a breath before the next plunge

things have been busy these last few weeks. thanksgiving was shared at our house again this year, giving me a reason to clean the house from top to bottom. sometimes i really need good motivation like that to get some things cleaned and organized. i never could have done it without my mother-in-love though, best babysitter ever :)

audrey's been busy as well and is now the proud owner of a perfect pair of teeth. they came out at the same time and i'm so thankful they weren't too tough for her. mostly she was extra clingy & fussy, but nothing like the horror stories i've heard. its hard to believe she'll be eight months in less than two weeks!

i'm looking forward to lots of family visiting for christmas, especially my dad who i haven't seen in awhile. gosh, it's almost time to start cleaning again ;)

it's (almost) the most wonderful time of the year

its that time of year when i eagerly wait for my martha stewart special christmas issue in the mail. i mean, its that time of year when i begin marking off my christmas gift list. i mean, when i buy my christmas cards & round up the lucky addresses. i mean, when i wonder why we only bought one tiny space heater for the house and if i could find a similar one on sale. i mean, when i begin to mentally plan christmas dinner. i mean, begin to search for the most adorable christmas dress for my favorite sugarplum. i mean, find time and beg the inlaws to take new a new holiday family photo for us that we can all agree on. i mean, plant the cool weather spinach, lettuce and carrot crops i suddenly decided to try. i mean, begin to clean and redecorate the guest room for my lovely mum. i mean, find the most well thought and perfect birthday gift for the hubbs. i mean, all of the above?

please join me as i raise my cup of hot chocolate in honor of the busiest & cheeriest time of the year :)

family photo outtake

i'm excited

we're having a halloween party/spooky movie night at our house on saturday and i'm making butterbeer. i found the recipe online and since the movies will probably go late, what's better on a chilly night than a hot cup of butterbeer??

4 cups cream soda
2-3 tbsp butter
2-3 tbsp brown sugar
1 cup cream
4 or 5 Werther's Originals

1. Put the cream soda in a pan to boil.
2. Melt the butter and sugar together until the sugar has dissolved.
3. Pour the butter and sugar mixture into the pan of boiling cream soda.
4. Add the cream.
5. Add the Werther's Originals and stir continuously until they melt.
6. Serve hot

bon appétit!!

had breakfast and a movie with maria this morning. breakfast was mama ham's buttermilk waffles and we watched julie & julia while we crocheted our baby blankets. we both were craving brie and baguettes afterward!

julia child would be proud of all the butter i used

also,

it's a little belated but....

i found some luck while watering my plants this week :)

a happy saint patrick's day to you!

be jealous. be very jealous of my lothlorien pin my dear mother gave to me for christmas one year. it's perfect to wear on saint patrick's day!

i've been very absent lately on the blogging front. i can't seem to focus on anything more than three minutes these days. i have a snuggly baby blanket i need to finish crocheting before my little snuggly baby arrives. i love to crochet but having a deadline makes it feel surprisingly like a homework project. a deadline that could come any time!

i wanted to share a few pictures of my exploding jasmine on the back porch. oh, you just can't imagine the sweet smell that waifs into my bedroom at night! so sweet! i'm trying to train it to climb the post, but i need to get garden ties and tie it up first. one step at a time i suppose.

my sister gave me these adorable measuring cups! thanks valerie!

sending a little rainy day optimism your way....

this morning is beautiful and sunny as all mornings are after a good rain. the sun seems to shine a little brighter, the dew a little shinier, and the air much fresher. how appropriate that the last day of the year seems to offer so much hope in such a beautiful and final way. sometimes you can only see the beauty of a storm once it's over, the strength of a hug after a good cry, or the renewal of hope after your soul has been bruised and wrung. though i do not have the talent or wisdom to pull you out of your dark storm, i am here with a little shelter and a little light.

i'm wishing you many beautiful dewy mornings.

simple pleasures...

...are enjoying yummy peppermint hot chocolate while at work, and streaming christmas music over the internet. (peppermint hot chocolate shown, christmas music not shown)

:D happy birthday to my momma too! love you! :D

drizzle & tinsel

we woke up this morning to the beautiful sound of rain. mondays don't seem so bad on rainy mornings. :)

you'd be surprised how warm our house gets with this little guy.

christmastime.

our little apartment tree still works fine. :)

inns & outs

i was downtown today running some errands for work and i was surprised to see that the mission inn had already started decorating for the festival of lights. i suppose it is about that time, the festival starts november 27 and more than 3 million lights must be strung up by then. i'm excited to show my parents how beautiful downtown riverside is for the holidays. :)



jack in the boxes!


yesterday i spent a good amount of time on the front porch reading and enjoying the fresh air. its so nice not to smell wildfires anymore!

rainy zoo day.

on saturday michael granted my birthday wishes and took me to the LA zoo. it was a rainy and amazing day. the zoo was so quiet without the usual crowds and it was nice to walk hand in hand together under our umbrellas. the best animal we saw was the steller's sea eagle. i couldn't get a proper picture of it because of the cage, but whoa was it impressive! it's 3 feet tall and almost the size of a condor. the 9-foot long male komodo dragon was also pretty sweet.

foggy day optimism!

it's my birthday today, i am twenty-five. it's a little strange to think of myself at twenty-five, especially since i still look about seventeen. i get carded a lot, not that i buy loads of alcohol or anything. it's more like the people at the grocery store watch me and wonder how i'm getting home. sometimes they'll offer to buy me candy bars. they probably figure my mom's going to come pick me up and change before we go to my soccer game. not really, that was a bunch of made-up stuff, but being 5'2'' tall doesn't help. (i've had a lot of coffee this morning by the way)

i bought a tea-latte at starbucks as a birthday present to myself. it's called London Fog and it's wicked good. sort of an earl grey/lavender brew. i suggest getting it without the vanilla syrup, unless you like your tea very sweet. i substitute it with a little honey. :)

on a more somber note, today is also the anniversary of roe v. wade. today people in our nation are celebrating the right to kill their unborn children. (i'm going to stand up on my little soap-box for a second...) when my mother was pregnant with me, she had many complications during her pregnancy. long story short, her doctors suggested she have an abortion because it was too risky to her health. thankfully she, laughed in their faces, chose to continue the pregnancy and gave birth to a healthy chubby jenny. if my mother had been anyone else, i might not have been able to celebrate my twenty-fifth birthday today. so yeah, abortion is a personal issue for me. after three miscarriages i truly see children as a blessing. as a person unable to experience such a blessing, i just cannot understand why someone would willingly terminate a pregnancy.

i don't usually dip into the political world, forgive me if my words were unorganized. i'd love to talk more though, say over some London Fog maybe? ;)

2009.

as i tried to remind myself (over and over again) to write "09" on today's date, i wondered, as many people do, what the year 2009 might bring. will we be able to pay our new fat morgage payments?!? will there be another unbearable indian summer? will i have any new additions to the family, be it either human or animal? i also thought about how 2009 meant that it's been seven years since i graduated high school, four years since i first met michael and especially how it's been (nearly) 25 years since i was a chubby, wobbly baby.

curious as i am about the future, i just hope that this year turns out safe and healthy for everyone. (sappy and cliche i know, but) happy new year!

merry christmas!

here are some new house pictures for you to enjoy on your vacation. :D there is still a lot to do (especially in the kitchen) but at least it's starting to look cozy.

oak glen.

my sister had her 30th birthday this past weekend so my brother, his fiance brandi, michael and i took valerie to oak glen on sunday. the trees were turning color, the air smelled sweet and crisp and the company was good. apple pies, caramel apples and pumpkin butter were for sale. fallen leaves were to be crunched, fresh BBQ to be smelled, parking spaces to be fought for, and pigmy-goats to be laughed at. i hope you had a happy birthday vallie!

here's a few pictures i took as well as a few that i snagged from my sister and brother. ;)








24 more days until their big day! awwwwwwwww...

my (hopeful) thanksgiving ideas.

we've been waiting to hear about whether or not our offer has been accepted on our dream home since april, (APRIL!?!) and we now hear that we may be getting a call any day now with the news. (humpf, scoff scoff) i had planned to host a halloween party with friends, caramel apples and costumes, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen this year. :(

so instead, i'm going to focus all my creative thoughts on thanksgiving. :) with my grandparents, in-laws and brother and sister (with respective spouses!) planning on coming over, i have a few ideas to make it our first thanksgiving in the new house memorable.



okay, technically my thanksgiving ideas are actually martha stewart's ideas, but oh how i love to drool over her magazines. hehe. so far my menu ideas include green bean casserole, fresh cranberry sauce (my specialty), my grandma's delicious mashed potatoes, gravy, pumpkin and dutch apple pies, stuffing, and of course, turkey. a fairly traditional fare actually, but i'm not sure what my mom-in-love might have in mind. i'm sure i'll have some more dishes to add later. mmmm!


i love this idea of carving notches out of the tops of apples and putting tea lights inside. i think it would be very cute to line them down the table, or set one at each place setting. it's very easy, all you need is a melon-baller.










these pumpkin yarn balls are adorable, and easy! i love that you can use them all season long and store them away for next year.



are there special traditions or dishes that anyone wants to share?

;)

fall meme!

thanks to lauren for doing her fall meme, fall is my favorite season!

When does fall begin for you?
when the stores start to carry their fall decorations, (even though this actually starts mid-august it still makes me happy, because then i'm reminded of how soon it's coming!) i usually buy a few pumpkin spice and apple cinnamon candles about this time so that the house seems more cozy.

What is your favorite aspect of fall?
the changing color of the leaves, the cool evenings, sweaters, the anticipation of the holidays.

What is your favorite fall memory?
when i was living on my own on the oregon coast. every morning the fog would hug the mountains and the trees would slowly turn color. i got a lot of use out of my peacoat that year. :)

What do you like to drink in the fall?
hot apple cider with caramel! hot cocoa with peppermint! chai tea!

What’s your favorite fall food?
turkey on thanksgiving and mashed potatoes.

What is fall weather like where you live?
it's very mild and dry. early in the season it's usually warm until the nights slowly get cooler and darker.

What color is fall?
orange and/or brown.

What does fall smell like?
pumpkin pie, turkey cooking in the oven, caramel apples.

Holiday shopping in fall:
it's always been my idea to get my holiday shopping done early, but i usually find better sales in december.

If you could go anywhere in the fall, where would you go?
maine.

What is your favorite fall sport?
football plays regularly in our house. :) i was never a big football fan before, but it's become a tradition with michael and i since we've been married. it now gives me a nice nostalgic feeling.

Do you have a favorite fall chore?
with the possibility of finally having a house this year, i've been mentally planning thanksgiving dinner and centerpieces. it will be nice to have my grandma, mother-in-love and sister to help with everything! (i'm so excited!!!)

What is your least favorite thing about fall?
the persisting heat. >:( grrrrrrrr!


What is your favorite fall holiday?
THANKSGIVING!!!

What’s your favorite kind of pie?
pumpkin pie, but dutch apple pie is a very close second!

Which do you prefer, the Farm or the Fair?
not sure, neither were a big tradition with my family. i do like to drive to tom's farms in corona and to look at all the cute homemade things. i don't buy anything, too expensive, it's great for ideas though!

Do you have a favorite fall book?
hmm, don't think so. i did see a cute children's book in borders a few weeks ago about a pumpkin that didn't get picked from the patch. eventually it was made into a jack-o-lantern and was happy.

How about a favorite fall poem or quote?
i don't have either, but i can think of a song: "autumn in new york" by ella fitzgerald and louis armstrong. check it out!

friends & fireworks.

today our friends paul, jen and their adorable daughter franny are driving back home to arizona. they and chris stayed with us on thursday night and i was surprised how easy it was to sleep that many people in our little apartment. in the morning the boys went for a bike ride and the girls had breakfast and took joey to the dog park.

after they left to visit with paul's brother for the fourth of july, mike chris and i drove up to big bear to see the fireworks at the lake. it was amazing. i love big bear, but especially on independence day. last year we stuck around riverside and it was just not fun. we drove up to a park on the top of a hill but there weren't any good fireworks worth seeing. while we were sitting on the grass and just starting to think of leaving, the sprinklers suddenly turned on and we had to make a mad dash to the cars.

we were able to spend last night with paul and jen again before they left and i was glad we did. we had a great time. hopefully we can return the favor and go visit them in arizona real soon. too bad it's about 114 degrees there!


although he doesn't show it here, joey was extremely happy to be at the park. really.


this is a friendly pug that we quickly made friends with. he was very chubby and couldn't breathe very well without snorting.

'Beannachtam na Feile Padraig!'

(happy st. patrick's day!)



in honor of such a great holiday, i leave you with a little irish wisdom...

"Saint Patrick was a gentleman,
who through strategy and stealth,
drove all the snakes from Ireland,
here’s a toasting to his health.
but not too many toastings
lest you lose yourself and then
forget the good Saint Patrick
and see all those snakes again."

"may the road rise to meet you,
may the wind be always at your back,
may the sun shine warm upon your face,
the rains fall soft upon your fields,
and until we meet again,
may God hold you
in the palm of his hand."

"if God sends you down a stony path, may he give you strong shoes."

"may neighbors respect you,
trouble neglect you,
the angels protect you,
and heaven accept you."

"bricks and mortar make a house but the laughter of children makes a home."

"may your day be touched
by a bit of Irish luck,
brightened by a song in your heart,
and warmed by the smiles
of the people you love."

"a family of Irish birth will argue and fight, but let a shout come from without and see them all unite."

"may love and laughter light your days,
and warm your heart and home.
may good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.
may peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.
may all life's passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours!"


(and hey, i even found one with a little rainy day optimisim!)
"may the blessing of the rain be on you—
the soft sweet rain.
may it fall upon your spirit
so that all the little flowers may spring up,
and shed their sweetness on the air.
may the blessing of the great rains be on you,
may they beat upon your spirit
and wash it fair and clean,
and leave there many a shining pool
where the blue of heaven shines,
and sometimes a star."

"erin go braugh!"

happy st. valentine's day!

happy creamy-chocolately filled day to you all!
in honor of such a sweet and romantic holiday, here's a recipe from my favorite recipe source, MARTHA STEWART! i haven't tried it yet, but it looks so good. (i know it's not an organic recipe, but at least it doesn't have any fuctose corn syrup or red #40.)



Pecan Linzer Cookies with Cherry Filling!

ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup pecan halves, toasted
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, plus more for sprinkling
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup cherry jam, strained

directions:
Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl; set aside. Pulse pecans, confectioners' sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a food processor until finely ground (but not wet); transfer to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Add butter and granulated sugar; mix on medium speed until fluffy. Mix in vanilla and egg. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; mix until combined. Halve dough; shape into disks. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Working with 1 disk at a time, roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/8 inch thick. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Cut out squares with a 2-inch fluted cutter. Cut out centers of half the squares with a 1/2-inch heart cutter; reroll scraps. Space 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake squares and hearts until pale golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to racks to cool.
Meanwhile, heat jam in a small saucepan over medium heat until reduced and thickened, about 7 minutes; let cool.
Sprinkle cutout cookies with confectioners' sugar. Spread jam onto uncut squares; top with cutout ones. Store in an airtight container up to 2 days.