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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!