Highs and Lows of 2008

OK, so I had to really scape my brain and jog my memory to put this list together. I think I am loosing my memory, it used to be so good but not so much as of late.

Seems like quite a few times this year there was a high that had a low to match it, here are a couple examples.

I did take a couple short road trips; one to move Angela out to CO (road trip = high, Angela moving = low) one to pick up a dog with Wendy in NV (driving through Eldorado National Forest = high, being part Native American and being back on an Indian Reservation = low).

OK, now I am thinking of some, besides what I listed above, here are some more.

HIGHS:

• OBAMA
• Trip to CO in February with Angela (and visit with Brady)
• Started taking Ballet again
• 10 Year Wedding Anniversary - we didn't do anything, but I think that it's still pretty cool!
• Red Wings won the Stanley Cup
• Canning classes with Debbie
• OBAMA
• Mom and Dad's visit and trip to the mountains and we saw Bears!
• Reunited with High School best friend after many, many years
• Sara came to visit and I got to meet Cameron
• Harmony with Horses workshop
• Emily graduated from college - HIGH for me for her!
• OBAMA

LOWS:

• Sara moved to NZ - I am happy for her, selfishly bummed though
• Angela moved to CO - same as above, she had to move, I am being selfish
• Adoption Mess!
• Fires in CA - smoke in the city
• My Vietnamese Momma (Tuyet) passed away
• The Economy - need I say more?
• Homesick for Michigan a lot of the the time - I never thought that would happen
• Realizing that not all people are as nice and genuine as they would like you to believe - lots of wolves in sheep's clothing.

Weekend is over already?

It just blew by!

I had so many things I wanted to do and got a lot of them done, but still have quite the list waiting for me at home.

I packed up a lot of things in my kitchen that I wanted to put in storage, plus, my parents got us the glasses we wanted for Christmas so I needed to make them a nice new home. I cleaned out the kitchen cabinets as well, which is always awesome. I would like to redo the contact paper in there at some point, but they are OK for now. I cleaned out my cabinet of cookbooks, yes, like my Mother, I have a cabinet full of cookbooks. There were some that I had gotten from the free table at work that I am done with so I am passing them on by donating them to Goodwill. In cleaning out my vintage books, I found a little note I had written to my ex-boyfriend which caught me a little off guard, it was tucked into a book I had from the 1920's called But Gentleman Marry Brunettes. It must have been from when I lived with my parents, it was cute. Life was a lot different then, that is for sure!

While minimizing my magazines, I came up with a GREEN space saving idea to scan magazine recipes that I want to save into my computer. I stored them on my external hard drive so they are somewhat portable. They are organized by category so they are easy to locate. I used to cut them out and put them in a clear page protector and then into a binder marked "recipes". This was starting to take up too much time and space plus, the page protectors are expensive and not recyclable. So, by scanning the recipes in, I have them at my fingertips and don't have to print them out to use them at home, just open them on my laptop in my kitchen and I am good to go! Paperless and it takes up zero space on my shelves! I am keeping the binders I already have but will not be adding to them. When I have time someday I will scan what I have collected in the binders but that will take some time since I have had them since the mid-90's (2 binders full).

I felt very industrious most of the weekend, which is big for me because I usually just sit around thinking about what I need to do without acting on it. I realized (with the help of a friend who called me out on it on Christmas) that I stand in my own way all the time, I am always in my own head which causes me many problems. I am the biggest hurdle I need to get over most of the time with things I would like to accomplish. Hearing someone read you like book is a HUGE eyeopener so thanks! From other people this comment would not have been acceptable, but this person keeps me in line. I swear you have to have different friends for different things, you know? I am so thankful for my entire crew of friends, apparently it not only takes a village to raise a child, it also takes a village to support a Maltese Kat!

Hope you all had nice post Christmas weekends and you are gearing up for the New Year!

PS - Don't you just love this week between Christmas and New Year's? I love getting everything reorganized, cleaned and ready to start anew.

*Fabulous Find*

Fashion meets function while fighting precipitation this winter.

So cute and the price is right at $22.99! Check it out here.

I super love my umbrella and will be sad the day it needs to be replaced, but with so many cute ones out there now, maybe it won't be so bad.

New Look, New Year

Christmas is over and now the New Year is upon us, so I decided to give my blog an early face lift. Plus, I love this photo and wanted to do something with it. I am trying to turn over a new leaf this year and stay on top of my blog and really get my life more organized, this photo with the heart leaf will also serve as a reminder for me to continue on that path. I have had many failed attempts at this so please bare with me trying it, yet again.
I have one week to get a number of things done in preparation for the New Year. This next week will be a busy one around the house.
Here are some things I actually enjoy doing to get ready for the New Year:

• clean out all cupboards and cabinets in my kitchen, don't know why, but I do this each year. Spice cabinet is already done (did it last week).
• set up next year's kitchen calendar (filling in Birthday's, Anniversaries and other important dates.
• put away all Christmas stuff - I didn't do much this year, so it should be easy.
• clean out my desk at home - oy vey, this is bad but I may unearth some cool stuff.
• clean out closet - started last week so it should be easy to finish
• make list of highs and lows of 2008 - should be easy this year, I don't feel like I did much, but that will come out when I back track through my journal and make my list.

Anyone else have things they do in preparation for the New Year?

Merry Christmas

Thought I would share this photo of me with a dollhouse that my Dad made me for Christmas a long time ago.

Hope you are having a great Christmas!

Happy Holidays

Sending you all warm wishes of love, peace and joy this Christmas.

I hope you are surrounded by friends, family and food.

Random Thoughts

I have finally added the Random Thoughts section to my blog. It has been listed under the title of my blog forever and I am just getting around to it. For the latest random thought running through my brain, check out the right section under "About Me", it is there you will see my mind spill.

Thanks Twitter for letting me add this function, I love it!

Waiting for Santa

I took this photo on Sunday and think that it is so sweet. BayLee has the cutest little face and sometimes has human like expressions. We are truly blessed to have him.

BayLee waiting for Santa.

*Fabulous Find* - Local Edition

Photo from Leafcutter Design website.

I just ran across this site on the Internet and am amazed and really excited!

Most of you know, I love all things handwritten and also love tiny things so this is "write" up my alley. The most wonderful thing is that this little lady is local! Funny I was just telling my Aunt this past weekend how much I used to love going to my Great Aunt Florence's house because she used to collect miniature things and had little doll houses set up that I was allowed to not only just look at, I got to touch them and play with them and once in a while Florence would give me a little something to take home with me.

Check her out....

Leafcutter Designs

Cold Outside Chana Dal

With the heat cranked up and no plans for the weekend I decided to try and make Chana Dal in my crock pot and to my surprise, it was a success. Most of you may know, that a lot of Indian recipes require you to have a pressure cooker - which I don't have. I did some research on the Internet and made some changes to a recipe I found and this is what I ended up with.

Crock Pot - Chana Dal

3 Cups Chana Dal - (Indian style yellow split peas - Lentils also will work here)

9 Cups of Water

1 tsp Salt

2 tsp Garlic powder

2 tsp ground Turmeric

2 tsp ground Cumin

2 tsp ground Coriander

1/8-1/4 tsp Cayenne (depending on how hot you want it, you can start small and add more later)

1 Cup diced carrot

1/2 Cup chopped onion

Add Chana Dal, Water, Carrot and Onion to crock pot. In a small bowl mix spices together and then add to crock pot and mix well. Let this go at low for 8-9 hours stirring every once in a while. When the Chana Dal is tender you are good to go. Serve with basmati rice.

PS - This recipe makes a LOT so if you don't plan on eating it every day for a week or freezing, you can cut it in half.

*Fabulous Find*

Saw these Candy Cane Cups today and thought they were Oh So Cute!
Too bad I didn't have my Cookies and Crafts party this year - these would have definitely been a hit.

Happy Birthday Emily!

Today is my wonderful sister Emily's Birthday and she just graduated from College this week too! I couldn't be happier for her. Emily, I love you so much! I remember the day you were born like it was yesterday. The funny part of the day was (in hindsight), you were supposed to be born around 8 in the morning, but they had to bump Mom for someone else and I was so mad! ha ha! Ever since you arrived late in the morning on December 18, 1984 life has not been the same. You add a sweetness like none other. Your thoughtfulness, sensitive nature and childlike spirit always make it exciting to hang out with you. I missed having you here this past summer. I didn't have anyone to go out and play with! You remind me of what it was like to be young and carefree, hold onto that as long as you can. You are a beautiful being and I am so blessed to call you my sister and more then that, one of my best friends.

Happy Birthday!

Best wishes to you in the upcoming year.

2 Movies, 1 Weekend

Tim and I had free movie passes to any United Artist theatre so last night we went to see The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. It was so intense. At the end you are literally on the edge of your seat. Very emotional to say the least. So much more of an impact than the book for me because I really got sucked into the lives of the characters. If you see it, bring a hankie and get ready to have your jaw drop at the end, there were literally gasps in the theatre that we were in.



This morning we went to see Doubt another movie that was not so light on the subject matter. The acting in this movie is superior, Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman have got to be nominated for something since both performances were incredible. Hoffman steals every scene and truly absorbed his role in a tremendous way. Amy Adams was wonderful in her supporting role. Don't be fooled, you won't be blown away by the scenery, but the dialog and acting stole the show, it was superb. It was originally a play that I read a couple years ago and was translated to film, it is truly a great work of art.

Breakfast is Served

I got a call this morning from my coworker Carla, telling me she was on her way and was bringing me some Chilaquiles for breakfast! Yessss!
They were so good and I love the way she made them (without eggs).

I cleared the plate in like 5 minutes flat!

Gracias Carla!

Good to the Last Drop

Seriously, who would have thought that all of that cranberry sauce wouldn't last until Christmas? Seems that someone else in the house loves them as much as I do!
I also discovered it is really good with yogurt.

PS - Yes, I took my finger and licked all the access off the jar and and it was gooood.

Maltese Christmas Event

Last night was the annual Maltese American Social Club Women's Committee Christmas Dinner and Gift Exchange - phew, that was mouthful. It was so nice to see all the ladies dressed in their various adorned holiday sweaters and jewelry. I have never known people to have so many Christmas themed pieces of clothing and accessories. It was incredible. When I first entered the club the men were at the bar (as usual) and the Christmas music was so loud I had to talk even louder than I normally do. For those of you who don't know, us Maltese are pretty loud. Sometimes people think we are yelling when we are not. Imagine about 50 Maltese Women talking with about a million decibels of Bing Crosby all in one room. The Grinch that stole Christmas must have unloaded everything he stole and set it up at the club. It was Scrooge's nightmare for sure.

It was a feast as always - we started with bread and salad, then came the main entrees which were large plates with roast beef, green beans and roasted potatoes on them. Following all this was not just one dessert, but three! There was a orange sort of fluffy, jello like dessert with fruit on top (Mom, I think this was "Fluff" ha ha). After that most of us got up to move around a bit, digest and get coffee (or more wine in my case) with the coffee they served panettone. Dishes were cleared and then clean up began (thanks to the men who were there). The meeting was about to start but no, wait, here comes a sheet cake the size of Camino (the smallest of the Maltese islands, but large for a cake). Not just any cake, a cake with a Happy Holidays message across the top large enough for everyone to read. The inscription was surround with sugary sweet frosting flowers in the brightest edible red I have ever seen. I was praying for an end piece, seriously, that would send me over the edge but in a funny way. Between the wine and the food I was fading and needed a boost and with the sugar content of the cake I might just end up staying and cleaning up afterwards because I would be so hyper there is no way I could go home and sleep, plus we still had the meeting and gift exchange to sit through and it was 8:45 PM. As my luck would have it, I got a small middle piece and then split it with Lucy next to me since we were both rolling our eyes at the thought of eating more, but also did not want to offend so we dug in. If it weren't for the carrots and raisins in the cake, it would have been all sugar. I think I have mentioned it before, but all dietary rules and limitations must be thrown out the door at the Maltese Club or offence could be taken or you will be the talk of the town. Generally, I don't eat the meat, but eat around it and no one seems to notice.

Finally, the meeting started - it was a quick one since people were yawning and wanting to get on with the gifts. As usual, everyone drew numbers and picked their gift in order of the number that they had chosen. I didn't do the gift exchange this time around but watched everyone open their gifts. The last two years people have had to open their gift in front of the group and then they say thank you to the person who gave it, etc. but this time because everyone was tired, they just went up in order and grabbed a gift. The ones that I saw opened were; wind chimes, wine glasses, vintage looking Santa statue, snack dishes made of glass that looked like train cars and Christmas themed platter and bowl. It was fun! For me, it is not about the gifts, but the fellowship and talking with these amazing women who most of them came to America with nothing but a fist full of dollars and a dream. The topic of discussion last night at our end of the table was a little racy and since my last Maltese Club Christmas post was on Wired Malta (12/23/07), I would rather not post that information. I love these ladies and can't wait to spend more time with them in 2009.

PS - They are all trying to get me to be the Secretary for the Club, I am not ready for that now though. I might fill in a little this year and see what happens.

Weekend Recap

Today is SO much better than yesterday. I believe that we attract things that happen to us, good or bad and I was in a shitty state of mind yesterday therefore bad things happened to me. I know it was my fault and I needed to get my mind right so I went home and hid for the rest of the night to wake up this morning with a better view of things.

Kicked off this past weekend with a cocktail party at my bosses house, which was pretty fun. We played a holiday trivia game and I won one of the prizes, a $50 Whole Foods Market gift card, which was great because we are broke and needed groceries! It was nice to see people I work with everyday outside of the office and interesting to meet their significant others.

Saturday, I slept until about 10, Tim was playing tennis. I took care of some letter writing and walked to the post box to send them off in the mail. Shortly after I got home, Tim came home and we had lunch. Afterwards, I dumped all of the ingredients into the crock pot to make Angela's Lentil Soup and let it rip. I set up my little workshop on the kitchen table and got to work on some things I have been meaning to take care of for Christmas gifts. I worked most of the afternoon until I could smell the soup which made my mouth water. I made some nutty basmati rice in the rice cooker and served the soup over it, which was amazing. Thanks Angela for the quick no hassle dinner idea. It was great and I had leftovers, well spilled them yesterday, but still had leftovers.

Sunday, woke up and made a list so we could go grocery shopping. We went to Whole Foods Market and picked out what we needed for the week. You know, we are bargain shoppers and got almost all 365 brand products and our groceries cost about $35 (including my discount) which was very nice to see. When we were leaving the store Tim spotted the holiday wreaths that smelled so good so we decided to get one with our left over money on the gift card. I hadn't planned on decorating for the holidays, but this made me feel like I had to do something. When we got home, I hung the wreath and then went into the basement and got out my little pre-lit tree and put that out - that is all I am doing this year. Usually I go all out, but not this year, I need a break and a bigger space.

This is my simple little tree with 2 beehive glass containers on each side of it filled with glass ornaments. Maybe I will get some LED lights for the windows if they are still on sale next weekend at our local hardware store (they are supposed to last for 20 years!).

Monday...need I say more?

• Cold this morning, didn't want to get out of my warm bed, plus I had a great dream.
• Finally pried myself from the bed and stubbed my toe while walking out of bedroom.
• Hot shower should wake me up, better yet, the smoke detector! The steam from the shower makes it go off and I forgot to place the fan underneath the detector. I slide across the wood floor dripping everywhere and place the fan underneath and get the little plastic circle to stop screaming and get back into shower, ahhhh. Then the water pressure drops. Shit!
• Stop at Peet's on my way in, could use a kick in the ass latte to get me Monday motivated. Yumm, a large soy pumpkin spice latte, just what I need and a treat, I never buy coffee.
• Get to work and find out I have a meeting I was not aware of, make agendas, sit down and VP sitting next to me trips over the cord of my laptop my LARGE latte flies over my shoulder and lands on the floor, top off and spilled all over. He offers me a refill from the breakroom coffee, I decline (not the same at all).
• Same meeting, someone is unprepared and I end up having to run around and make copies from them in order for us to continue. I have a total attitude at this point and say something to the effect of "we should all try and come prepared in the future so we don't waste anyone's time" all eyes on me of course.
• Lunch time, I spill half of my soup in the microwave - didn't know the lid on my container had a leak.
• Drop favorite coffee cup on floor and chip it even worse than it was before - it might leak now.

Time to go home, I need to hit the road before there is traffic. I don't need anything else to go wrong today.

Tomorrow I will recap my weekend!

Santa's Workshop Weekend

This weekend and next are full of nothing but getting Christmas gifts done (God willing). I think tomorrow I am going to make Angela's Lentil Vegetable Soup in the crock pot so I don't even have to stop to make dinner. Love the crock pot and the rice cooker during this time of year.
To kick off the weekend we are going to my bosses house tonight for a cocktail party. He invited the "Operations Team" (aka the big dogs) and their assistants (me and one other) and our spouses so it should be fun. There will be about 20 of us there. My boss has a great house in Marin at the base of Mt Tam, it is pretty sweet. It will be nice to see everyone outside of our roles in the office.
Well, nothing else eventful going on here. Oh, we did finish all of the paperwork to have our adoption home study updated. I mailed it off yesterday. Hopefully we won't have to update again and will have our baby home before things expire one more time. We get one free government extension which is great because that is a lot of money and we just had to pay for the home study update ($$$$). Now we wait to hear when the social worker can come over and check us out again. I tell you there is nothing about adoption that is easy or cheap but I am sure to forget all of that when we get to hold our precious baby! I will admit to dragging my feet on the paperwork this time around, I feel like I have been burned and am not sure I want to get close to to the fire again, you know? We still don't know when and if Vietnam and the U.S. are going to come up with a new agreement so we can move forward or if we are going to shift gears and change countries completely. Last time this happened, it took 2 years for a new agreement to come about. My heart is in Vietnam though so I don't know how easy we will be able to switch without me having reservations. But on the otherhand, maybe my baby is not in Vietnam. I try not to think about it too much lately because it is the holidays and we thought we would have her home by last Christmas. It is like with each holiday or major thing that passes we say, "remember when we thought we would have Little Miss home by now?". It is very sad, to the point of I try not to cry when I see little ones and family things on TV. I just gulp real hard. I have a lump in my throat the size of Mount Rushmore. Oops just remembered that I was not going to merge my two blogs, but I just did, oh well!

*Fabulous Find*

Who would have thought Corn Flakes and Chocolate would be so good together?

I bought one of these last year while at a work conference in Calistoga and have not seen one anywhere since. Anyone know where I can get one of these besides ordering it online?

Farewell Odetta

Odetta passed away yesterday.
There is one more sweet voice up there in Heaven to welcome those who get there.
Odetta was slated to sing at Obama's inauguration on January 20, 2009. It would have been amazing to see "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement" perform at the ceremony. Ironic that she passed one day after the 53rd anniversary of Rosa Parks not giving her seat up on the bus - two great women who stood up for what they believed in.
We could use more ladies like this!
Odetta, you will be missed by many.

Yeah Mom!

I have been feeling a little homesick lately and needed a little pick me up so...

I sent my Mom a postcard that read, "Homesick, please send peanut butter cookies and no one gets hurt". I sort of forgot about it and then today I got a box from my Mom. Once, I saw it I knew exactly what it was, but there was another surprise inside.

When I opened the box, the cookies were inside a vintage pink tissue holder that I bought when I was a teen and started my love affair with all things pink. I had forgotten about it and all at once, here it was back in my life. How exciting! I ate about 4 cookies right off the bat (yummm). At lunch, I put the rest in my car otherwise they may be gone by now.

You know when your Mom makes something that you really like and nothing else can replace it? Cookies are like that to me. I can try every cookie on the planet, but none of them will taste like my Mom's do to me. Other people may not get it or they may not think they are the best, but they might have something like this that their Mom makes for them that nothing can replace. Does that make sense?

Thanks Mom for making the cookies for me, I love them. Not as much as I love you!

Comfort and Joy

The potpie I made yesterday was a hit and Tim was in heaven! Yeah!!!! He asked me to make it every year from now on...of course we had to compromise and agree that I would make it any Thanksgiving that it is just the two (or three) of us.

Photo from marthastewart.com

I made this pie as requested by Tim and it was wonderful. Super easy to make. I didn't take a photo because my crust got darker than I wanted and I freaked out. Tim ate it anyway, it wasnt burnt, just darker than I like.

OK, I have to admit something....I have a serious cranberry addiction - some of you know about it. I doubled my normal recipe this year so I will have cranberry sauce until the New Year (I hope). I added an apple this year and it is yummy. Do you ever watch Nigella Lawson on the Food Network? Well, she always sneaks into the kitchen at night and takes a bite of whatever she made on the show that is leftover in the fridge - well, that is what I do with cranberries. Any time of the day, if I want a little something sweet, tart and yummy - I grab a spoon and take a few bites from my designated container (my own germs, not for sharing, ha ha!). I hope you can't overdose on cranberries. If so, I may have a situation on my hands. Some of you also may know, when I want to swear at work, I sing the word "cranberries" more like "Crrrraaaaanberries". One of my favorite snacks after work is a little bowl of apple sauce with a gob of cranberry sauce in the middle. So good.
Hope your Thanksgiving was full of wonderful food, comfort and joy!

Now...I must make a pumpkin pie this weekend - coconut was for Tim's BDay and this holiday is not the same without pumpkin pie!

Happy Thanksgiving

Hope you all have a pleasant Thanksgiving and are surrounded by
friends and family.

Change of Pace

Every year at my job, we are asked to go and work in a store the day before Thanksgiving since it is the busiest day of the year for us. I decided to go up to Sonoma today and work at the store there. It was not a busy as I had expected from past years working at stores in San Francisco and Marin, but it was steady. I bagged groceries and felt like a teenager again, since that is what I was doing when I was younger. It was so fun talking to the customers, checking out what they are buying, asking them what they are making for Thanksgiving dinner, etc. Wendy came and worked at the store as well so we had fun together working then we had lunch and did our Thanksgiving shopping and went home. My feet hurt! I am not used to standing on a hard cement floor for 5 hours in a row while bending and lifting to assist people with their groceries and heavy turkeys. It was fun though, don't get me wrong, there was a buzz in the air that gave me a spring in my step. A nice addition to the day was that I ran into someone who I had worked with years and years ago. I think the only person reading that has met her is Angela - her name is Loren (she was at my 25th BDay party and I think you two took the bus home together). She is now married and has 2 little boys, I love when things like that happen.
Anyway, today is the Mister's Birthday. We are having a nice evening at home since we both worked today and will celebrate tomorrow. I am making him turkey pot pie with herbed biscuit topping and coconut custard pie (per his request). It should be a nice day, my one and only goal (besides cooking) is to watch Miracle on 34th Street (the original black and white version).

Busy Busy and Boring

Seems like time goes by a little faster this time of year and the holiday season always seems to sneak up on us too!
I have been busy cleaning house, getting ready to put our Christmas decor out and putting my nose to the grindstone trying to finish the few Christmas gifts we are giving this year. We are trying to make almost everything this year due to the economy being so bad and due to the fact we are updating our adoption home study which is not an easy expense to swallow this time of year.
I have not had anything very exciting to blog about that is why I have been MIA.
Hopefully I will have something to talk about later this week, perhaps a post Thanksgiving update.

*Fabulous Find*

Tried these Lucy's cookies tonight after dinner and they are tasty! I tried the oatmeal variety (made with, you guessed it, gluten free oats). I have the sugar cookie as well, have not tried that one yet.
Hard to believe that they are free of peanuts, tree nuts, milk , eggs, wheat and gluten and they taste delicious. I am so glad there are more options out there for folks with allergies, especially for kids - not having cookies is no fun! I would make a wheat exception for anything my Mom baked though, I have to admit.

Cute packaging too!

*Fabulous Find*

I am sucker for packaging and I know you could probably make this Message in a Bottle yourself, but I think this is super cute! I love the concept, the packaging, and the idea that you would make a new friend in another part of the world. More details here.

Michigan Favorites

I have lived in Northern California now for a little over 12 years and there are so many things (mostly food based) I miss from back home in Michigan.

• Vernors Ginger Ale - found the cans a couple years back but just last night at my local market, they had the 2 liter size, I about teared up in the isle while I placed it in my basket.
• Better Made Potato Chips - the Red Hots are my favorite.
• Awrey's Baked Goods - Date Nut Squares
• Sanders - Milk Chocolate Sauce, Bumpy Cake and Carmel Cake
• Apple Cider - can't find it anywhere our here!
• Cider Mill - fresh hot doughnuts and cider, ugh, what I wouldn't give for one around here.
• Blue Moon Ice Cream - Ray's Brand or really any...my sister in law told Tim that Blue Moon is a "great Northern secret" I love it!
• Mackinac Island Fudge ice cream - or Mackinac Island fudge anything, maple walnut is the best.
• Elephant Ears - they call them funnel cakes out here, really?
• Middle Eastern Bakeries and Restaurants
• Greek Town!
• Blakes - "pick your own" farm and you guessed it, Cider Mill
• TownClub Soda
• Faygo Rock N'Rye

This is not an complete list, I will add more as I think of them. I guess I am a little homesick - have not been back to Michigan since November of 2005 I believe. It is about time.

The photos are Cider Mills I went to while I lived in Michigan. Top one is Yates and the lower is Franklin.

* Fabulous Find *

This advent calendar is super cute and now 40% off here.

One Word Meme

Something fun for a change, I love these. Answering in one word is hard sometimes.

Where is your mobile phone? desk
Where is your significant other? work
Your hair colour? brown
Your mother? fun
Your father? hero
Your favourite thing? photography
Your dream last night? yuck!
Your dream goal? writer
The room you're in? office
Your hobby? creating
Your fear? snakes
Where do you want to be in 6 years? seriously?
Where were you last night? Fiesta
What you're not? fake
One of your wish-list items? Oliveia
Where you grew up? Michigan
The last thing you did? sit
What are you wearing? boots
Your TV? nil
Your pets? BayLee
Your computer? old
Your mood? eager
Missing someone? Grandma
Your car? Blue
Something you're not wearing? nylons
Favourite shop? bookstore
Your summer? fun
Love someone? yes
Your favourite colour? pink
When is the last time you laughed? earlier
When is the last time you cried? today

Viva La Malta!

Last night at the Maltese American Social Club of San Francisco the Women's Committee had our monthly meeting followed by a Mexican Fiesta! We had a TON of food; salsa, guacamole, carnitas, chicken in green chili sauce, beans (2 kinds), rice, cheese - you name it! You could have made a super burrito or taco of any combination. It was awesome!

I am looking forward to the next general membership meeting at the end of the month so I can buy some pastizzi! I know it is not good for you, but some of the yummiest things aren't that good for you - oh, they do have peas in them, that outta count for something. If only I could find some Kinnie to drink while I eat them!

PS - I got to test out my new vocabulary words last night as well and I impressed the ladies that I was sitting with who will only speak to me in Maltese.

I Can't Believe It!

I cant believe it is almost 2009!

So strange to me how time flies.

As some of you know, I am obsessed with stationary especially the world of calendars, planners, etc. I wanted to purchase my dream diary for my purse this year, but the idea was vetoed by my budget conscious husband (I know he is right). The problem is, I purchased this aforementioned "dream diary" while on a layover over in London in 2006 when I went to Malta. I used it for some of 2007 (first month) and then lost it until recently. Funny thing is (and scary) I bought it not aware of the currency exchange so didn't really know what I spent until it was too late and I got home to the statement! oops! Another funny thing, did you know the days and numbers of the calendar are the same in 2009 as they were in 2007. I thought for a moment, it would add to my character if I used that old 2007 diary for this upcoming year, just for some panache and a laugh! ***After checking the calendar again, I realized this statement is not true, the dates do not match up - crap! I was actually considering that.

Anyway, my budget (per the Mister) was $15 dollars this year, I can't even get refills for my cute Kate Spade leather organizer for $15 and yes, I have to have the Kate Spade brand for the Kate Spade organizer, otherwise I would be doing Kate (and myself) and disservice.

So, this past weekend we went to the local gift shop and I found this cute Cath Kidson calendar and I love it! I have already filled it with birthday's and important events for next year. I love a new calendar so empty yet ready to be filled with excited events in the future. But that other one is still in the back of my mind.

One day, I may get my dream diary again (I love how in the UK it is a diary not a calendar or planner). Until then, I will stick with my $12.99 plastic covered purse calendar. Hey, it is one step up from the free pocket calendars they used to hand out at the local Hallmark store when I was growing up. No, I will not post a link to my dream diary, I am too embarrassed at the price.

May your calendar for 2009 be filled with lovely events.

To All of My Heros

Harmony with Horses

As most of you know, I am a horse lover like none other. I had to stop riding a while back due to lack on money in the budget (it is an expensive sport, hobby, love).

Anyway, back in the spring I found this great workshop online called "Harmony with Horses" in West Sonoma County. I had planned on buying the workshop for myself for my birthday but Miss Wendy beat me to the punch and purchased it for me. Well, after a couple of cancellations due to rain, I went to the 3 hour workshop this past Saturday and it was incredible. I can't even explain what happened there but it was magical. It is all about personal intention and working on the same vibrational plane with the horses. There were 5 of us in the class and we all had the option to do a couple exercises testing our intention and personal space with the horses. Horses are so amazing, they never judge and can tune into what is going on in your head and I have never experienced that as much as I did on Saturday. I mean, I was tight with Apache, my relationship with him was intense and full of love and lessons - I felt him and he felt me - we needed each other at that time in both of our lives. The exercises on Saturday were in a nut shell, us as single humans, moving horses with nothing but our minds and intention. If you are intrigued or interested in hearing more, call me and I can lay down some examples. I know that I am going back to do more - I learned so much about myself and learned that I have a lot of work to do in order to become more confident in all aspects of my life. It was very revealing to say the least.

This entire experience made me miss Apache - I had a good cry afterwards. I just cropped this photo below and noticed that I named it "true love" when I originally loaded it on my flickr (4/20/07), that makes me sad. One day we may meet again, you never know. I know that each horse I meet will teach me something new about myself, Apache was the first and will always have a special place in my heart. Sniff. Lump in my throat.

Jess, if you are reading this - we have to talk about this, I want to share what I have learned. I think it would be cool to add to the potential equine program.

Date Night

Tim and I don't have a regularly scheduled date night like we used to. We should though, after 10 years of marriage it would be sort of fun, but has not been in the budget as of late. Friday night I went to pick Tim up and decided to make a turn on a street in my neighborhood where there is a small Italian restaurant on a corner advertising Pizza and Pasta in the window. As luck would have it I found a parking spot right out front and we went inside. It was a very small family run place with family photos all over the walls (which I love). The menu was simple, full of various pasta dishes which came with your choice of soup or salad. They also sold pizza, but that was "to go" only. We ordered a carafe of the house red wine, which was served in an old pitcher (so cool) - the carafe provided us each with 4 glasses of wine (great deal at $14 and so yummy).We each ordered a pasta dish, I decided to go for it, even though I have cut the majority flour/wheat of it out of my diet (well, until I go to Malta again!). I had a salad with mine and Tim had the minestrone, both were delicious and we were both very satisfied with our meals. We ended with cappuccino's and dessert - cheesecake for him and a cannoli for me.

It was a nice night out. I just read the reviews of the restaurant on yelp and they are not good - what do you expect in a city full of food snobs though? There are foodies (which I am one) and then there are the snobs (which I am not, I will eat whatever, where ever and when ever to try it out). This place is not for the snobs, but was fit for this girl and her mister who both love Italian food.

Here's to You!

YES WE CAN!!!!!

Congratulations Obama!

Thank God!

You've come a long way baby!

Nothing is impossible!

I BELIEVE.

VOTE

If you don't do anything else today, go out and VOTE if you have not already!

PS - Voting is sexy!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween to all you ghouls and goblins!

My your night be filled with more treats than tricks.

Halloween has changed so much since I was a kid and from what I am finding it has changed even more over the last 100 years. Looks like there was more mysticism attached to it and seeing into the future than there is now. Where did all of that fun go? I hate when cool traditions are lost through time. Here are some Halloween postcards from the past that are so different than the Halloween that we know today.

Casablanca Pumpkins

I SUPER love these pumpkins from Martha.

They remind me of these lanterns I have been wanting FOREVER from here.

Happy Birthday Andy!

Today is my Big Brother Andy's Birthday!
I was super lucky to have him come into town for work 2 times last year!
I know he probably doesn't read this, but Andy, I miss you very much. I look up to you more than you know, you are honest and hardworking and a great Dad. You never seize to amaze me.

Maltese Women's Halloween Dinner

This post is overdue since we had the Women's Committee Halloween Party/Dinner at the Maltese American Social Club back in the beginning of October.

Most of us arrived in costume and we had a lovely dinner of Italian Sausage Sandwiches, Potato Salad, Green Salad, Wine, Coffee and various desserts.

Here are some of my favorite photos from the night.

Getting Chilly

There is a nip in the air these past few nights and it is getting darker earlier. I have to admit I love the fall and changes of season. We don't get too many changes out here, but summer to fall is always welcome in my world. We get some leaves turning but the thing I like the most is feeling like I need to get into bed earlier and pull up an extra blanket and a good book.
I took this photo Monday night from the top of the staircase across the street from my flat.

Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy Birthday Mom!
May I one day have the zest for life that you have.
You have taught me how to be positive and optimistic and for that I am so grateful.

Nifrahlek ghal gheluq sninek!
(Happy Birthday in Maltese for those wondering)