard, how can we not have a party?

As with every year, I was too busy having fun to take pictures.

Here are the few snapshots I was able to get.

A great time with even better friends.

Happy Independence Day!

no place like home

2010-07-03T09:26:00.000-07:00

I am a homebody. I am not ashamed to admit it. There honestly is no place I would rather be. Which is why, after two weeks of being gone, I was so so happy to be home Thursday night.

The first week away from home was spent on vacation. Which was fabulous and so much fun (pictures to come soon). I was home for less than 24 hours before I had to board another plane, headed for a work trip.

So the second week was spent in Denver at our industry's (education technology) largest international conference.

The conference was a success, but I so, so missed being home. Its hard to spend a whole week non-stop with your husband and then up and leave for a week. Very hard.

But enough of the pity party. I am home now! My house is clean and my fridge is stocked. Thank you to all the family and friends who fed my husband. I now realize (my hefty grocery bill yesterday made this clear) I left him with ZERO food.

Although I didnt take a lot of pictures, Denver is actually a cool place. Last time I was there (for another conference) there was a blizzard, so needless to say I did not venture out much. This time the weather was great and downtown was definitely alive. A couple fun things...

Public pianos.

We say this in NYC, so I am not sure what other cities have them. Basically all around downtown Denver there are these painted pianos. People can just play them freely at any time. They are not reserved for street performers or anything. It was fun to see people sit down to play and fill the area with beautiful music.

Bikes.

Again, I am sure other cities have these bikes, but I had never seen them before. The bike stations were at various locations around town. I am not quite sure how the system works, but it seemed you could just use a pay machine to rent them out for the day. I saw business people and tourists alike use these bikes. A fun way to get around town.

Denver also inspired me to make my own granola. Every morning I would visit this yogurt place outside my hotel. You could make your own breakfast parfait and I was hooked. So, during previously mentioned grocery trip, I bought all the ingredients necessary to recreate this yummy breakfast at home.

Granola recipe, courtesy of Katie's blog.

Simple breakfast. Perfect for summer.
Plain yogurt
Diced strawberries (peaches or nectarines would be good too)
Homemade granola
Sprinkle of shredded coconut

office part 2

2010-06-27T08:53:00.000-07:00

Here is the second update on our office. warning...this part is not as exciting.

First is the renovation of the green dresser. You remember that right? The dresser found for $20 at a yard sale that was in need of a makeover.

Well here she is!

Kind of hard to tell, but the color is a light blue from the Martha Stewart line. I looove her colors! I kept the original hardware (cleaned in a baking soda solution) and think it looks great! Painting furniture can be difficult, especially a piece like this with layers and layers of old paint, and I am by no means an expert. At all. I just take it as a learning experience. It was hard to get a super smooth finish on this but I am happy with the overall look. This will look great in a kids room one day.

Scully helped me out on this project. By constantly stealing my sand paper and chewing on it. She is so helpful.

Next, was coming up with a solution for Peter's Dodger collection. And I will start by saying this didnt come out the way I expected. The vintage magazines look great in their new frames and I was hoping the ledges I bought at Ikea would be wide enough to also display some of the (many) bobbleheads.
No such luck.

As you can see the bobbleheads do not fit. In fact, Fernando Valenzuela was about to bobble right off. Not good. I was disappointed, but after working on this room for a week after work every night (late) and trying to prepare for vacation AND a work trip I got over it. Maybe one day I will get wider ledges, maybe not. For now the bobbleheads are all lined up on the desk. Not my favorite, but fine for now.

We left this room intentionally a little spare on one side. Eventually a bed will be moved in here (I am hoping for a daybed against the window) and this will become the office/guest room.

Final touches include new faux wood white blinds and different white curtains with a fun fabric band on the bottom. Stay tuned. But dont expect anything soon. A recent vacation and 2 week long work trips have stalled the progress.

Oh and new carpet...eventually. I know, I know. We are not in love with the mauve carpet. Shocking.

office part 1

2010-06-12T17:18:00.000-07:00

The third bedroom in our house has been referred to as the office since we moved in. However, this was never an accurate depiction of its function. Yes, it housed my college desk (barely big enough for a computer) and an ugly file cabinet, but we never actually sat at the desk. It also housed an older tv on a card table, a hand-me-down recliner that doubled as a dog bed, an old end table that was piled high with junk, numerous storage containers, and a permanently exposed ironing board (ok, who am I kidding, that will probably stay). Oh, and I cant forget the dingy beige wall color, popcorn ceiling, and hideous fan. And the fact that is was perpetually clutterd and disorganized. It was a piece of work. Let me tell you.

I have looked high and low for a picture of this complete mess and I cant find anything. That is probably because I never took any. That is probably because I didnt even like looking in there. (Being that this room is directly across from my bedroom, it was hard to avoid) Just picture an ugly, cramped, disorganized space. And then imagine something worse. Pretty much it.

But recently we have made efforts to greatly improve this room and its functionality. Beginning with a few long nights of scraping, sanding, puttying, sanding again, and painting the ceiling and painting the walls and trim.

And we now have a desk! An actual desk that we can put our legs under. One that I can actually write on or wrap a gift on.

yes. I am aware the frames do not have pics. My husband was ready and willing to hang the frames. I took him up on the offer and will add pics later.

I knew I wanted something long that rested on some sort of drawer unit. Enter Ikea. Butcher block counter as the top and Vika drawer unit and legs as the bottom. I really liked the way it turned out!

Ceramic owl to add some wisdom. Also holds chargers and camera cords.

Gift wrapping area. Red container holds wrapping paper, tissue, tape, ribbon, all the essentials.

This room also holds Peter's closet. (Old house, small closets). Thus, it also belongs to him. Meaning that I also needed to find a way to incorporate his vintage Sports Illustrated (Dodgers only, of course) and his collection of Dodger bobble heads. Joy. Stay tuned for more pics (read: I haven't finished yet) of how I brought some Peter into the room and a makeover of the green dresser!

class of 2010

2010-06-07T18:18:00.000-07:00

my sister graduated high school last week.

I am still a little unsure how this all happened. Wasn't she just in 4th grade, wearing her school uniform everyday? Wasn't it just her 8th grade graduation, where she looked so grown up in a cute navy dress?

And now? Now she is....gulp....going to start college??

I am so excited for her. School has not always been easy, but she made it. And she made us all very proud.

I love having Nikki as my younger sister.
She is stubborn, hot-headed, loving, and innocent.
She loves her family, friends, clothes, her blond hair, and singing in the shower.
She is such a blessing in my life.
She makes me strive to set a good example of a Godly woman and wife. I try.
For my sister.

3 years

2010-06-03T17:56:00.000-07:00

June 2 marked our third anniversary. Each year gets better and better.

I am so blessed to have Peter as my husband. He takes care of me.

niksters

2010-05-23T21:54:00.000-07:00

We celebrated my sister Nikki's upcoming graduation with a family dinner on Sunday.

Her requests:
bbq chicken
homemade mac and cheese
grandpa's vanilla ice cream

We happily obliged.

Nikki is the youngest. Our baby. The fact that she is finished with high school is hard for me to accept. In fact, I still don't think it has set in.
Before I start crying...here are some pics from the party!

Nikki, through the years. Yes, I realize these are pictures of pictures.

my personal favorite

I seriously cannot look at this picture without smiling. Nikki went through a phase where she was really into posing. And every pose included a pointed finger. As you can see, this picture was no different.

A fun night celebrating Nikster. I love that girl.

may

2010-05-20T21:07:00.000-07:00

Here are some things I have been loving this month of May...

strawberries from the strawberry stand.
they are so, so much better than anything you will find in a store.
I will be so, so sad when the field is picked clean.

bike rides.
bike rides out in the country.
bike rides to the Mack's for Dodger bbqs.

homemade bread.
whole wheat honey oatmeal bread.

reg geraniums in my red pots.
these pots have been empty for 2 years
it was about time. even my neighbors were making comments.
no promises on how long they will last.

cherries from the farm.
so sweet.

tuesday night Dodger games.
just me and my man.

it's time for....

2010-05-11T20:19:00.000-07:00

Dodger Baseball!!!

Last Friday we went to our first game of the season.

We took my mom and sister (sadly my dad had to work at the last minute)

It was 60's night, so my mom thoroughly enjoyed rocking out to all the tunes.
I love her.

Our night included Dodger Dogs, garlic fries, nachos, sunflower seeds, and frozen yogurt.

And a stomach ache.

But you gotta go all out sometimes. And they won!

Till next time Chavez Ravine...

ps..sorry for the fuzzy iPhone pics

project

2010-04-24T14:09:00.000-07:00

No promises this will be completed anytime soon. But somehow putting it on the blog makes me more accountable. Sort of. Not really.

I found this dresser at a yard sale. On a Saturday morning when I delivered lemons to Katie and Henry. We spotted the sale a few houses down and walked over, not really expecting to find anything.

When I first noticed the dresser, I saw the peeling paint. The scratches. That it was once loved by a Hannah.

But then I noticed the quality, the charm, the bun feet, the pulls. And only $20. Sold.

My plan is for this to go into our office for now (another major project) to store office and craft supplies. Now I need to strip the paint, sand it down, and repaint it. But what color?

beach

2010-04-18T20:08:00.000-07:00

Tax season for peter means looong hours, hard work, exhaustion. For me, it means being alone at home and waiting to eat dinner till 9 pm. He definitely got the hard part of the deal.
We spend 3 months rearranging our schedule, not going anywhere on weekends, putting all projects on hold, and trying to balance work time and home time the best we can.

Let me just say, I realize many couples out there have to deal with crazy schedules all year round. To you out there, I am sorry. Its hard.

Enough of the boo-hoo. To celebrate the end of tax season, we headed over to the beach for a long weekend. This is the third year we have done this and it is so, so, wonderful. Our weekend was full of sun, warm weather, walks on the beach, bike rides, shopping, food, and most importantly, time together.

oh, we also brought this creature....

Scully loved the beach house backyard, sleeping in the big garage, and most of all, the ocean. Oh and sniffing every rock, shell, seaweed, and passing dog. She was a fun addition to our trip.

dear blog

2010-04-05T20:41:00.000-07:00

dear blog,
It's been awhile. Surprisingly, I have not missed you.
Sometimes you are fun. But sometimes you remind me that I have
not done any house projects in a long time.
I dont like you then.

dear strawberries,
thank you for being in season again. you are my very favorite and you know it.
you made my Easter breakfast extra special.

dear tax season,
I dont like you. You take my husband away from me and keep him all day and night.
I cant wait till you are over. 10 more days.

dear spring,
thank you for arriving.
you have brought me lots of lemons

and daffodils. which my husband brought home for me after a long day of working.

and nights on the patio.

you dont get any better. expect when you turn into summer. then you are the best.

dear job,
you were really rough for a while. you made me cry every night. but you are getting much better.
now get off my blog.

dear scully,
we love you so much. you know that. and you love us. but now its time for some hard truth.

you need to lose some weight. just a few pounds. sorry you inherited my slow metabolism, but summer is coming up. and you know what that means. bikini season. dont worry, we'll do it together.

trees

2010-02-23T21:31:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday, our family of three (me+peter+scully) enjoyed an afternoon walk out on the farm. We met up with Peter's parents, let the dogs loose, and enjoyed the beauty of the blossoms, the hum of the bees, and the promise of new trees.

Peter's dad's orchard

Newly planted trees surrounding Grandpa and Graner's house

This lovely walk was interrupted briefly by a certain dog playing with a mouse. In her mouth. And showing all of us. Have I mentioned I hate mice? Apparently this dog (ahem...the larger of the two) loves mice. Because I am pretty sure she ate it.

I love being out on the farm. I love seeing the almonds in bloom.

lemon buttermilk cookies

2010-02-21T09:16:00.000-08:00

I am always looking for new ways to use the buttermilk I buy for our Sunday morning pancakes. Maybe some of you encounter the same predicament. May I suggest these buttermilk cookies? They are easy enough to make on the weekends, but cute enough for even a party or shower. And they are so so good.

The recipe calls for one teaspoon lemon zest. But with my neighbors tree looking like this...

....I have a lot of lemons to use

So, I decided to add more zest and lemon juice to the glaze. You should too.

This recipe makes a lot of cookies. Fine with me. They freeze really well. And if you are lucky enough to have a neighbor with a well producing lemon tree that hangs onto your property, you should thank them with some of these cookies.

Recipe found here.

birthday boy

2010-01-31T18:17:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Peter's birthday this weekend.

On Friday, we went out with my parents to our favorite Mexican restaurant.

Peter spent Saturday snowboarding. He used to go a lot in college, but has not been able to go as often since then. He had been looking forward to it for weeks and had a great time. We spent Saturday night at dinner with his family.

Sunday morning, we celebrated at out house. I made one his favorite breakfasts. It was a fun, relaxing way to start our morning.

On the menu:
Breakfast casserole
Biscuits with orange honey butter
Fresh fruit

A great weekend spent celebrating Peter. Probably his last work-free weekend until the end of tax season.

I love him so very, very much.

baking therapy

2010-01-24T18:58:00.000-08:00

I usually bake a sweet treat every weekend. And while I know this is not exactly the healthiest habit, it makes me happy. Sometimes I convince myself that Peter is the one wanting the cookies or cake or brownies. That I am baking them for him. But no, most of the time it is me. Not to say that I pig out immediately after. I dont. And not to say Peter does not appreciate the fruits of my labor. He does (and he usually takes them to work) But it is more the act of finding a recipe, measuring, creating, making a mess, and filling my house with delicious smell that forces me to make these goodies. Its relaxing and just what I need before another busy week begins. I am sure many of you share my sentiments.

Sometimes its new recipes. Other times its the tried and true ones.

Here is what I made this weekend. A favorite in our house.

molasses cookies
2 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
1 1/2 t. ground ginger
1/2 t. cloves
1/2 t. allspice
1/2 t. salt
12 T softened butter
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. sugar
1 egg yolk
1 t. vanilla
1/2 c. molasses
- Mix dry ingredients
- Beat butter with sugars (brown and white)
- Add yolk and vanilla, combine
- Add molasses, combine
- Add flour mixture
- Scoop dough, roll into ball and coat in sugar
- Bake at 375 for 10-11 minutes *do not overbake!

And please tell me I am not the only one whose countertop looks like this during the process.

dancing queen

2010-01-23T21:39:00.000-08:00

I spent the afternoon helping my baby sister get ready for her winter formal.

She looked so cute! (I am well aware I look frumpy, ok.)

Of course, there were some crisis moments.
Hair not perfect (side note - my sister has amazing hair. It always looks super cute. When I was in high school I had 2 styles, down and straight or in a ponytail. Who am I kidding, thats all I do now too. Anyway, she is super creative with her hair)
Dress issues (mom fixed that)
Running late (umm...no surprise here)

But it all came together in the end. And I must say, she was beautiful. I loved her glamorous look!

It is fun to watch my sister experience her senior year. But when I saw the order form for her cap and gown, I couldn't help but feel a little sad. Way. too. fast.

sundays

2010-01-17T17:40:00.000-08:00

Rainy Sundays...

Require freshly baked cookies

Its simply a must.

saturdays

2010-01-09T21:42:00.000-08:00

Are my favorite. I love nothing more than to spend my Saturdays at home. In fact, except for the monthly date night or occasional night out with my girlfriends, I consider it poor planning on my part if I have to venture into the "big city" on Saturdays. I try to run all my errands and grocery shopping during the week, so I can be home on the weekends. I have come to terms with the fact that I am a home body. And I am 100% ok with that.

I especially loved today. It was cold and foggy outside and I spent my afternoon holed up with my husband and my dog. Lounging. Clean house. Fresh laundry smell. Baked bread. Made soup. Yummy candles. Cuddle. Watch movie.

amish oat bread. pg 108 shafter mb cookbook. or here.
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chicken tortilla soup

scully girl

And we may or may not have spent too much time watching Lockup.
Which may or may not be one of the best shows on tv.

christmas vacation

2010-01-04T21:22:00.000-08:00

Though not as long as I would like, we did enjoy a short vacation after Christmas. Thankfully, my job gives me a paid week off of work and Peter was able to ask for a few days off. We spent most of the time in San Diego with the Frantz family.

First night - dinner at Sammy's Pizza

Here is Sammy, at his pizza place

Sea World

When we arrived at Sea World, the power was out in the entire park. Which basically meant we walked around for about 45 minutes asking every employee we saw if the power was still out. Its like, if you ask as many employees as possible, it will be fixed faster. You all know what I am talking about. We all do it.
Anyway, a fun highlight of the day was stumbling upon the flamingos as they were being walked to their pond.

Here are some more fun animals...

And this?

Well this was just wrong. And annoying. And slightly disturbing.
If you cant tell, this is Tin Man's backside. This man apparently either won him or paid an exorbitant amount for this stuffed figurine. He was obviously very proud of it, as he proceeded to wear it on his shoulders all over the park. This picture was snapped at the 4D show. We also saw the Tin Man bobbing his way over to Shamu. And thus, blocking someones view at the Shamu show. And since when did Tin Man have such a defined butt? Gross.

Coronado
Tuesday was sunny and warm, so we rode the ferry over to Coronado Island and rented cruiser bikes. I would highly recommend this to anyone visiting San Diego. I had been to the island before, but it was fun to see it on bikes. You can rent bikes at the ferry landing and the trail takes you all around the island. My favorite part was riding through the residential streets and looking at all the adorable houses.
Sadly, I dont have many pictures, as my new camera had a sad meeting with the sidewalk. Thankfully, Amazon is sending us a new one!

We also had a yummy dinner in Old Town, complete with LaBamba playing mariachi bands.

Thanks Sam and Sue for the fun getaway!

christmas

2009-12-31T08:59:00.000-08:00

Here are some images from our Christmas this year. We spent most of our time with family, and were once again reminded how blessed we are to live so close to our loved ones.

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joy to the world

2009-12-23T08:35:00.001-08:00

The Lord has come!

Merry Christmas from us to you.

birds of death

2009-12-12T14:09:00.000-08:00

These are the birds that live on my street. The are turkey vultures. Allow me to give you a close-up....

that wingspan!

those talons!

That face! Disgusting, right?

I am convinced these birds are here to hurt me. Maybe even peck me to death and then bring all their friends to pick my body. They are vultures after all.

My hate-hate relationship with these nasty creature started many years ago. You see, I grew up on this street I now live on. These birds have been haunting me for years. One time when I was in jr high, there was a big group of them just standing on the street in front of my house. Staring at me as I walked outside.

My Dad liked to watch Alfred Hitchcock movies. I had already seen Birds. You can imagine the nightmare this event this created.

From that point on, I tried to avoid the birds as much as possible.

Well, I am once again a resident of Pine Street and it appears the birds are back in full force. Everyday I walk the dog or jog down the street with my eyes up. Always prepared for a full blown attack. I know I could go down a different street, but I will not be ruled by fear. Yes, the thought that they want to eat me and have my dog as dessert crosses my mind, but this is MY street.

But seriously though, I can feel their eyes following me.

letters

2009-12-01T20:14:00.000-08:00

An update.....

Dear me,

Happy 24th birthday! These flowers look just like the ones from your wedding. I knew they were from mom. Only she would think of that.

love,
older, wiser me

Dear Scully,
You are 1 now. Er...um...technically 7? This means we can no longer blame your misbehaving on being a puppy. So I will have to come up with something else to blame it on. Because you obviously are not growing out of it.

love, us
(the other people who inhabit your house, feed you, and force you to take baths)
ps...we love you. and we know you love us too

Dear New Moon,
I waited for you in line.

While rereading you, of course. You did not disappoint. You, the best friends on the planet, and chips and salsa made for a goooood night.

love, a true fan

Dear husband,
This year, I am thankful for you. As always.

love, me

portland

2009-11-16T21:02:00.000-08:00

So I spent last week in Portland for our end of year planning session. To remind you all (because I know there are so many of you) I work in marketing for a software company. Half our team lives in Portland. And because Portland is just slightly more beautiful, it won out over a retreat in Bakersfield. Close call though.

I wont bore you with mundane details. This is what we did most of the day, everyday.

BUT we did have a few chances to close our laptops and get some fresh air.

We stay in a great boutique hotel right on the river. There is a walking trail outside and one morning we bundled up and enjoyed our coffee on the trail.

One night we went out to a nice dinner to celebrate how awesome Crissy and I are. And our birthdays.

Our team building exercise was wine tasting in the Oregon hills, famous for their pinot noir. I just couldnt get over the beautiful countryside. Seriously reinforced my desire to live in the country.

This was our tour guide. She seriously reinforced my desire to have a silver bob when I am older. Loved her.

bff

2009-11-01T17:59:00.000-08:00

Beagles are, by nature, friendly dogs. Little hounds who like to share their territory with others. Well, our Scully has the whole backyard to herself. Her own space to roam, dig, sun bathe, and catch a scent. So to satisfy her need for social interaction, we take her to play with Sadie. My in-laws super sweet yellow lab. These two have been playing together since Scully was little. And despite their size difference, they are two peas in a pod.

And as for these two?

Yeah, Scully is not quite a friendly with them.