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In the spirit of imitation being the sincerest form of flattery, I thought I'd post today about the Follow gadget on this here blog. I have to admit, I got the idea from the blog of my highschool friend, Jon.

So, feel free to sign up as a follower of this here blog - it is on the right-hand sidebar. Check it out!

Tuesday, November 4th - I Thougth of You

I crawled out of bed,
ready and eager for an early morning walk
(I thought of you)

I drank a warm cup of tea
after casting my vote
(I thought of you)

I drove into work,
finding comfort in my morning commute
(I thought of you)

I listened and learned,
building skills to help others in need
(I thought of you)

I prepared dinner,
chatting with Daddy as I sautéed and chopped the chicken
(I thought of you)

I watched as officials counted votes,
witnessing history as my heart filled with hope and joy
(I thought of you)

Would my belly still be full with baby?
Would my heart ache with impatience for your arrival?
Would you already be here, cuddled in my arms?
Who would you have looked like?
Would you have smelled like fresh-baked cookies?

Little one,

These are the things I wondered today; on the day you were due to come into this world.
These are the thoughts I had as I pushed through my day. You are my precious bean that stayed with us for only 6 weeks. Some people would dismiss that short of time, but I remember seeing your little heart beat. Thank you for sharing that with Daddy & me. We both were so excited that day. I sent pictures to the whole family. Everyone was so happy for us, and we all couldn’t wait to meet you. For reasons beyond my understanding this just wasn’t going to be our time for meeting you, though. I know you are with us, and I know that someday, we will snuggle you and love you the way we imagined.

All my love,

Mommy

Oh My, So Domestic!

Mike had an overtime job yesterday and spent the day at work. Literally. He worked a twelve hour shift, so I was left to my own devices. A good portion of my day was spent working on our finances, sorting out random mail, and fooling around online. In addition to the household stuff, I managed to spend some quality time in the kitchen.

I haven't been doing too much cooking since I started my new job, mainly because my schedule change has me coming home later in the evening, and what with all the new learnin' I have going on, I've been pretty much out for the count once I get home. So, yesterday I made both a loaf of bread and a yummy dinner.

I used my bread machine and a recipe I found on allrecipes.com. I decide to make the Light Oat Bread, mainly because I had all the ingredients on hand. I used steel cut oats instead of rolled oats, and I added about 1/4 more flour because when the machine was kneading the dough, it was pretty sticky.

All the ingredients - see my nice little pile of yeast in the middle?


The finished loaf!

We had some of the bread this morning with breakfast, and it turned out pretty yummy. It is pretty hearty and a bit on the doughy side - so I have to look into ways to make it a little less doughy and a little more fluffy.

The bread making was just the beginning of the kitchen goddess phenomenon that took place at this domicile yesterday. A couple of weeks ago Mike & I were flipping through the channels on TV when we landed on the Food Network. I had never seen Rachel Ray, but we ended up watching her prepare Buffalo Sloppy Joes. Needless to say, by the end of the episode both Mike and I were drooling. And the recipe looked so easy! So, yesterday I looked up the recipe online, jotted down the ingredients, and made a quick trip to the store. Within an hour of returning home I had dinner ready.

Here is the sloppy joe filling, in the pan and ready to be dished up!

The final product. I served the Joe with diced up dill pickles and bleu cheese crumbles!
A side of coleslaw compliments the Joe!

And just as I was preparing to eat dinner solo, Mike pulled up, home from a very long day at work and starving to death! To go with the Buffalo Joes, I made up some Coleslaw, using a recipe from a blog that I follow. You can get that recipe here. The sour buttermilk tang of the coleslaw was a wonderful compliment to the spiciness of the Joes.

Let's hear what Mike has to say about this meal:

(please ignore the suggestive tongue-licking at the beginning - he thought I was snapping a picture of the yumminess. I tried to edit it, but it wouldn't upload properly! Boo. I promise you my husband is not a creepy perv!)

Raising Awareness for Pregnancy and Infant Loss

Wednesday, October 15 is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. Please take a minute to check out this link:

http://www.october15th.com/

Including myself, I personally know six women who have been directly impacted by pregnancy loss. It happens more often than we are aware of. Please take a moment on this coming Wednesday to light a candle, and/or remember the women who have been touched by pregnancy loss.

We carry the remembrance of our little ones with us always, even though we may not always express our grief outwardly.

Busy busy!

It is amazing to me that two weeks have passed by since I last wrote. It feels like yesterday that I was writing about our ongoing hot tub adventures and the garden of geranium hell. Here we are, two weeks later. A lot has happened in the last couple of weeks.

For one thing, I managed to survive for an entire month at my new job. I decided that I am not going to go into too much detail on this blog about the work that I do, in part because the nature of the field in which I practice social work demands confidentiality. In addition, I guess that I believe that less is the better choice when it comes to reflecting on my profession in such a public forum. What I can say is that I find myself enjoying my work more and more as the weeks pass. I feel challenged and rewarded each day in the work that I do, and I am learning so much right now.

Four years managed to fly by in the time since I completed my MSW, and I am so lucky to say that each job I have had (this is number 4, yikes!) has been a new and unique learning opportunity. This new job included! I am also excited by the fact that I am 2/3 of the way done with accruing hours for my license in clinical social work. So, if all goes well, by this time next year or early 2010 I should be sitting for my exams. The journey to getting my license has been a long one, and not alway a road that I willingly or eagerly traveled, so it is a relief to see an end in sight. My resistance still does not make complete sense to me, but I hold onto the belief that everything happens in its right time and trust that one day this will all come together to form a clear picture.

The other thing keeping me busy lately was planning a baby shower for my sister-in-law. We had the party yesterday, and apart from a couple of snafus with the weather and a garbage-can lookin' cake that was made all wrong, the event was a success (the cake was fixed, thanks to my, ahem, "assertiveness" with the bakery). The theme of the shower was "Lil' Pumpkin", so I converted our backyard space into a mini pumpkin patch with bales of straw and pumpkins and everything. I have pictures, but have yet to download them. I will post those later.

On a totally unrelated note, it just occurred to me that it has been just about a year since I last saw my brother and his family in Vermont. Mike and I went out to visit, see the fall colors, and meet my new little niece, Clarabel. She was just about three months old at the time. My sister was there, too. It feels like a long time since we were there, and I find myself counting down the days until Christmas, when I get to see them in Southern California. So, here are a few pics from that trip.

Mike & Clarabel


Dan & Veronica

Dan's greenhouse

Fall colors

Veronica & Aunt Tracy, hanging out

Sebastian

Dan, playing on the swing

Well, I hope you found a bit of enjoyment in these pictures. It is now late, and I must get some sleep. So, if there are typos or other grammatical errors in this post, I am too tired to edit right now. Have a great week!

Preparing for the change of seasons

The past couple of weeks have gone by very quickly. So quickly, in fact, that I am amazed that we are nearing the end of September, and transitioning into fall. Around these parts, I've noticed a change in the air, and the sunlight seems different somehow. The nights arrive a bit earlier and crisper than the warm summer evenings that beg for windows and doors to be opened late into the night. Now we've taken to double checking that a sweater or sweatshirt is in hand when leaving for an evening out. I am eager for the leaves to change color and begin to drop, though I know that with the temperate climate of the Bay Area, that change is still weeks away.

Mike and I have been taking advantage of the last of the long summer days. Each day the sun sets a bit earlier and the hours for getting work done in the garden are fewer. Mike continues to work with the hot tub, which required extensive structural and electrical repair. The majority of the work is now done, with new siding, new support beams, and new electrical that meets safety code.

The siding is brand new, and the steps just received a fresh coat of paint today!

We've enjoyed soaking for the past two nights in a row. The water is not too hot, at 96 degrees. It is just enough warmth to loosen the muscles. The heat, combined with the jets is the perfect end to a work-filled day outside.

While Mike worked to finish the hot tub, I continued with my work to clean up some of the existing garden in the backyard. Previous owners had an affinity for gardening, primarily channeled into the propagation of roses and geranium. Geranii (would that be the plural?) - ha.
There are roses and geraniums everywhere. In pink. Really. Here is an example of a geranium that I haven't touched yet:


The geranium is the large plant on the trellis, on the left. The geraniums add a nice touch of color throughout the entire yard, and they don't require a lot of care - if they have been receiving some regular attention. The geraniums in our yard have not had a lot of attention in a while, so there are a lot of dead flowers, spider webs, and overgrowth. There was another geranium, identical to the one featured in this picture, that lived just to the left of this one, behind the cherry tree. As I tackled the monstrosity, I discovered that not only was there a monster geranium growing on the trellis, but also morning glory (the horror! invasive little beast!), and some sort of vining rose. I think there may have been a fourth plant that perished years ago, because I found a stump back there too - maybe a bougainvillea? This is the craziness of our backyard. Four plants in one spot. Not to mention that as I tore out the morning glory, I found a potted ornamental pomegranate plant that had been hidden by the overgrowth. It was in a small plastic nursery pot, and when I tried to pick it up I discovered that the plant that actually grown into the ground! It took Mike and a shovel to get the thing out of there. I also did a lot of cleanup of other plant debris in one corner of the yard. Here are a couple of shots of the cherry tree, after I removed the trellis, and the tidied up plants in one corner of the garden.




Unfortunately, the cherry tree is sick with something right now, so it looks pretty pathetic in the picture. I think it may have some sort of canker bacteria, from some of the sleuthing that I have done.

There is still a lot of work to be done in the garden, and once all the cleanup is done we will start planning for next spring. I love knowing that as homeowners, we have all the time in the world to work on this project. I love knowing that our garden will evolve as our own roots dig deep into the earth and we settle into this cozy home.

As I wind down my evening, I realize that I am really starting to feel "normal" again after all the craziness of the past couple years. December 30, 2006 was the night that turned our lives upside down. We had no idea that the house fire would mark the beginning of six moves in the course of 18 months. Six moves, a wedding, a miscarriage, two changes in jobs for me, and the purchase of our first home. I stopped asking why a long time ago, and now just focus on finding peace and trusting that everything unfolds for a reason. Sometimes I wonder if we would still be renting at the 9th street house if the fire hadn't happened. I wonder if the fire was, in a sense, a cleansing and a purification that needed to happen for us to move on. I will never know, and really it could be just a string of unfortunate events. Whatever it is, I am grateful that this path had lead us here, to our home and to a small piece of stability.

If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies.
~Author Unknown

A visit from the 'rents

My folks came up from Southern California to visit for the weekend. Only a couple of months passed since their last visit, but they hadn't seen the "finished" house yet. They saw the house when we first got the keys, but not anything beyond the initial paint on the walls. They loved the house and we loved having them here for the weekend!

Saturday we spent the day with my parents and Mike's dad at the City of Santa Clara's Fall Art and Wine Festival. I anticipated that the festival would be small, but was pleasantly surprised when we arrived and saw that it was actually pretty big! They had a lot of food vendors, a ton of creative and unique craft vendors, beer and wine booths, and some bootie-shakin' live funk music to top it all off. The weather was beautiful and the beer was cold.

One of the purchases I made was a pot hanger for the back porch. Our backyard is a good size, and much of it is overgrown with geranium and untended roses. It actually looks pretty good, though, what with all the colors from the flowers. My point, however, is that we haven't done too much gardening apart from general upkeep, because there is so much to do to just get the landscaping under control. So, when I saw this hanger, I was excited at the prospect of having a small herb garden without having to do a major overhaul to clear out some of the existing landscaping. Click here for more information on the product and the folks that make these pot hangers.

Today we spent our morning at the Campbell farmers market, where I was able to buy the herbs to put in my new hanging herb garden. I purchased basil, oregano, thyme, dill, garlic chives, and spearmint from a vendor at the farmers market.

This is the end product, hanging in its temporary new home on the back porch:

Herbs, herbs, and more herbs!

What's up, party people?

Mike & Jon, kickin' it on the grass

Me 'n my peeps

Me 'n Zoolander

That last picture was actually taken last weekend, when Mike & I were out to dinner. I just had to throw it in, though. I mean, how could I keep Blue Steel from the public?

Hot Tub Hijinks

When Mike & I saw this house, we were pretty excited about the hot tub that was in the backyard. It looked like it was in pretty good condition so we were hopeful that it would run well.

Mike has been working for the past couple of weeks to get the hot tub up and running. We first had to figure out what the make and model was, since it was about 10 years old or so. After a bit of investigating, Mike figured that one out. In the course of doing that, he was also able to get an instruction manual and a filter.

The first week that we had the house we noticed that the hot tub was a massive breeding ground for mosquitoes. Yuck. So, I called county vector control and had them come out to treat the water. We refilled the tub and treated the water, running it intermittently. This was before getting the new filter, so we still weren't using it yet. Just recently we noticed that it yet again had some little swimmers wiggling this way and that, content with their little home. Boo. So, Mike drained the tub - again. This time we were a little more prepared. Mike was able to open up the front of the surround where the control panels are located and really inspect everything.

He also cleaned the interior of the spa out while it was empty and put in the new filter. He had to troubleshoot some of the system and I am happy (and proud) to report that he has so far successfully fixed each newly diagnosed problem as it arose.

When we originally had the spa inspected the tech said that the spa was in good condition and then proceeded to charge us $175 for his time. The whole experience pissed me off a bit, because he came highly reviewed by Yelp and originally quoted me $75 for the inspection. I was not home during the inspection and somehow he talked his way into a final price that was way higher than what he quoted me, without doing much of anything except for telling us to move the electrical box and give us some chemicals.

This was during the first week that we had the house, so we were so busy with a million little projects that when I found out about him overcharging I just decided to let it go - that was a battle I just did not have the energy to pick at that time.

Now, about the electrical box. Mike consulted with an electrician at work about the necessity of moving the box due to risk of shock/electrocution, either of which would be very very bad (how's that for stating the obvious?). The electrician at his work informed him that the the box is rated for outdoor use, which means that it is made to withstand the elements - rain especially. He also explained that the circuit breaker is extremely sensitive and made to trip in the incident of some sort of water exposure beyond what it is designed for. So, we haven't decided if we are going to move the box or not.

There are other bits and pieces that Mike is working on with the spa, but really, if you made it this far in the post you are a trooper. I mean, how interesting can this be to all of you, my 2.5 loyal readers? (BTW, the .5 is accounted for the person that makes it at least part of the way through the post before navigating away from the page!)

Long story short, we refilled the tub and revved her up. This morning was the first run, and our first dip! The water took a bit to heat up and I had a hair appointment this morning, so I got in before it was completely heated. The water was about 93 when I was in the tub, and it was wonderful!

The jets are the best and my back felt great after my quick dip! By the time I got home from my appointment with my rockin' new 'do, the spa was up to 105! Granted, it is a million degrees outside today, so it isn't too tempting to get in. Once the cool nights come creeping in, however, we will be so spoiled!

By the way, gold stars to you if you read all the way to the end of this titillating post. :) As a bonus reward (apart from the gold stars, duh) here are a few pics of the tub, Mike in the tub, and my new look.

My dashing husband, striking a pose.

Sharkie (We are home of the San Jose Sharks, so how appropriate is this??)

The Tub
(you should be hearing "hallelujah, hallelujah" in the background right now)

I am so stylie!

Update! Update! Update! Update! Update! Update!

Just a bit after I published this original post, Mike was working on getting the spa surround ready for repair, when he stumbled upon this hornet's nest! Yowza!

A New Baby!

Congratulations to my good friends Hosanna and Michael Hannaford, who just welcomed their second child into the world! I spent some time on the phone with Hosanna last night, and she sounded absolutely wonderful!

Closed for Labor Day

My sister is here visiting for a day while she is here on business. We tried to take her to some of our favorite places to eat, but nearly everything was closed. After finding a place for lunch, we wanted to check out our favorite frozen yogurt gig, but alas, it was closed too. Here is a picture of their sign that they posted, notifying folks that they would be closed today (hopefully you can see it okay, I took it with my cell phone):

Reflections on Grief

I've been thinking off and on about writing about the miscarriage. I have some writing for myself that I did a few weeks ago where I described the experience of the miscarriage, but right now I am stuck on the emotional stuff. I struggle with the appropriateness of publishing my thoughts and feelings on such a public forum, for people who may not have even known about the previous pregnancy to have a glimpse into me that exposes something so personal, so raw. But then, I think - dammit, people don't talk about this stuff and why should I stay quiet and hide the process that happens when someone loses a baby?

So many women suffer silently after the loss of a pregnancy because people just don't know what to say, or because of our own desire to minimize the experience with rationalizations such as "at least I know I can get pregnant" or "there was probably something wrong with the baby anyways". And I get both of those statements. I remember feeling such a sense of relief just knowing that I could get pregnant. I also know that indeed, many pregnancy losses, especially early ones, are due to chromosomal abnormality. I get it. It just doesn't make the grief part any easier.

I find that I am angered and saddened by the inevitable notion that I have lost all innocence when it comes to trying to conceive and coping with a subsequent pregnancy.

It has been nearly 5 months since the miscarriage. September 7 will be month 5. I usually don't play the game of "I would be x months along right now", but it seems that as I near my due date of November 4, those thoughts crop up more and more frequently. Consequently, as the date looms closer, I notice a near sense of panic, thinking that the passing of that day will be made so much easier if only I were pregnant again. I know I am just fooling myself. It is just another desperate attempt to put a band aid on a wound that more so resembles a stage four bedsore.

From my work with hospice, I know that grief is not something that goes away, or something that I work through to "get over", so it doesn't surprise me too much that my grief has once again reared its head as Mike & I begin to hope and dream about starting a family.

I just wish that I could recapture that innocence and erase this experience from my heart, mind and soul. Shortly after the miscarriage I bought myself a piece of memorial jewelry. On days like today, when my heart beats heavy in my chest I wear it and it brings me comfort. It doesn't restore my innocence, but feeling it rest again my skin brings a sense of comfort that anchors me when every other part of me aches and howls for all that was lost on April 7.

Aww yeah, bay-bee

Project Runway starts in 4 minutes. I just want to throw a picture up from the weekend. I have a ton of pics from the festival and more from the visit from Jenn, Doug, Penelope, Helen, Troy and Carl, but here is one of my favs from the weekend. I got so much baby and good friend lovin' over the weekend!

Festivals & Good Friends

Well, it has yet again been another busy week. I cannot believe that I am writing this post and it is already Friday! Where did the week go?? I must be honest with you and tell you that it is 10:30 in the morning and as I write this I am still in my pajamas. What??????? Yes, the true hallmark of a day off, pajamas well past 7am. As I write this, Mike is in the front room on Youtube, watching a bunch of old rap videos from the '90s. When we woke up this morning (at 9am!) he loudly declared that the only way to start a 4-day weekend (we both have Monday off, too) would be to listen to the Humpty Dance. So, that is what started it all today, the Humpty Dance. Now he is listening to Radiohead. Which brings me to the next topic: Radiohead!!!!!!

A few months ago, as I was searching around for good ideas for a first anniversary present, I began to search upcoming concerts and festivals. I stumbled across the Outside Lands festival, and was sold! You can check out the friggin' awesome lineup here. Really, don't hate me because I'm beautiful.

I ended up buying us tickets for Friday and Saturday. I also got us a hotel room for both nights. This was quickly turning into a pricey anniversary present. Having at least some foresight for protecting my financial well-being, I decided that this would have to cover both anniversary and birthday this year. Done and done.

Tonight I am most excited about Radiohead, Beck, and Manu Chao. Tomorrow's favorites are Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Primus, Cafe Tacuba, Cake, and Quartet featuring Bela Fleck. Sunday's lineup looks pretty rockin' too, but alas, I have to exhibit some self control. We come home on Sunday morning.

Which leads me to part two of the awesomeness of my four-day weekend: College Reunion 2008. Oh yea, bay-bee. We have a bunch of friends coming to town on Sunday from Fresno, Portland, and Mountain View (just up the peninsula from us). Sunday will be a reunion of sorts, with a group of good friends from back in the UCSC days getting together - this time we are all married and some of us even have little ones! Good times are hoped to be had by all.

Oh, and on a random note, I accepted a new position at work. I will still be doing psychiatric social work, only now I will be working with a team who specialize in treating women with addiction problems. The women in this program are either pregnant or have recently had a child and are trying to clean up their lives. I start on Sept 8. I have a lot to do in the next couple of weeks to close things out for my current job, so time will fly as we move into September. I will try and post with updates, so stay tuned!

A well-knit story

This week has been busy, and I am surprised to find that here we are, almost at the weekend! I attribute the rapid pace of the week to both a lot of work at the office and a lot of commitments in the evenings. Even though these evening commitments mean a lot of running around during peak traffic times in the Silicon Valley, I really don't mind them. They are part of my self-care routine and provide my mind, body, and soul with nourishment. Tonight, I jump back into the Sophomore knitting class that I took regularly before we bought the house. I take it at my favorite LYS. I love this class because I can bring any project that I am working on and get help, learn new mad knitting skills, and socialize with some really great women. Not to mention the yarn. Oh dear! I could spend a lot of time and a lot of money in this place. Such pretty fibers and so many exciting projects, often way beyond my skill level! Oh, and I get a 10% discount on any supplies for a project that I work on while taking the class. Could you ask for anything more? This is one of the projects that I currently have going. I have one other big project going and another big project lined up. I am not going to divulge any of the details, because these hopefully will be gifts, if they turn out okay.

Since I began knitting, I completed only one project that I gave as a gift. I made a baby blanket for my sweet Penelope's Naming and Dedication Ceremony back in March. Let me tell you, one of the reasons that Jenn (P's mama) is such an amazing friend is that she accepted that gift with all the grace in the world. Sorry Jenn and P, but that blanket brings such shame to the world of knitting!

I chose this fuzzy, feathery, ultra soft yarn to knit with, and about every 6-8 inches I knit both the fuzzy yarn and a dingle-berry type yarn together for a few rows. Well, let me tell you what. Even though the pattern was straight forward knit stitch all the way through, that yarn was ridiculous to work with. It was my first time working with a novelty yarn and because of all the fuzzy feathery goodness, I kept adding and dropping stitches. I was going cross-eyed trying to keep track of the stitches! I persevered, and finished the blanket.



It was beautiful, really. I was so pleased with myself that I had made it through and it actually looked a notch above decent (albeit a tad bit more trapezoidal than rectangular). And then I washed it. Swiss cheese, anyone? Three or four holes popped up where I had dropped stitches, one of which was at least three inches in diameter. Okay, now what? I decided that I could stitch the holes closed, since the yarn was so fuzzy you wouldn't even know the difference, right? Exactly. It worked like a charm. The only thing is, the blanket completely lost its shape when I washed it. At that time, I hadn't learned about how to block a pattern yet. I knew what blocking was, but for some reason it didn't even occur to me that this would be one of those situations where blocking is a must. So, there I was with a periwinkle animal pelt. Seriously, it looked like something that you'd throw down in front of a very wee fireplace, to lay on in the coldest days of winter and bask in its warmth and fuzziness. Well, if you are an infant under 15 lbs, that is. I decided to still give it to Penelope, though. I had to give it, if only to tell a good story and get a good laugh out of my learning process. More so, though, I wanted to give it to her because it was truly a labor of love. I had the privilege of being present when that darling girl came into this world and I wanted to create a little something special for her. In retrospect, I also like the idea that the blanket, just like life and love, is imperfect. Perfection isn't a reality, and life sure as hell isn't perfect. Sometimes, despite our best laid plans, things just don't turn out the way we expect them to. The love is still there, as is the intention, and that is what counts. So, to those of you who receive a knitted gift from me, please keep that in mind. :)

What does your latte say?

So, being that I like to kill time right before lunch, in that window between starving and heading out to grab a bite to eat, I found this quiz. I guess I am pretty serious and uptight. :) I am sure you are just about dying to know what kind of latte I drink. Non-fat, decaf, no foam, sometimes iced. Depends on the weather.

What Your Latte Says About You

You don't treat yourself very often. You find that indulging doesn't jibe with your very disciplined life. You are a very serious person. You don't have time for silly antics. You have a good deal of energy, but you pace yourself. You never burn out too fast. You have a healthy relationship with caffeine. You're definitely not dependent on it. You are a child at heart, and you don't ever miss the opportunity to do something playful. You are complex and philosophical, but you are never arrogant.

What Does Your Latte Say About You?

I thought for sure this time he'd catch it.

He's been training for years, even after the partial tail amputation of '03. He's been a model to all cats of less than ideal tail length. Alas, it just isn't in the cards for him to catch that sneaky tail. But shhhhh, Chai doesn't need to know that.

Pulling weeds!

Okay, here is the video of us (and by us, I mean Mike) pulling up one of the plants on the side of the driveway:

Wednesday Check-in

We are still here, alive and kicking. I've been wanting to post for the past few days, but have been pretty wiped out. I think that the move and all the work getting ready for the party two weekends ago has finally caught up with me. It has been difficult to get up in the morning and I find that my motivation levels are really almost non-existent in the evenings. I am just a blob on the couch, waiting for bedtime.

This last weekend we worked a little bit on the outside of the house, mainly the front yard. At some point a previous owner planted a bunch of boxwood shrubs to line the front walk. I imagine that when they were green and lush, the walkway looked quite nice and manicured. Unfortunately, during the time that the home sat empty after it foreclosed, the landscape suffered. The roses are pretty drought tolerant but the boxwoods, not so much. So we had all these little dried up, pathetic plants lining our front walk. Mike pulled them out this weekend while I weeded both front beds. So now we have roses and dirt, along with the lawns. Mike also pulled out a lot of the landscaping that lined the right side of the driveway, beneath the maples that we just had trimmed. There were just too many plants squished into such a small area and it was so overgrown that I could barely get in and out of the car on that side of the driveway.

We were pleasantly surprised that a previous owner had invested in three large, beautiful stones (mini boulders?) that surround the base of one of the maples. Eventually we plan to do the same around the other maple, and who knows, maybe the two on the left side of the front yard as well. We are eager to have a blank canvas to work with, so to speak.

Apart from gardening, Mike and I saw a couple of movies last weekend. On Friday night we went and saw Mama Mia! OH. MY. GOD. That is quite possibly my new favorite movie! It was a lot of fun; I am sure that isn't the last time I've seen that film. On Saturday we went and saw The Dark Knight with Mike's mom. That was also a great film. I just love the summer movie season! After the movie we returned to Mike's mom's house for dinner, where we got to hang out with Amber and JJ, Mike's younger brother and his wife. Amber is expecting her first child in December, so it is always fun to hear about the pregnancy and how everything is developing.

The next project on deck for the house is the crown molding in the guest bedroom. That room is coming together nicely. We bought a new bed for the master bedroom (king size, baby) and moved our queen into the spare room. No longer do our guests have to suffer through a night of leaky aero bed when they come to visit! We also moved a dresser into that room. The color of the wall (green) is my absolute favorite. If that room had a bathroom attached, I'd prefer to use it as the master. But it doesn't, and the master bath really kicks ass, so we make compromises. So, Mike started measuring the guest room and marking the studs to prepare for the molding. He still has to cut it and then I will paint it. We are hoping to get it installed this coming weekend.



Mike and I have a busy August ahead of us! We have trips planned and visitors coming, including our dear friends from Portland: Helen, Troy and their baby Carl, our dear friend from Fresno: Jenn, Doug & their little girl Penelope, and my dear sister from San Diego! Whew! Rumor has it that my parents might also try and come visit before my dad starts back at school!

I have some photos, and even maybe a video to post if I can figure out how to link it in! Stay tuned!

Proud to be a Failure?!

As a 1930s wife, I am Very Poor (Failure)

What kind of 1930s wife are you? Take the test!

Getting Ready

Saturday is our housewarming party. Last weekend I said to Mike, as we were navigating Ikea in reverse, "Next time we buy a house, remind me to never have a house warming party 4 weeks after moving in." What was I thinking???? Well, after that moment of panic and rush of overwhelm, I am happy to say that I am ready for Saturday's party. Sure, there are still some things to do around the house, like filing away all the random paperwork that accumulates in life, and tidying up the room that is currently the staging room for all of our unpacking, but overall I feel ready. Dare I even say that I am glad that we decided to have the housewarming so soon after move in? Sure, I'll tempt fate by saying that. Having a tangible goal to work towards really pushed us to focus and stay on task. It also helped me to let go of my tendency to be so detail oriented and let go a little bit of the high expectations to which I hold myself. Sure, I'd like to have the garden cleaned up a little more and the weeds pulled, but really, when it comes down to it, does that really matter? Really? I am mainly looking forward to sharing some time with family and friends and getting to know some of our neighbors a little better.

One of the things that we did to get ready was have the trees in the front of the house pruned. Here are some before & after pics:

Right side - before:

Right side - after:

Left side - before:

Left side - after:


And here is a picture of the house, from the street - after:

Our house is pretty wee from the front, and I think that having the trees cleaned up and thinned out really made it appear a bit bigger. Now, onto the filing of paperwork!

What are you reading?

I am looking for some ideas for reading. A few months ago I rediscovered the library. I am more often than not guilty of buying books for way too much money, so trying to be budget-minded, I decided to check out the library. I was looking for some books on miscarriage in the midst of paying off my car and a bunch of other debt. I found one book on miscarriage, which wasn't very helpful as it had to do more with later pregnancy loss and infant death than 1st trimester miscarriage. So, I returned it and checked out some fiction. Maybe spending some time in another person's world would distract me from all the drama in my own, right? I picked up Jennifer Weiner's Certain Girls, which I gobbled up and really enjoyed. I also read The Friday Night Knitting Club, which I also enjoyed. After that I found some great books on color and decorating, to help us decide on paint colors for the house.

Now that the dust from the move is beginning to (somewhat) settle, I am thinking about what will be next on my reading list. I'd love to hear what you are currently reading and add it to my currently empty list.

By the way, Crazy Aunt Purl's most recent post inspired me to post this. Feel free to add your current read or favorite read in the comments section!

The Process

Making a house a home. That is the business that Mike & I are involved in at the moment. What does it really take to get to that point? I wonder if it is the right furniture, or the color of the walls? Is it the landscaping around the house? Or maybe it has to do with the pictures that we hang on the walls or the curtains that frame and accentuate the windows. Surely, all of these things lend character and personality to a house. These are all factors that come together to create a sense of welcoming and foster a warm home environment. I love the idea of having a guest come to the house and just melt into its warmth, lean into its cozy embrace.

Right now, Mike and I work with a blank canvas. I guess, that with any sort of creation, there is so much that contributes to the whole. Think about a piece of artwork, painted with many layers to create a visual experience that stirs the soul. Tending to a vegetable garden requires time, dedication, and nurturing before producing a sweet summer tomato that explodes with flavor. So I guess that the work of building a home takes time, nurturing, patience, and perseverance.

Patience. That has always been hard for me to come by. I am ready for this house to be a home NOW! Can I stomp my feet, and make this happen any sooner? This is a process that will unfold and develop as we slowly, lovingly unpack each box and hang each picture. With each gesture, each project, Mike and I see the house begin to transform, to reveal itself to us a bit more; to transform from a house to a home.

One of my favorite bits of transformation that has occurred so far is the kitchen and the dining nook. Here are some before and after photos.

The Kitchen Before:

The Kitchen After:

Dining Nook Before:

Dining Nook After:

This will take time. I can't wait to see how this process evolves a house into a home!

Peach Pie & The 4th of July!

Casa Kennedy!



I found my camera cable! Mike & I are nowhere near unpacked, but we've got the essentials up and running: the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, living room, computer, and of course, the TV. I must make the guilty confession that Mike and I broke down and decided to get cable. I haven't had cable television for over 10 years, so I am like a kid in a candy store right now. We decided to get it as part of a bundle pack. Our neighborhood is not equipped for DSL, so we went with cable modem, which then lead to cable TV. You see, this is how it all starts.

I digress, though. I decided that for the 4Th of July I would make a peach pie. The peach tree in the backyard was loaded with ripening peaches when we got our keys two weeks ago.






I've been doing an okay job at keeping up with the peaches as they've ripened, but this week things picked up a bit. I found myself picking up half-eaten peaches from the ground every day. You see, the birds are having a feast in our backyard. First they picked the cherry tree clean. Now they are working on the peaches. So, last night in a fit of inspiration, I decided to make a peach pie.

I had no idea how friggin' easy a peach pie is to make! I have all sorts of pie dishes, and my favorite is a stoneware one from Pampered Chef. If I remember correctly, it was a gift from my mom a few Christmases ago.

I used a recipe from RecipeZaar, since my cookbooks are all packed away in a box somewhere. I cheated and used prepared pie crust from Trader Joe's.

I started with a bunch of peaches, and sliced them up.



I put down the first pie crust, and then poured in the peach mixture. I followed with the top crust, and sealed it all up!



I also cut some vent holes in the top. I shaped the center vent like a star, in the spirit of the holiday!

I baked it for 20 minutes at a little higher temp than the recipe called for. I did this with the hope that it would set the bottom crust quicker, to avoid sogginess.



After the 20 minutes were up, I put some foil on the edges, since they were beautifully browned. I baked it for another 20 minutes and then let it sit in the oven for another twenty, with the oven off. This is supposed to help the peaches set and the juices continue to boil off as it cools.

The final product is cooling as I type this. The house smells so good! I am going to whip up some fresh cream and bring along some ice cream, for those that would like their pie "a la mode".



Note the cute little start on top! Am I a geek, or what?!



Happy 4Th of July!

A Quick Note on Comments, and Moving

I've had a couple of people tell me that they've tried to add comments but were unable. I don't know why that is, but I will see if I can figure it out. I have it set up so that anyone can comment, but it sounds like that isn't the case.

As for our move, we moved everything on Saturday and have been unpacking and reassembling the house since then. I have pictures to post, but am not able to get them online yet. The computers aren't hooked up yet, and even if they were, I have no idea where my camera cable is! I will post some soon!

Welcome Home

Mike and I have been home hunting for about two years now. When we first started, we found that a condo was the only type of property within our limited financial reach. Even that was a stretch. There was always the question of the down payment, and then the ongoing fees of homeowners association. Oh, and outdoor space. You see, I love me some gardening, big time. So we searched, and saved, and put the search on hold, and saved some more, and payed off debt, until finally it looked like a home purchase was a possibility. The possibility was made into the reality by all of our saving and debt reduction, but also by the collapse of the credit and housing markets. Or, dare I say that the bubble burst? I guess this was our silver lining to that nasty cloud.



As I said, two years ago our market search was limited to one and two bedroom condominiums. As the market shifted, so did the properties we could afford . At first they were little, dirty, unloved homes that needed so much work. As things continued to shift we began to see more homes that actually looked inhabitable. And these were single family homes! With a yard! And then we began to see 3 bedroom condos and townhouses within our budget. With yards! The places we could potentially afford were a bit bigger and a bit nicer. I could see us settling in and raising a family, not to mention tending to crops of tomatoes and trying to beat our 70+ lb pumpkin record.



So, here we are after many years of planning, hunting, and preparing. We are homeowners. Mike & I owe many thanks to Nathan Norberg, our ever so patient real estate agent. He drove us all over the South Bay, on both weekends and weeknights. He answered all of our questions, even when we asked them multiple times. He even brought us a copy of the Sunset Western Gardening book and three tomato plants when we met up to get the keys! Tomatoes! Gardening Books! Does he know us, or what?!



The other acknowledgement I'd like to make is to Linda Tumas, our mortgage broker. She sent us countless estimates of mortgages as we bit our fingernails, wondering, can we really afford this?? How much will this really cost us, when all is said & done?? Linda succeeded in getting us a very manageable fixed-rate mortgage, just weeks before the rates began to rise.



Both Linda and Nathan made the process so easy and helped walk us through all the steps along the way.



So now, here we are. Mike and I have been home owners for 6 days. We have succeeded in painting the entire interior of the house, with the help of both of our families. Mike's mom brought us fully home-cooked dinners at the house, so we could all continue working well into the night without losing momentum. My parents drove up from Southern California to stay for nearly a week. They taped, painted, caulked, gardened, and met with Joe, the technician we found to inspect the spa in the backyard (you see where our priorities are). All this while Mike and I continued to work throughout the week. This weekend is the big move. Saturday we vacate the storage facility, and Sunday we begin to unpack all that has been tucked away neatly in boxes and bags for the past four months.



When we moved our belongings into the storage facility, one of the items was a chalkboard from our kitchen. As I packed it, I wrote a note on it. The note went something like this: "The next time I see you will be in our own home, a place where we get to set down some roots for a while. Welcome Home!" I can't wait to proudly hang that chalkboard in our new little kitchen.

Camping at Wishon Campground

Mike & I spent a long weekend with our good friends Dan & Catherine and Jenn & Doug, and their little girl Penelope. We stayed in a cabin at Camp Wishon, which is tucked neatly into the western side of the Sierras, inside the boundaries of Sequoia National Park. We mainly hung out at the cabin and caught up with the happenings in all of our lives. We did, however, manage to squeeze in a (nauseating) drive to the Trail of 100 Giants and a bit of fishing!

Wishon Cabin

Mike at the river, hoping for a nibble.

My big catch

Trail of 100 Giants - at the base of a Giant Sequoia

Looking up at a Giant Sequoia

Passing Baby Penelope!

It was a great weekend, and a wonderful finish to my week-long vacation. I already can't wait for next year's adventures with this wacky group!