Bird

We have a new little friend on our front porch. A little bird has been sleeping up under the eaves in the corner. For the past four nights, he is there about 8 pm, with his head tucked into his chest. Even with turning the light on to walk the dog, and another animal being out there - nothing disturbs him. And in the morning, he is gone. On the third night he came, of course I had to name him. So now, each night we check to see if Winston is out there and wish him goodnight!

Cats

I took Molly to the vet today to get her nails trimmed. For many reasons, we cannot do this at home. She is impossible to handle, with the skwirming around and biting at us. And she has black nails - very difficult to see how much to cut. So every two months or so, she goes in for a trim.

I was getting heartworm medicine for her. The tech asked if I needed it for just her. I remarked that she is an only "child" - no other pets at our house. And she asked "what about the cats?" What cats?? Apparently, we also have three cats - Max, Callie, and Simon. She wondered why they didn't need medicine, and she mentioned that they had never been in to the vet. I told her that we didn't, nor had we ever had cats.

Who knows how they got attached to our account. They've been there since 2005. The mystery cats are now removed from our account. I'd always wondered why they asked if it was Molly that was coming in, like there was a choice. But apparently there WAS a choice. I just didn't know until today!!

Outdoors!

This morning, we drove out to Bass Pro Shop. It's not really close to our house. And we never really have had a reason to go. So this was our first visit. My husband won a gift card in a golf tourney for Bass Pro. And we are the last people that would need this gift card. The driveway into the store was very long - kind of like a queue at a theme park... getting you in the mood for the ride. But when we finally did get there, as we suspected, we stuck out like sore thumbs. And they didn't even have golf stuff in the store like we had hoped (it's only offered online). But I did get a hat - with SPF! I had been wanting a hat - and it made the trip worthwhile!!

That afternoon, I planted my garden. It was much easier this year. Well, last year I had to dig up the entire bed and actually MAKE the garden bed. And I still had the rings of the soaker hose pinned down. So all I had to do was rake the mulch to the side to find the rings! Well that and dig a little holes! I planted 3 tomato plants and 1 pepper plant. And the big mass of green on the left is chocolate mint, which aggressively came back from last year. While outside, I noticed the grass needed to be mowed. After mowing and planting, I laid in my hammock.


Just as I was getting relaxed, our neighbors came over to offer to burn my huge pile of limbs and branches. They said they would burn sometime later this week, but I didn't want to miss the opportunity. So I left my cozy hammock and went inside to convince my husband to leave his recliner to transport limbs. They let us borrow their lawn mower trailer and even came over and cut the really big tree limb with a chainsaw.


Then after yard work part two, I went back to the hammock.

So tonight - I am totally exhausted. I feel wiped. But I am very glad that I slathered myself up with sunscreen. Many times I underestimate my time out in the sun. But today I was prepared. But the allergies are hitting. I didn't think they were getting to me as bad as they have. Yuck. But a beautiful day outside was worth it.

Dreams

I've had very vivid dreams the past week or so. They involve people from my past and some fictional people - from movies and TV. These dreams feel very real, but do have quite a movie feeling to them. They really seem long and epic, but I do wake up rested, if not confused! In the morning, I try to remember what the dream was about. I have only been able to do this about half of the time. With the dreams being so vivid, if I do wake up a little - that place where you are still asleep, but aware that consciousness is coming soon - I think that there isn't ANY way I'd forget the dream. But a few hours later, during my morning coffee, I only remember the feeling of the dream and cannot recollect the people or places that had me believing it was real.

Cupcake Pops

I have been inspired recently by several friends and their baking. One of them showed me a blog of an awesome baker and her ideas. Cupcake pops.

I love baking. And these cupcake pops seemed easy enough but still challenging and rewarding. I got my bark for coating and my sticks to make the pops. I was going to wait till this weekend to do it, but I was so excited to try it out.

I made the cake - halving the total recipe so that I didn't have an overwhelming amount of cupcake pops that would need EATING!! Then the assembly began. Crumble. Mix in frosting. Roll in balls. Chill. Shape. Chill again. Then dip into "bottom" bark glaze. Wait. Dip into "top" bark glaze. Wait again. As this was the last step, this waiting was the hardest!!

So the didn't turn out as pretty as the ones from the blog pictures. I didn't really think that they would. But for a first attempt, I think they are pretty cute! And yummy too! Somehow, I was able to eat just one. They are very rich!

Even though these pops were very involved, they were worth it in the
end. Each step was really fun - more like a creative process than just
baking. I will definitely try these again. I do have the other half of
the mix still...

Midway through

...and the finished product!

New door

We got a new front door today! The installer got here at 10am. Right
on time! It was just him and a door in the back of a pickup truck. He
was really nice, soft-spoken and looked like a combination of Uncle
Rico and Matthew McConaughey!!
The process:
10:20 - After measuring, prep and removal of hardware, the old door
was gone. And I heard the click of the door knocker for the last time.
It was sadder than I thought it would be!
10:23 - Loud noises - the trim was coming off!
10:40 - New door on. Already!
10:58 - Trim going back on. Very loud!! He had this cool nail gun
thing that seems to charge itself - air-compressor like!
11:00 - Cigarette smoke smell in the house. Lit candle.
11:07 - He was outside finishing. The inside looked pretty much done.
We are going to have to do some touch up painting. As well as painting
the outside of the door.
11:10 - Caulking
11:15 - Tested the deadbolt and knob.
11:17 - DONE!! He had cleaned up (as much as workmen do) and was gone.

It went really well. And really fast! Besides being able to open and
shut the door easily without major force or leaning in with your body
weight, it's really pretty. I have my first "fancy" door. This is one
of the major things that I wanted for our house. Yea!!

Before:

After:

Favorites

Some of my favorite foods from this week:

Fiber One Honey Clusters (even better than you would think!)
Sun Chips - Garden Salsa flavored (spicy and addictive!)
Lean Pockets - Chicken Fiesta (really good, better than I thought it'd be)


Meat-Stuffed Poblano Peppers
2 servings | 2 peppers per person
I've combined a few recipes together to create my own version!

2 poblano peppers, tops cut off, seeds removed, tops saved (for me, the spicy lover)
2 anaheim peppers, tops cut off, seeds removed (for husband, not so spicy lover)
½ pound lean ground beef, brown and drain
1 small onion , diced
1 can enchilada sauce
½ cup shredded cheese, divided
garlic powder, as desired
onion powder, as desired
taco seasoning, as desired

•Boil water and place peppers into boiling water for about 5 - 10 minutes, until softened slightly.
•Meanwhile, brown the ground beef, then add seasonings and spices, if desired.
Add onion and any other desired fillers (salsa, tomatoes, green peppers)
For a spicy version, chop the tops of the pepper (that were saved) and saute with the onions and beef.
•Remove pepper from water and let them drain a little.
•Handling peppers with care (they're HOT), fill the peppers with the beef mixture. Place in bowl and pour enchilada sauce on top liberally. Top with shredded cheese.
•Microwave* for about 30 - 40 seconds, for cheese to melt slightly.

*Alternatively, place stuffed peppers on baking dish and melt cheese in the oven (I actually haven't done it that way - the microwave is way too easy!)

Bridge?

We are planning to go to Seattle this summer. Again. I loved it so much. We love the cooler weather. My husband has never really been much of a beach person. I used to love it, but now I feel like I'm a Pacific Northwest person. When we were up there 2 years ago, it just felt like home. And it's amazing that you can be somewhere on vacation and it feel like home. I think I may have something like a recessive Pacific Northwest gene that has been dormant but was activated on that trip. I used to adore summer, now I love the cool spring and fall days. I used to despise rain; now I love listening to it, being in it. Even driving in the rain doesn't bother me near as much as it used to. (Although I'm still not a fan of really bad thunderstorms that come with high winds and the threat of tornadoes - not as scary as they used to be!!)
So we are going back to Seattle. Hitting some of the favorite spots from our last trip - Tully's coffee - the Ferry! And going to do some driving to look at nature. So much nature up there, it's hard to decide. I wanted to check out the Olympic Peninsula. The main access point to get to the Peninsula is Hood Canal Bridge.
And in my recent research for the trip, I found this disheartening site. It's called "No Bridge, No Problem." Yikes. The Hood Canal Bridge is going to be closed all of May and the "first half of June." We are taking our already booked trip the third week of June. So here's hoping that they can finish on time - or even early. This is going to be messing up commuters and tourism, so I'm guessing they are going to be constructing pretty fast. But we are cutting it pretty close. There are ways around the bridge. But they are really AROUND. So I'm going to plan 2 routes. One with a bridge. And one without.

Closed Door

I killed ANOTHER wasp in the house. This is getting ridiculous. But I found the problem. Our front door, that has long needed some TLC is now a little crooked. It's slightly slanted in it's rectangle frame. Well, a lot slanted. There is a crack down one of the panes that I have caulked from the inside. And it really doesn't open or close very smoothly at all. When it is either very cold or very hot, the door really doesn't want to cooperate. Also, there is a gap on the top corner - which is how all of our buzzing friends were getting in, I figure. I got some foam tape to put around various parts of the door and the frame, hoping that this would help the bug problem. But our latest visitor got in the day after. Maybe he was already here.
He was on a ceiling light fixture. Not the best place to try to kill a wasp. After pathetically swatting a few times – and then waiting for a while, I took one last swat. And he just caved. He just fell on the floor and waited to be hit for the final blow. A very passive wasp – just like I like them.
So the foam tape being the "final straw" so to speak, we went and ordered a new front door. I am so excited about it looking pretty. But I am even more excited about it being able to perform the functions of a door - opening and shutting! And the energy efficiency is going to be great too!

Shopping

I like to wait till the second half of the month to do any shopping - for extra things, i.e. clothes and such. I have a budget - a money "plan" for each month. Since I'm pretty much the spender in the family (my husband is the bill-payer), I like to have an idea of how much that I'm letting go of in a month - and where it's going!
So why the waiting for the 15th of the month to pass? I have a tendency to spend 3/4 of my budget in one category on the 6th of the month. Then on the 24th, I'll think, "Oh, I have plenty of money in that category left!" Only to find out when I get home that I really only had $10 and am now $30 over-budget. Waiting enables me to have more of an idea of what I want/need and can thoughtfully plan for purchases.
So, I did go shopping. I ended up getting a thin sweater, dressier jeans (that were marked down from $89 to $16 - and fit perfectly), and an awesome brush. Yes, I got really excited about a new hairbrush. It has copper bristles set on one of those cushion things. And the copper bristles - they massage your scalp and de-tangle with ease. It's the best brush that I've ever had!

Fast, Indeed

I was just getting started on my second half of the week - the half I don't work. I made my grocery list and then I was looking for some books at the library - through the online catalog. I like to swing by the library on the way to the store! The online reservation system is great. It opens up all of the libraries that are in the system, without having to actually GO to them. All you do is click the "request" button, then they notify you when the book is sitting there at YOUR library waiting with your name on it!
There was one book that I wanted to check out, but at my branch, as well as other branches, it was checked out. I knew, being a new release, that I would have to just put a hold on it and wait. I thought I'd have to wait about a week or two. So I continued looking on the site for another book I could check out. But in about 30 minutes - after looking at the online catalog, piddling a little more on the internet and then getting ready to walk out the door, I got a call from the automated service that it was on hold for me already. So when I went to the library, I was able to get THAT book. And good thing, they didn't have that second book that I picked out! Talk about service. That online system really does work! I couldn't believe how fast it was this time. I thought I’d have to wait a week or so. But all I waited was 45 minutes, if you could really call that waiting. More like “time elapsed”

Wall of Fame

This past week at work, I had to input a 125 part order. To give you an idea of how big that is, most orders are about 5 parts. A BIG order is about 10 - 15 parts. So a 125 part order is just crazy huge. It took me so long to do – about an hour. I felt like after I finished I should have my picture taken and put on the wall! Like an eating contest or something like that! Not that I was the only one to ever input a monster order like that. But succeeding in finishing it was quite a victory. I felt like part of an unseen wall of fame!

Slow Week

Various things over the past week:

First rose of the season on my rosebush!


And, I have amazingly been able to stay WELL with a sick husband - going on 2 weeks now.

And I won - well, I won because I lost so many times - at my first Bunco game. 10 bucks is 10 bucks, though. I feel like a winner!