niksters

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

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....

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

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

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

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

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.