My world through a shutter

I'm moving!!!

2011-09-28T17:32:00.000-07:00

And you know what that means... lots of packing, rearranging and unpacking again.

I'm moving my blog to the address below...

http://mylifeaslori.wordpress.com/

Stop by for a visit?! I think you're going to like what you see!!!

What my soul has been thinking about...

2011-09-17T08:03:00.000-07:00

Over the past few months I've had this “picture” pop up in my head a few times: Two friends (walking or standing) content to have found friendship in each other, trusting the other... the part that stands out is the fact that these friend's elbows are interlocked.

Stop for a minute and think about that.

When was the last time you stood next to a friend, and simply just stood there, interlocked at the elbows? Was it at a wedding? Was it your sister? Your best buddy? How old were you? 5? 37? Were you laughing? Smiling? Crying? Was it comfortable? Uncomfortable? Too close for comfort?

Or would allowing someone to get that close be considered “invading your personal space”?

That's me. I have a great need for my own personal space. Don’t take this the wrong way, but I consider you a uniquely special individual if you are allowed into my personal space. For your own personal reference, my personal space consists of a 3 foot circumference all the way around me. I realize that makes me sound like a jerk. I apologize in advance. And I’m working on that.

Can you tell I'm a little protective of my personal space?

Well, this “picture” keeps coming back to me. And I'm still not sure what it is supposed to mean. Is there some deep personal meaning I should be taking from this?

If I could for a minute, let me give you a little background... I'm a tom-boy. I remember that as a kid I would have much rather played outside (or played board games or created something) instead of "playing dolls" or "dress up" or pretending to be a princess. That said, I had more BOY friends than GIRL friends. I can count on 1 hand the number of girl friends I had growing up. And admittedly, I cannot recall if I ever locked elbows with any of these friends.

Don't get me wrong, I had a lot of fun times with friends. Look at my childhood and teenage pictures and you'll see I enjoyed time with my friends. There were a lot of good memories. But... the elbows? Really?! That's just too close!

So what does this reoccurring “picture” mean? I'm not sure. Is it a sign that I need to have more close girl friends? Maybe. Is it a sign that my friendships would benefit from more intimacy? Maybe. Is it a sign that my soul is hungry for more of these friendships? Maybe.

First time this “picture” hit me:

It is about a friend I will refer to as “Christie” – she knows who she is. We've known each other for a couple years. We've enjoyed a fun road trip together with other girlfriends. We've laughed and cried and gotten in trouble together. We get each other's odd (and sometimes rude) sense of humor (admittedly, that's kinda scary). I was looking forward to spending time with her one weekend, several months back. Since then we have started a weekly (almost) Bible study. Have we yet walked around with locked elbows? No. But I would say we have established a great friendship. I would do anything for her.

I told her about the “picture”. At least I tried. I stood there in front of her, attempting to explain. Then, in a moment of wondering if she was understanding me, I grabbed her arm and locked elbows (as if physically showing her was going to make her see the same picture?!). She looked at me weird.

Second time seeing this “picture”

I think it just happened in passing. I cannot recall that there was any friend in mind, specifically. But there it was again. What is the meaning of this picture???

Third time seeing this “picture”

When running into someone I would call an "acquaintance", I will call her by her initials “A.P.” My friend – I believe you will know who you are when reading this description: We've only spoken a handful of times, at church. I'm an avid reader of her blog. From what I can tell, her blogging policy is "complete transparency" (which I LOOOOVE). She shares her hopes, dreams, disappointments, greatest joys, etc. Her writing is very candid – which is so inspiring! Her regular posts have made me laugh and cry.

But are we “close”? No. So why did I see that picture again? I don't know. Do I feel a connection with her tied to her blogging transparency? Maybe. Is that weird? Maybe. Is it meant for she and I to spend more time together? Maybe. Does this indicate that I have a hunger for transparency? Maybe.

Epiphany
Then it all came together when @revchico asked: “Some ideas satisfy the mind but not the soul and soon become obsolute. What is your soul thinking about today?”

Without even stopping to think about it this is my response: “That longing to have close personal relationships with Christ and other Christians. To be true and honest and vulnerable and supportive and full of grace towards our family in Christ.”

But let me expound on that a bit more, if I might: That answer doesn’t even touch the surface of why my soul is thinking about. I want so much more than that. I want true community. (After all, we were made for community.) I am longing for true ‘til-the-day-I-die relationships. I am longing for friendships that are loving, supportive and forgiving. I am praying for TRUE godly friendships… where we can support each other, hold each other accountable (without hurt feelings), serve each other, enjoy a good belly-laugh with each other and simply sit in silence together. I long for friendships where we can cry together, be mad together (if the occasion calls for it), go to bat for each other and celebrate life together. I want us to grow together, become better friends and individuals because of each other, and live life together.

I want the absence of religious beliefs. I want the absence of judgmental attitudes. I want the absence of mistrust. I want the absence of past hurts haunting our futures together and individually.

More than anything I recognize that I need to get out of my own way and just be sincere and true and authentic. And what a thing to ask of my friends (and myself): to be sincere and true and authentic. Talk about trust… what a humbling thought. After all, I have often failed at this. Why would anyone trust me enough to be vulnerable with me?!

All we can do, each of us, is take the first step…

Walk with me? Tell me about yourself, your dreams, your fears, your hurts, your joys… and please bear with me. I might mess up at some point. And because of that I’m going to need your support and love and forgiveness.

Who’s with me?

EDITOR’S NOTE:
In response to the above blog a friend asked “But some of the things you want absent are the very things that make us who we really are ;-)”

So let’s take another look at what I said:

“I want the absence of religious beliefs. I want the absence of judgmental attitudes. I want the absence of mistrust. I want the absence of past hurts haunting our futures together and individually.”

So to my friend who asks the good questions: I completely agree, 100%!!! I guess instead of sharing the “What I don’t want…” message what I should have said is more like this:

“Even if we still fall into our ‘resounding religious beliefs’, revert to our judgmental attitudes, fall into our patterns of mistrust or even by allowing past hurts to haunt our futures together… let’s support each other to be healthier, more trusting, more forgiving individuals/family members/friends. We’re still going to fail. And when that happens we’re still going to need good friends by our side.”

Wine tasting in Paso Robles

2011-06-07T08:07:00.000-07:00

On Memorial Day we packed up the car and headed north ... final destination Pismo Beach. Other stops included: Santa Barbara, Arroyo Grande, Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo and of course Paso Robles...

Every now and then I get a longing to drive through these rollings hills where I once lived... my childhood full of memories of beach days, camping trips, playing with frogs in the creek and that sweet feeling of surrender... so we made it happen! After MUCH deliberation we planned our trip... and wouldn't trade it for the world!

So today I am finally getting around to blog about our wine tasting tour through Paso Robles...

We parked downtown Paso Robles and waited for the The Wine Line bus to pick us up. How does The Wine Line work? Well, like a true tour bus...

Of course you can check out their website for the full story.

Lori Jean's version? Riders can hop off the bus at any vineyard or tasting room, hang out for a while, and then hop back on the bus when they're ready to move on to the next stop... and for the record, they are THE best way to experience Paso Robles' vineyards!

Since we'd never been through wine country in Paso Robles before we let them suggest which vineyards we should stop at and in which order. There was 1 additional couple on the bus with us... and we all just tagged along and enjoyed the day together. Afterall, we do love talking to strangers, meeting new people and finding out what we have in common... it was a perfect day!

Come with us on the pictorial review of our tour... ?

How wine tasting works in Paso Robles
As we visited various vineyards we found each vineyard has a different deal on prices for tasting. One place gave us 5 free tastings, another let us try ALL 10 of their wines for $3 and others were the standard $5 for 5 tastings. And yet another waived the tasting fee if we bought a bottle of wine.

You see, the proprietors want you to taste their wine in hopes that you'll buy wine (and buy a lot of it). Obviously they don't make much on selling tastings... they make their money by selling wine. (And sending people like us home share pics and talk about how great the wine is, friendly the vineyard staff is and how priceless an experience it all was!)

We started at Castoro Cellars ... where we learned they are currently bottling the "Coastal" brand for Trader Joe's. (note to self!)

The vineyard and grounds look like you'd expect a vineyard to look like. There is a long walkway up to the tasting room, rolling hills of vineyards, a large patio with chairs and tables placed strategically to enjoy the view, bundles of California poppies and lavendar speckling the planters and large empty barrels sitting about.

The tasting room was as comfortable as my imaginary italian aunt's home ... the walls painted in warm yellow tones and rich cabinetry... sofas and chairs and a big fireplace. Our Wine Line Guide was right... this was the perfect place to start!

While I had been wine tasting once or twice at local tasting rooms my hero-of-a-hubby has not. So we asked for the beginner's tour at our first vineyard stop. The friendly wine steward took her time to help us become comfortable with the "in's and out's" of tasting. She explained "how" flavors work, how to taste, how to ALWAYS ignore the first sip and to judge the wine off of the second taste.

She was patient with us, funny, knowledgable and excited about 2 particular wines that we couldn't wait to taste!

We tried 5 wines for FREE and bought a 2007 Zinfusion (this was not her favorite - but it WAS in our price range). Perfect way to start the tour!

I took a gander through their shop and stopped briefly in front of the syrups, jams, marinades, etc.

I could literally sit here all day... but alas, this is the just the beginning. We had several more hours of this.

So I kept walking...

Afterall, this is just the first stop!

We came, we tasted, we conquered! Time to hop back in the bus and move on to vineyard/tasting room #2...

Tasting #2 at Zenaida Cellars - surrounded by yet another awe-inspiring view from the patio...

This tasting room had a completely different feel to it... dark black-brown painted cabinetry, antiqued gray-tan walls, blue neon lights hanging from the ceiling. Just felt a bit more "cool" and updated, like a downtown loft.

We enjoyed 5 wines for a small fee... and took home their Zc Red. While my hubby was paying our bill I took the opportunity to stroll around their property a bit...

And you guessed it, again I found that I wanted to sit here all day!

But no sitting was going to be done quite yet. I just couldn't... afterall, it's only noon! We've got some more touring and tasting to do! Let's get a wiggle on...

Tasting #3 - (admittedly, my favorite stop of the day)... AronHill Vineyards

We drove up, climbed out of the van and saw THIS view...

Now THIS?! THIS is where I was going to sit for a while.

I mean, can you blame me?! Look at that view! It was a perfect 71 degrees outside with a slight breeze and we were among fantastic company!

Our Wine Line guide brought out the pre-ordered lunches (sandwich, potato salad and fruit) as we were treated to a remarkable wine tasting affair.

It is apparent that Judy, the proprietor of Aron Hill Vineyards, is in love with what she does on a daily basis! Not only did she personally deliver our tastings and talked to us about each wine... but she had a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye that showed me she has found her passion in life and is living it outloud!

Can I tell you how much I love that?!

We sat, enjoyed lunch, enjoyed 5 tastings and took in this view...

We didn't rush to get up and Nic, our Wine line guide, talked to us about the history of this region, how certain aspects of the wine industry work and his personal travels.

We brought home a bottle of the best wine we'd tasted all day, Judy's 2006 Primitivo and two pieces of her stemware.

We helped ourselves to a self-guided tour of her new tasting room (it opened less than a month ago), which included her new shiny (and fully-stocked) chef's kitchen where they will soon start preparing/selling food for lunches, etc. I noted she had a few panini presses and said "Oh - we'll be back!"

Let it be known - the tour could have been over at this point. My expectations had been greatly exceeded and the rest of the day paled in comparison... (sorry in advance to the next 2 vineyards, I'm just sayin'... )

Tasting #4 at Norman Vineyards ... known for their Monster Zinfandel. We brought home 2 bottles...

It was obvious they were cat lovers (that's neither a good or bad thing) ... not to mention the company logo.

I enjoyed strolling around their property with my camera, and of course with the cats following every move...

And it was time to get back in the bus...

Tasting #5 at Rotta Winery... the oldest family-owned winery in San Luis Obispo county.

As soon as I walked in I wondered if I was on the set of "Will & Grace". Why? Our wine steward was the spittin' image of Karen! Rather weird and comical all at the same time... but I didn't say anything to her until the end.

On one end of the bar was a group of 3 guys who had obviously been drinking (oh, rather "tasting") for a good portion of the day (and one who smelled pretty ripe, I might say)... these boys were "good ol' boys" and were giving the wine steward quite the trouble. But it was all in fun...

Here we enjoyed a taste of each of their wines (I think a dozen of them?) for $3! Yes, only $3. We were definitely feeling our wine at this point...

Look at all those awards! They wanted us to TASTE what made them so good!

Ugh... it was now about 4:30 pm and we had been "tasting" since 11 am. Phew... I needed to sit down again (while I'm on that subject - why don't these tasting rooms have chairs to sit in?!)... but the tv show look-alike was keeping us on our toes!

We brought home the 2007 Estate Zinfandel... she explained that this was the reason we came in today. And she was right! It's pretty darn fantastic!

As we said our goodbyes at Rotta I asked the wine steward if anyone had ever mentioned her uncanny resemblance to Karen of "Will & Grace"... she laughed out loud (just like Karen, of course) and said "NO - but I love it!"

Then we hopped back in the bus, rehydrating with WATER and took the leisurely drive back into town... and our thoughtful and helpful Wine Line driver dropped us at a dinner locale downtown Paso Robles, just about a block from where we had parked. We slowly ate dinner, drank WATER and chatted over the favorite's of the day, how we were impressed with the whole experience, etc.

We eventually walked back towards the truck and made our way back to our hotel in Pismo Beach.

We talked about how glad we were to have been able to experience this, and dreamed about how soon we can come back! We are glad we toured Paso Robles for our first wine tasting tour together... it was a complete experience!

(And we have half of a case of wine to prove it! Sheesh!)

Best part of it, my hero-of-a-hubby and I haven't gotten away (just the two of us) for quite a number o years. We relished in the opportunity to reconnect, dream and relax together. What a treat...

And I leave you with this...

“When wine enlivens the heart, may friendship surround the table.” - Oliver Wendell Holmes

life is good...

on today's news of Osama's demise...

2011-05-02T17:26:00.000-07:00

Mixed emotions today…
Is the news of Osama Bin Laden’s death cause for celebration?
Is it relief that I feel? That a global terrorist can no longer wreak havoc?
Is it sadness I feel? That the world is rejoicing in someone’s death?

Whatever it is… we all lived through the horrendous, scary, life-altering attacks on 9/11. Most of us remember exactly where we were when we got the news of the first plane crashing into the Tower. We were speechless as we watched the second plane fly into the second tower. We cried, we got angry… we all dealt with that day in or own ways.

And now this… we’re all processing the news of OBL’s death in our own way, in our own timing, according to our own perspective and through our own filters.

What if?
We happened to be watching Fox News when Geraldo made his giddy announcement “Osama bin Laden is dead!” The inappropriate nature of his response immediately brought up a check in my soul. ::: Is he really celebrating someone’s death?! ::: Next he said something like “This is the greatest night of my career!” ::: Is he really making this about him?! ::: And the longer we watched the more I knew I couldn’t keep watching. As a Christian, it didn’t feel right to be victorious in someone’s demise, no matter how evil he was.

What if Geraldo had reacted differently? Imagine… what if he had delivered a message more like this: “US Military forces have seen to it that FBI’s Most Wanted global terrorist can no longer plan mass murders and kill any of our loved ones. Following the President’s orders, he has been taken by force and did not survive.”
Would the tone of last night’s news have been a bit different? Maybe. But we will never know.

Instead we will react to this news, feel emotions and process it the only way we each know how to… and that looks different for each of us.

Do me a favor?
If someone blogs / tweets / updates their Facebook status or starts up the water cooler conversation with a point of view that doesn’t necessarily match your own belief system please remember that their words are more about how THEY are processing this emotional news than how they think their 436 readers or co-workers SHOULD be processing the news. Please, please… don’t turn their point of view around to attack that person for their beliefs or morals… and please don’t argue with the person… that’s what got us here in the first place.

If you do anything in the next few months, as our country processes these changes, please be gracious and allow your fellow American citizen, family of a service member and/or family member of someone who died in 9/11 to process this in their own time, in their own way.

That’s why we’re here… to be with each other, help each other, stand beside each other… not tear each other down.

And that’s just my two cents on the topic…

But I can't help but wonder how God views all of this, because of a verse I shared a few months ago. We may never know...

Psalm 11
For the director of music. Of David.

1 In the LORD I take refuge.
How then can you say to me:
“Flee like a bird to your mountain.

2 For look, the wicked bend their bows;
they set their arrows against the strings
to shoot from the shadows
at the upright in heart.

3 When the foundations are being destroyed,
what can the righteous do?”

4 The LORD is in his holy temple;
the LORD is on his heavenly throne.
He observes everyone on earth;
his eyes examine them.

5 The LORD examines the righteous,
but the wicked, those who love violence,
he hates with a passion.

6 On the wicked he will rain
fiery coals and burning sulfur;
a scorching wind will be their lot.

7 For the LORD is righteous,
he loves justice;
the upright will see his face.

Garden report: I'll soon be in iris heaven

2011-04-13T16:13:00.000-07:00

Spring brings daily surprises... and so I think I'm outside more during spring to expect and watch for those surprises. Hence, the season is fighting with Fall for my devotion as "favorite season" (not that us Californians experience much in the way of 'seasons'). Completely understandable, right?!

So, I've learned a lot about the iris in the past 5 months. Several months ago I participated in a plant swap and received about a dozen iris rhizomes with one of the nicest "complete strangers" I've ever met. Now, wishing we had stayed in contact...

Ayway, I decided to do a blog post on the life cycle of an iris...

What is a rhizome?
Above is a picture of a spent iris plant. The rhizome is "a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes may also be referred to as creeping rootstalks or rootstocks." All sorts of plants grow from rhizomes instead of seeds. And it's quite a rad process. (Yes, I said rad!)

In the picture above you'll see that it looks dead and dried out. Well, the stock above the rhizome is, yes, quite dried out. The nicest-stranger-I've-ever-met probably cut off the blossom and left the green leaves on the plant to die. Once the rhizome blossoms, it's done blossoming for that season. With irises, each rhizome will produce one blossom per season. Depending on the variety of plant you can place the rhizomes very close to each other when planting, and it will make a dramatic effect in the springtime.

Before I placed the donated rhizomes in the ground I trimmed off the dead leaves (from the top of the rhizome) and the dead roots (from the bottom of the rhizome). And while the rhizome itself looks dead (because it's brown), it's just dormant.

Do I have a viable rhizome?
On the contrary, you'll know when a rhizome is dead if it's soft and very mushy to the feel when you pinch it in between your thumb and forefinger. If it has held it's shape and simply looks brown - it's probably still viable. So clean 'er up a bit and put her in the soil! That's her happy place!

In the picture above you'll see that she's all cleaned up and getting ready for the party...

And in the above picture you'll see, in the middle at the bottom of the picture, that this one is already starting to send up a shoot!!! (See it curving out from the rhizome?!) I better get this gem in the ground!

This Spring I planted 3 types of rhizomes...
- The donated rhizomes ... I don't know yet what kind of irises they will produce
- Dutch iris ... that will produce a very bright purpleish/blueish flower.
- Bearded irises ... that will produce a pink flower with ruffly edges.

Another note on rhizomes... they come in all shapes and sizes. And the longer they've been in the ground they'll have grown more nodes (mishapen growths around the original portion of the rhizome). As you can see in this picture, the Dutch Iris rhizomes are very small compared to the donated rhizomes which look like they've been around for quite a while!

The bearded iris blossom is much larger than the Dutch Iris... and the rhizomes are larger as a sign of it. Interesting, eh?!

When/How to plant iris rhizomes
I'm planting these three in a pot instead of what is in the ground in the yard. I got these planted late, so not sure they'll blossom. But, hey... why not try?!

Rhizomes apparently don't like to be wet. (But they do need soil and water to grow.)

This pot of rhizomes will sit in the direct sunlight for several hours a day. Plant the fatter end of rhizome down in the ground, with the thinner end up.

Top with some more soil and give it some water. Place it in a nice warm/hot location with lots of sun.

Some websites/books/people will tell you that it's best to let the rhizomes just BARELY sit in the soil and they'll be fine. But we have cats and creatures in our back yard that sometimes move things (and even walk away with things)... so I'm securing mine a bit more down into the soil. The soil will settle in around the rhizomes and expose a bit more of the top over the next week or so...

From what I read elsewhere there really is no wrong way to do this when it comes to rhizomes. They shoots somehow naturally know how to find the sun... it's an amazing thing! And so beautiful!

Fast forward
And this is what the shoots from the larger rhizomes (donated and/or bearded iris) look like several months later. These have not yet blossomed, and I do not yet see buds growing up from the rhizome. I think they are late to blossom because I planted them a month or two later than usual. And we've had an extra cold winter... anyway, soon... I hope to see buds and blossoms very soon! (And yes, of course, I will keep you posted when they do.)

In the meantime, the Dutch iris are getting ready to blossom! YAY!!! The green leafy shoots popepd up a couple weeks ago. That show is then followed by the little buds... which will take a couple weeks to completely grow to height and then blossom.

This little bud, the first little bud, just made my day!!!

I can't wait to watch their show of beauty in the next couple weeks!

And above is showing how I clipped that first flower... I cut the blossom about an inch above the ground and left the green leafy part in tact. The leaf will continue to collect "juice" from the sun and continue to feed the rhizome. They will naturally die off and at that point I'll clip them back to 1 inch from the ground as well.

The rhizomes will then stay in the ground, hibernating... waiting for their next show, next Spring sometime!

Oh, the cycle of life!

life is good...

Tip for home - natural aphid repellant

2011-04-10T19:03:00.000-07:00

With spring comes aphids... and with aphids come a vengeful Lori Jean. So I'll share with you what I do to rid my peaceful escape of these monsters.

But first, what are aphids? According to Wikipedia they are "among the most destructive insect pests on cultivated plants..." Here is a close up image from Wikipedia... in real life, "they vary in length from 1 to 10 millimetres (0.04 to 0.39 in)".

And when I spied aphids on my beautiful rose bush I just about screamed as I ran inside and Googled "natural aphid repellant". Thank you ehow.com!!! I made the home remedy and want to share it with you here. This is how easy it is...

Here's what you need - a spray bottle, water, dish soap and cooking oil.

Mix together 1/2 tablespoon of liquid dish soap and 1/2 cup cooking oil.

Blend 2 1/2 teaspoons of the soap/oil mixture with 1 cup of water in a spray bottle, shake well to combine.

Then waltz back out to your backyard, whistling all the way, warn the enemy with a direct order and spray the heck out of those aphids... Feel free to use a good portion of the mixture in that spray bottle to spray the buds (taking as many direct shots to those aphids as you want), spray the leaves, spray the stems, spray the plants next to your rose bush... fill that bottle back up if you need to... you get the point!

Below is an out-of-focus shot of the poor, unsuspecting rose bud... this rose bud did nothing to deserve this attack. And couldn't do anything to protect itself... Lori Jean to the rescue!

In 12-24 hours the aphids will have literally disintegrated... they are soft body insects, and since they don't have much of a defense system the liquid seeps right into their body and robs them of what they need to live.

Gladly I will report ... because of my quick response time (and in a few more days) I'll have another one of these...

Hope it works for you as well...

life is good...

Spring has sprung...

2011-04-02T06:18:00.000-07:00

I am beyond happy that spring has sprung... for this one reason: the smell of orange blossoms. Other than cinnamon rolls baking in the oven, this is my forever favorite scent! My neighbor has an orange tree that peeks up over our fence line... and for that I'm grateful.

I spend more time in my backyard during Spring than summertime, just because of the orange blossom scent...

Plus, it's kinda pretty-lookin' back here... we've worked hard over the past year or so to slowly build it out. And now it's almost come into it's shape...

Several times a week I get to retreat to the backyard with my clippers and a book ... this is what I'm enjoying.

The above plant is a milkweed... it attracts butterflies. I like butterflies...

Here is where I sit with my book, feet kicked up on the chair to my left... enjoying the noises and scents and beauty of God's creation...

We have a small patch of grass, and a large flower bed, size proportionate to importance!

And two different types of scented geraniums... rose-scented (above) and lemon-scented (below). They look totally different from each other... and on their own they don't really smell... until you rub your thumb and fore-finger against the green leafy part. And then the scent stays with you for a while... so refreshing! Thank you Creator of Heaven and Earth for creating such an amazing gift!

Take a stroll with me into my little place of retreat...

There are weeds and tools not organized into their right places... but I don't care. Some of the original plants have died. But there's no rush to make it perfect. It is what it is... and we'll pull weeds, and prune and water and make things grow and enjoy the space we've been given. We'll invite friends over to sit and talk and look and sniff and enjoy...

We'll watch as the wind carries the grasses to and fro...

We'll peek at the plants and watch for new blossoms...

Fast forward to 3 weeks from now (below)... we'll watch as God's beauty again unfolds.

And before we return to our 'to do' lists and the errands and the cleaning and the cooking, we'll take a step back and enjoy the full picture... we'll breathe in deeply and get one last wiff of orange blossom. And we'll be content...

Content... so content.

“We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.” - Frederick Koenig

life is good...

my life is quieter these days

2011-03-31T13:59:00.000-07:00

I no longer carry my phone w/ me everywhere… expecting THE phone call at any moment.

I no longer wake in the middle of the night and look at my phone … to see if I missed THE phone call.

I no longer jump to answer the phone when it rings… thinking it’s THE phone call.

I no longer drive 30 miles south a few times a week… and no longer get to have Saturday morning breakfast with my Grampa.

I no longer have that extra quiet time in the car… to process the daily grieving and think through the family issues related to Grampa’s end of life.

I no longer spend extra money on gas… and yet in a heartbeat I’d spend it all over again for one more trip south to see my Grampa.

Having family around more often over the past few months has been cathartic.

Even in the hard times we were laughing… that’s just how we roll.

The laughter with the family will resume… once we come together again to spend time with each other.

Until then... it's quiet these days.

So in the absence of the phone ringing (and long conversations with family) and the long drives and the enjoyable & necessary family time… I now catch up on "reading people and meeting books".

These were just a few of the things on my ‘to do (eventually)’ list… and now my time has been freed up a bit so that I can resume checking off the list. This week alone I have taken 3 naps, finished 3 books I was in the middle of and have actually made dinner every night...

Other items on my 'to do' list: scan in old family slides, host a girls’-only dinner in the backyard, enjoy my Saturday mornings at home (my favorite time to be at home – if you know me well you know I protect this time as much as possible), etc.

Life resumes… but now without Grampa.

And while I miss him dearly everyday I’m kind of jealous that he has been reunited with Gramma. We love you both and know that you have smiles on your faces once again…

life is good...

How {GREAT} Thou Art

2011-03-24T16:45:00.000-07:00

I remember lying on the floor of my childhood living room with big puffy headphones on. There was a record playing and I was reading the lyrics inside the tri-fold record liner, the notes on the producers and the musicians and the history on the company who produced this record (in case you were wondering, my favorite albums as a kid in the early 1980’s were Bullfrogs and Butterflies, Music Machine: Fruit of the Spirit, Ants’hillvania, Sir Oliver’s Song and I Am God’s Project). I even hung up the a poster from inside the album cover of I Am God’s Project on my bedroom wall.

I just cringe thinking at how I most likely sounded while I was belting out songs (with headphones on – so the rest of the household couldn’t even hear the music). This would go on for hours, I’m just sure of it. Oh the joys of childhood…

If it wasn’t already obvious, I’m going to let you in on a little secret: music has always been a big part of my life.

But it wasn’t just “white noise” to me. It’s much more than the sound of the music that I love. It’s about the lyrics and the meaning of that story, the vulnerability of the writer coming through… it’s about the feeling of the music, the emotion behind the soul singing.

So this morning when I was diminished to tears at the lyrics of this classic hymn I wasn’t surprised. Crying, joyful/thankful tears, I sat at my desk (at work) and paused. This is a song I have sung a thousand times (at least). And this morning I am reminded of the significance of those lyrics.

How Great Thou Art
Lyrics ~ Carl Boberg, 1859 - 1940
English Translation ~ Stuart K. Hine, 1899 -

Stanza 1:
O Lord my God,
When I in awesome wonder
Consider all
The works Thy Hand hath made,
I see the stars,
I hear the mighty thunder,
Thy pow'r throughout
The universe displayed;

Stanza 2:
When through the woods
And forest glades I wander
I hear the birds
Sing sweetly in the trees;
When I look down
From lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook
And feel the gentle breeze;

Refrain:
Then sings my soul,
My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art!
How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul,
My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art!
How great Thou art!

Stanza 3:
When Christ shall come,
With shouts of acclamation,
And take me home,
What joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow
In humble adoration
And there proclaim,
"My God, how GREAT Thou art!"

But the real story is in the full story of the writer of this song... and what inspired this song.

For more on the story of the writers and the inspiration behind the song:
Click on this link - Hymn: How Great Thou Art

life is good...

Working {for the Lord}

2011-03-22T17:28:00.000-07:00

Colossians 3:23-24
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

As someone who has dedicated a good portion of her free time serving various ministries in various churches I have struggled to truly “unpack” a Sunday morning message from Pastor Sam at Mission Hills Church. Let it be known… it’s taken me about a year to unpack this one (in fact, just over a year). And it has been life-changing…

Here’s a synopsis of what Pastor Sam shared:

In Colossians 3 the Apostle Paul confronts a common belief, and yet it is a muth. This false belief has run over into the church environment. The common myth about serving God: “The church is my primary place of service to God.”
He goes on to urge that churches have “tended to communicate (consciously or not) that the best place for church members to exercise one’s God-given abilities is within the institution of the church (within the four walls of the building). Often it is communicated that getting involved/plugged into the church means that to some varying degree you must take on an additional part-time job in service to the church. This belief that “you are only serving God when you are serving the church” is a tragic mentality. This mentality leads to burn out, to individual despair; to stress in the family… the tragic list goes on. When in all reality we spend more time outside of church than we do within those “four walls”.

It’s simply not true that we only serve the Lord within the four walls of the church building… only one day a week. Every minute of every day God uses the skills He has built into us to serve His kingdom. This goes for at home, at work, in line at the grocery store, on Facebook, etc… when we work for the Lord we are working for Him in every minute of our lives. And He has given us the strengths and abilities to do just that.

But before I go on, please allow me to digress for a minute and share this: I recently learned a bit more about myself. (Confession: I think, deep down inside, I already knew this). I was given the opportunity to take a strength deployment inventory. I’m not sure if I can do much justice in an explanation of what it is, but I’ll give it a go. By answering questions of how I would respond in certain circumstances, and in certain environments, the results show me what motivates me to respond (and how I respond). This test revealed for me what I think I already knew. However it gave credence to what I was feeling and thinking. The results helped to ground me a bit more and guess less about what drives me.

I have often felt an internal struggle about whether or not I should 1) be more focused on administration/detail-oriented projects (an obvious strength of mine), or 2) to analyze details and work solo to solve problems (which I love, love, love), or 3) to work more closely on a team and truly connect with others. So, what did this inventory confirm for me? That the aforementioned struggle is just that… a struggle. But it showed me that it is also natural… due to my motivations. My motivations show that I’m able to move in and out of each of those areas, as the need is evident.

So, let me get this straight {I’m not really confused}: I’m just able to be flexible?!

Aaannnd… we’re back to the topic that brought us here in the first place.

As Pastor Sam unpacked the message from Colossians 3 (verses 23 and 24) I put my pen down and just listened… and thought. And the following realizations flooded my mind…
- I know this: God created me for His glory
- When God created me He gave me specific strengths (and unfortunately some non-strengths too)
- He has gifted me … ME!
- God is entrusting me with something that only I can do for His glory
- What am I waiting for?!
- Have I REALLY never thought of it this way before?!
- I’m 30-something years old and JUST NOW realizing this?!

And if all of that wasn’t enough, Pastor Sam shared the following quote from an author I had yet to read: “The place where God called you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meets.” Frederick Beuchner

What does this indicate to me? That what I LOVE doing is what God created me to do. I love solving problems. I love analyzing things, putting puzzles together (literal and figurative) and the critical thinking part of life. Question: What makes me happy? Answer: Making a difference by utilizing the skills given me.

And to drive it all home Pastor Sam urged us into more contemplation with these tidbits:

“If the church teaches us anything… it should be to see all of our lives as lived under the watchful and caring eye of the Lord Jesus. And that to live out of our new identity is His goal for us – in every place that we go (every sphere of our life: homes, work, etc). There is no corner of creation that is not under Christ’s supervision. And there is no station in life that He has not blessed and redeemed as a place of meaningful service to Him. If you are not prepared to serve Christ in your homes and workplaces you are not prepared to serve Him here at church.” – Sam Paschall

“Our families are to reflect the life of God himself. We want to work as if we’re serving the Lord himself. He wants to remind us how to work. Work heartily. And lastly, He wants to remind us what it is we are working for.” – Sam Paschall

Come to think of it… you should just go listen to the message (that is, if you're into that sort of thing). It’s on our church website. Under Sermon Audio, search for Sam Paschall or the name of the message “The New Self at Home and Work”. You might learn something completely different from it than I did. And if you did, I’d love to hear what that is.

Note to Pastor Sam … I love your teaching style. You’re philosophical and yet goofy. You’re deep and yet easily easy-going. And I believe God has gifted you in a way that is going to bless so many lives in your day-to-day ministry… not just in your “job”. Thank you for your service to our church, the students you minister to daily and in the way you love your family. You’re pretty cool.

Lastly, thank you for introducing me to Frederick Buechner. I’ve now read 3 of his books, with 2 or 3 more to go…

life is good...

Gramma's Pearls of Wisdom

2011-03-22T16:02:00.000-07:00

Several, several months ago I received a card from Gramma Helen.

Inside of it was a bookmark...

a bookmark I've kept close by, in fact right in front of me

It is propped up on my desk at work

I read small portions of it daily

May I share it with you?

I love my Gramma Helen!

I’ve traveled paths you’ve yet to walk

Learned lessons old and new

And now this wisdom of my life

I’m blessed to share with you

Let kindness spread like sunshine

Embrace those who are sad

Respect their dignity, give them joy

And leave them feeling glad

Forgive those who might hurt you

And though you have your pride

Listen closely to their viewpoint

Try to see the other side

Walk softly when you’re angry

Try not to take offense

Invoke your sense of humor

Laughter’s power is immense!

Express what you are feeling

Your beliefs you should uphold

Don’t shy away from what is right

Be courageous and be bold

Keep hope right in your pocket

It will guide you day by day

Take it out when it is needed

When it’s near, you’ll find a way

Remember friends and family

Of which you are a precious part

Love deeply and love truly

Give freely from your heart

The world is far from perfect

There’s conflict and there’s strife

But you still can make a difference

By how you live your life

And so I’m very blessed to know

The wonders you will do

Because you are my granddaughter

And I believe in you

Did I say "I love my Gramma Helen" yet?!

life is good...

After the storm...

2011-03-01T18:03:00.000-08:00

San Diego County has been under a deluge of rain, hail (and in some parts even snow!) and more rain. So this is what I could see from a few blocks down our street. If you don't know our locale in Southern California you may not understand how unusual this is.

If you hadn't guessed, this is highly unusual. Our average temperature this time of year is much warmer. And that snow level there? That snow you see is down to around 2000 feet! Unheard of in these parts.

So crazy... so, so crazy!

To see local freeway signs AND snow in the same glance... so crazy!

An added benefit? Lake Hodges (a local reservoir) is now overflowing. I seem to recall that the last time this happened was over 5 years ago. What a treat!

So I took the long (and scenic) road home so I could drive by the Lake ... and of course stop and take pictures!

We sure are blessed here in San Diego County. We don't get MUCH weather... but when we do we appreciate it.

Actually, I should say I appreciate it. (Some of my friends, and even my husband, whine when it rains.) But I welcome it!!! In fact, I'm gleeful it's going to rain again tonight!

Literally gleeful...

weather or not, life is good...

He loves justice...

2011-01-23T16:47:00.000-08:00

Lord, you know my internal struggle today...

the spiritual battle... my plea for justice...

Why do violent people get to keep being violent to the innocent... violence continues to happen to those who cannot speak for themselves.

Why, God, why?

This I know:

I am here to worship and honor you...

so how can I worship and honor you in seeking

justice for the repeated injustices?

This is my plea ... today more than ever:

What can I do to honor You today,

to honor the legacy of the life at risk,

to honor the love instilled in the family name... ?

Psalm 11
For the director of music. Of David.

1 In the LORD I take refuge.
How then can you say to me:
“Flee like a bird to your mountain.

2 For look, the wicked bend their bows;
they set their arrows against the strings
to shoot from the shadows
at the upright in heart.

3 When the foundations are being destroyed,
what can the righteous do?”

4 The LORD is in his holy temple;
the LORD is on his heavenly throne.
He observes everyone on earth;
his eyes examine them.

5 The LORD examines the righteous,
but the wicked, those who love violence,
he hates with a passion.

6 On the wicked he will rain
fiery coals and burning sulfur;
a scorching wind will be their lot.

7 For the LORD is righteous,
he loves justice;
the upright will see his face.

:::Lord, I pray you lead me in your way everlasting... I pray you order my days, direct my footsteps and rein in my sinful desires. I'm broken. I'm hurting for those who hurt. :::

What would you have me do?

Life is full of lessons...

2011-01-17T13:11:00.001-08:00

Today's lesson: the item at the store known as the "all-purpose eraser" (another company calls it the "magic eraser") can be used OUTSIDE too!

Today I learned it can help remove paint scuffs on cars! (ahem)

There HAD BEEN a 3 inch x 6 inch "scuff" of white paint on the wheel well of my car ...

But THANKS to the magic eraser, it's no longer there... (ahem)

Now, if I can just get THIS scuff off before the hubby gets home from work... (ahem)...

In all seriousness, this product will only help your paint job if it's merely a "flesh wound"... if the "wound" runs deeper than that (if there is paint scratched off your vehicle) then it will not help your problem, obviously.

Follow the instructions on the back of the box, add a little elbow grease and this really will work magic in your life.

Around the house I also use it to clean door jams/tile grout/door knobs, to remove scuffs on furniture/wood cabinets/appliances and to remind my house who is boss around here.

life is (mostly) good... (especially when you can get scuffs off cars)

History cannot be changed...

2011-01-17T09:33:00.001-08:00

Several weeks ago PublishersWeekly announced in this article that NewSouth Books plans to release a newer version of "Huck Finn" along with The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, that (GET THIS!) replaces the "n" word (as well as the "in" word, "Injun") with the word "slave."

Like so many other aspects of our world, this company is attempting to re-write history. It cannot be done.

What they don't know is that this WILL NOT change history. They might try... but it won't happen. They might try to gloss over what that time in history looked like... but it won't happen. They might try to show that society was a kinder/nicer loving folk... but it won't happen.

Mr. Alan Gribben, a so-called Twain scholar, can justify this change however he sees fit. But it still won't change anything.

The reality is that today our society is still reeling from that hatred and ignorance and fear ...

Espcecially today, on a day to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr, I think about the disservice done to our humanity... and I applaud his courage, his positive attitude, his willingness to put his life and the life of his family and friends at risk for the greater good.

Thank you for your willingness to fight for the right thing, Mr. King.

"Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." - Martin Luther King Jr.

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." - Martin Luther King Jr.

"The time is always right to do the right thing." - Martin Luther King Jr.

Happy New Year!!! Welcome 2011...

2011-01-02T13:52:00.000-08:00

To ring in the New Year my sweet hubby and I got to run off with each other and reconnect. What a treat...

We stayed at Rancho Bernardo Inn... our room looked out over the 10th green. We flung open the patio doors and let the sunshine in... what a lovely day!

This was our view...

Later in the evening we took a stroll around the property... and THIS was our view.

We enjoyed a scrumptious dinner at the Veranda ... have I said yet how much of a treat this was?!

And for the rest of our time... this was the serene vista from the front door.

Our suite was perfectly sized. With a desk and an ottomon and two chairs... perfect for reading by the patio doors in the morning!

Granted, he was "on call" as "manager on duty" for the night... but I wasn't complaining! I say, let's do this more often! I am one lucky girl...

life is good...

The indescribable gift...

2010-12-24T16:05:00.000-08:00

Enjoy some snapshots of what our house looks like this Christmas... it's a bit more dressed up this year than the past few years. And I'm happy about that...

We "dressed" up the house a bit more this year because my parents were coming in for an early Christmas celebration. And if family was coming into town for Christmas that meant that the previous years' Christmas-ficus simply wasn't going to do. It was time for decking the halls a bit more...

So, deck the halls we did...

Here you are looking at a sled all decked out with greenery and ornaments and shiny/glitzy things...

And the kitchen table centerpiece, top view... we gathered up leftover branches at the tree farm when we picked out our tree. You'll see them all over the place...

Side view of the centerpiece...

Where the Christmas cards are perched and hung...

The centerpiece by the front door.... pine scented candle...

Garland over french doors... poinsettias, berries and lights...

Basket of cinnamon-scented pinecones, silk flowers, etc...

And the manger... without the manger none of this would mean ANYTHING.

"Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" 2 Corinthians 9:15

Overjoyed and Saddened

2010-12-23T17:46:00.000-08:00

The planning and rushing and standing in line and spending and all of that…

the never-ending discussions of what to get for kids of certain ages, where to find great deals, whose name was pulled for the gift exchange

and what in the world you are going to get for them...

It all saddened me so deeply today,

that I cried...

Tears fell for hurting and lost people.

Tears stung my cheeks for those who do not know

{or choose not to celebrate} the real reason for this season…

the birth of Jesus Christ, the most important reason we celebrate this season.

My heart tore in two …

And yet this has been one of the most joyous Christmases I've had for a very long time: I had the privilege of spending time with my parents... something I haven't done at Christmas time in over 10 years! We laughed together, we cried together... we enjoyed precious time together.

But I come back to this...

it does not matter that your children did/did not get the newest toy,

or that they are/are not wearing the newest clothing fads.

It does not matter that you couldn’t spend as much this year on presents.

It merely doesn’t matter…

What matters is… a babe was born in a stable.

Jesus Christ was sent to this earth by God the Father.

He walked among us, lived a Godly example here on earth,

shared God’s Great Commission,

was mocked and beaten and eventually sacrificed His life

for ME, for YOU, for generations to come...

This man who walked among us gave us the best gift we could ever, ever, ever ask for {and we didn’t even know we needed it}:

He gave us His unconditional love, His forgiveness, a hope and a future.

Click here for the Story of the birth of Christ, as told in the gospel of Luke

This year, more than ever, I celebrate Christ’s birth in a new way: by humbly serving Him more every day and searching out His will for my life.

It is my pleasure to sit at His feet and listen.

To sit in awe and be still with Him… with Him I can just be still.

I wish you and your family the most merry of Christmases…

as we celebrate Christ’s birth together.

From our home to yours, Merry CHRISTmas...

At the starting line…

2010-12-23T16:43:00.001-08:00

feeling anticipation {but not anxious}.
feeling excitement {but not thrilled}.
feeling apprehensive {but not fearful}.

deep in my soul… I feel a stirring.

I sense a renewing, some change getting ready to take place.

I can almost see God creating something new in me as I sit here and type.

I so look forward to seeing what it is… to seeing that change happen before my eyes.

I look forward to realizing that what I’ve been anticipating has come to fruition.

And yet somehow I know that’s a long way out…

benediction:

show me where you want me to go, Lord…

I am your servant.

lead your way in me and show me what you would have me do,

who to serve, how to be YOU on this earth…

I’ll start with the first step… obeying you.

I'm standing here at the starting line… ready for the journey…

A {strong} challenge...

2010-12-21T20:24:00.000-08:00

Today I stopped in to read up on a blog I check out from time to time... and I was hit square between the eyes with a challenge...

blog to visit: Only speak words that make souls stronger

I've now got this printable plaque posted in just about every room of my house, my office wall, the bathroom mirror, the truck, as a bookmark, in my checkbook (do I really still use a checkbook)... you get the point!

As I contemplated this today several things were apparent:
1) Sometimes those words are loving/gentle words
2) Sometimes those words are direct/strong words
3) Sometimes those words are painful
4) Sometimes those words are tough to say
5) Most importantly, those words should be God's words

Will you take MY challenge?

If so, do 3 things for me:
1) Read the above blog
2) Print up a few copies of the "plaque" and post it in several places
3) Contemplate on what it means to you, how you can act it out

Thanksgiving... YIPPEE!!!

2010-11-27T06:21:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving... how I've been looking forward to you. And while looking forward to you I was talking with my Grampa M last week... we chatted about the upcoming turkey and gravy, and all the fixin's. And he turned and looked at me, his eyes widening... and he exclaimed "YIIIPPPEEEE!!!!"

Thanksgiving... I think I might like you more than I like Christmas... (gasp!)

Extra time with husband, aunt and uncle, cousins and other family friends. Good food. Oranges and plums and browns and mustard colors. Music time. Cold weather (aka snuggly weather).

Plus, there's still a lot to look forward to... more holiday baking, cooking and enjoying. I don't have to pack everything up and put it away right away. I will soon work on my Christmas cards (crafting and writing and sending). I will soon receive Christmas cards in the mail...

My heart is bursting with gratitude ...

We truly are blessed... we know it. We share it. We love life and all that God has given us.

Life is good...

Dreams...

2010-10-24T07:57:00.000-07:00

When it comes to dreams I don’t usually remember them (nor do I give much credence to their symbolism). And if I do remember them it’s because they are so outrageous and weird (like my mother ACTUALLY having 16 heads or that I won a Lamborghini) that it’s simply hard to believe.

But this morning? This morning I had some dreams that stirred me to the core… that woke me with a start.

The first dream was about someone I talk to almost every day. And as I visited with her at her home, I found she had been working endlessly to re-arrange and remodel her entire house. Yet, she had not breathed a word of it to me when we would talk on a regular basis. Was it me? Was I not asking her what she had planned for the day? Was I too caught up in my own problems/excitement/drama to ask about what’s going on in her life? Or was she hiding something on purpose? If so, why would she do that? (These are earnest questions… I want to know the “WHY” - why would she hide this? I want to know the “WHY” so I can fix what needs to be fixed.)

The second dream was about a childhood friend who wouldn’t look me in the eyes. She was hiding her facial expression behind a book… literally. When she would talk to me she would hold a book up in front of her face. And later in the dream when I came around to talk to her about it, she was receiving comfort from a surprising source… someone who has been two-faced (very obviously acting/responding to one person a certain way while acting/responding differently to another person/group of people).

Not to mention, this third person has been outwardly un-authentic … telling me what she WANTS me to know, rather than being real with me… even if it means disagreeing with my take on things. (And whoever said we all have to agree with each other?! What a boring existence that would be!) She has a different answer for every person she talks to. She is simply a mirror of the person she is having a conversation with. Why? Does she not feel confident enough to have her own opinion? Does she want to fit in so badly that she just agrees with everyone?

But back to my thoughts on the 2nd friend… was she going to all of this trouble to hide something from me? Does she feel I will judge her? Does she feel I will belittle her? Why wouldn’t she come to me for comfort? Or have I offended her in a way that it hurts her to face me?

Did these dreams signify something in my life? Did they signify that my friends are hurting and that I need to pray for them, reach out to them? Or is it more of an internal thing? Do they signify that I have some work to do on myself so that I don’t cause these dramatic problems in my friendships?

Should these dreams even signify anything to me at all? Am I reading too much into the dreams spurred on by the spicy food I had for dinner last night?!

I sit here and ponder… praying for my hurting friends, any strained relationships, my own person. Through daily learning and an honest desire to better myself, I can be the best wife/friend/team-mate/co-worker I know how to be. It is my earnest desire that I can be honest/real/authentic with others and that they can be the same with me… whether we agree with each other or not, whether we see things from the same perspective or not, whether or not …

“Whether or not”… we can only be true to ourselves. Being true to ourselves we face ourselves and our relationships with authenticity.

And here is the “ah, ha!” moment…

As a Christian I fully believe this:
To be authentic it is imperative to maintain that God created us in HIS image. And HE LOVES US!

CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?! Ugliness and all… imperfections and all… even with all the crazy/weird things we think or do. So why do we hide our ugly parts, our inadequacies, our unsure footing? Why do we try to impress others… or even show each other up, attempt to be better than others? Is it because we don’t like ourselves? We don’t like who HE created us to be?

Let me say it again… God created us in HIS image! How He loves us…

How comforting to know He loves me … just the way I am.

Amazing song: How He Loves Us

Life is good...

My Grandmother's handwriting...

2010-10-10T07:27:00.000-07:00

I was going through some storage boxes several weeks ago...

And stumbled across this letter from my Grandmother Ruth. It was written in 1994...

Upon seeing her handwriting, my sorting stopped. I sat there and looked at the writing... not reading it, just looking at the curves of her "L"... the slant of her "H"... the loop under the "G"... and I started crying.

I desperately miss my Gramma Ruth. One Thanksgiving week she lost her battle to cancer. Now every Thanksgiving, several times throughout the day, we'll talk about Gramma. How funny she was. How her house smelled. How she made a new dessert every night with dinner. How she loved her Franciscan Apple dinnerware.

When she was dying I was in "a bad place" of my life... and I didn't visit her very much. I couldn't deal with losing her. And so I acted as if she'd already passed. Oh how I regret that now...

This picture was taken at their 50th anniversary celebration. We were at Anthony's Fish Market in Chula Vista. We enjoyed time together... in true Marshek tradition, over food. But we knew her days were numbered...

Gramma was only with us a few more months after that picture was taken. And we sure appreciated the time together.

She took care of her family the best she knew how. She loved many children... hers and those that God alowed to pass through their lives (through the foster system). But most of all... she loved my Grampa. And for that I'm grateful. My Grandparents are leaving quite the legacy for the family to carry on...

Life is good...

The projects continue...

2010-09-24T21:03:00.000-07:00

My Dad was in town for a couple days.

I first greeted him with a hug.

Then I broke it to him that I had some projects waiting...

Dad - thanks for taking the time to remove the old light covers, trim the new ones and install them! It sure makes my kitchen a lot brighter!

But I have one problem... after replacing them I can see how dirty my kitchen is...

Life is good...

what kind of tree am i?

2010-09-24T20:58:00.000-07:00

a palm? if so, what kind?

i've searched high and low... and can't seem to figure this one out...

i would appreciate some intel...

who says "intel"?! sorry... apparently i've been watching too much tv...

see that spikey looking thing coming out of the middle? that's the next frond getting ready to sprout and open up...

Lord, please forgive me...

2010-09-21T20:38:00.000-07:00

...I responded in anger.

Someone decided they would do our family a favor and tell us how we should operate. An attempt was made to rip each layer of our family apart... from our heritage to the great grandchildren. (What this individual doesn't know is that this is just going to make us stronger. But that's another blog post...)

And I digress, but I have to say it: WHO DOES THAT?!

I consider this type of behavior to be "below the belt". It was an underhanded attempt to what? Knock our feet out from underneath us?! That's just downright unsportsmanlike.

And what did I do?! I got angry. My heart turned black. It was ugly! I wanted to hop in the car and drive to his house (even though I'd have to drive through a few states to get there) and ... um, I wanted to STEP ON HIS TOES.

OK - in all reality I wanted to yell at him. I wanted to respond in anger and maybe even slap him (I've never done that before... is it a relief to finally do it?!). The response in my heart was ugly... but it's the truth... it's how I felt.

And yes, I know I'm crazy for showing my ugly dark side. Here I sit and type... sending this ugliness out into the blog universe. And I'm doing my best to be authentic... to be real... to be genuine...

Lord, as I meditate on the first chapter of James, please correct my attitude, heal my stretching and heaving heart and protect me from bitterness.

I know you created me in your image... and I won't beat myself up over this for too long. But I'm still learning how to honor you and your sacrifice, how to put aside my sinful nature and focus on your glory as mentioned in the eighth chapter of Romans.

Thank you for loving me anyway... I sit at your feet and worship your holiness...

My life flashed before my eyes...

2010-09-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

It happened several weeks ago. The day was August 28, 2010...

Heading south on the 15 freeway, on the way to day #2 of a ridiculously fun weekend with a great group of girlfriends! It was early on Saturday morning... and there were few people on the freeway. I was in "still-waking-up" mode, sipping on my iced coffee and probably singing along to some tunes. My SUV was "flying" down the freeway (however I will not admit to my speed on the grounds that it might incriminate me).

And then ... the truck in front of me changed lanes.

::: we're going to take it in slow motion from here :::

As the driver hit a bump in the road the ladder in the back of his truck popped up off the rack and was airborne! I heard a crash, a scrape and the sound of metal crunching against metal.

And the driver kept going... no brake lights... no nothing (yes, the driver was a "HE" - how do I know?! because he was clueless of the problem happening behind him!)...

Still parallel to the ground, the ladder flew into the front grate of a work truck in the lane to my right... I had just passed the truck next to me, so it was slightly behind my right bumper.

It all happened so fast, but it looked like the ladder flipped, and then got run over by the truck. Immediately the driver hit the brakes and veered off to the shoulder of the freeway. How he didn't hit someone else in the process was a miracle... thankfully few people were on the road so early in the morning.

In my mind, as I replayed what had just happened, I watched that ladder fly by my passenger window. It dawned on me that IF it had flown out while that truck was still directly in front of me it would have hit my vehicle at a higher elevation than it hit the truck next to/behind me. Could it have potentially gone through my front windshield?!

Thankfully, there are only a few times in my life that my livelihood has flashed before my eyes. But everytime that "flash" happens, well... I thank the Lord on High for not taking me home to Him yet. (Not that I'd complain if He did... selfish me just wants to stick around here a bit longer.)

I love my life. I love my work (on most days). I love my husband (except when he ... well, enough said). I love how I'm finally meeting some of the goals I've had for a long, long time.

When it comes down to it, while I believe I would "be ready" when that day comes ... this was yet another reminder that my days are numbered (as if the time the door flew off the minivan while I was waiting to cross a busy intersection downtown San Diego wasn't enough... or the time I stopped on the side of the road to stop a man trying to choke his girlfriend, to death... or the time... well, you get the idea).

Am I living how I'm supposed to live? Will I leave behind the legacy meant for my life? What else does God intend for this life before He calls me to His side?

Caught unaware...

2010-09-17T08:25:00.000-07:00

Over the past 6-8 months I have been slowly pulling boxes out of storage in order to rid up and organize/sort. As a task-oriented person, this has been a task I've enjoyed, so far... but I wasn't prepared for this... I was caught unaware...

Last weekend I pulled 4 boxes into the living room. They were marked "kitchen", "Lori's old school stuff" (2 boxes) and "reminiscence stuff".

The kitchen box was easy enough. I pulled out the apron that was packed among an empty recipe box, some candle holders and a hanging basket for fruit. Hey - I've been looking for that!

The school stuff box was fun. Too bad I didn't have these school pics and awards when I was scrapbooking a few months back. Hmm... maybe I can add a few pages to that edition of my history?

And then I opened the reminiscence box. It was full of smaller shoe boxes and stationary boxes full of cards and letters. But this next box was unmarked.

This is when I was blind-sided, bushwhacked, caught unaware, hit unexpectedly... (yes, I hit up the thesaurus this morning).

It contained what I had considered "the junk" from my marriage and subsequent divorce in 1996. First I went through a large pile of engagement, bridal shower and wedding cards. But when I opened the box of pictures I got sick to my stomach. There was a picture of me standing in my miniature living room. Our apartment was built over my brother-in-law's garage. I was surrounded by our hand-me-down furniture and the men of the family who had just moved us in. I could see the anxiety on my face and in every muscle of my body...

Why do the faces of these men still turn my stomach?! But the bigger question is, why do I feel a sting hitting the back of my eyes ever these people?!

Today... looking over these pictures, numb, crying on the living room floor.... and shocked by the sadness I am experiencing for the first time in 14 years. Am I really feeling SAD over the loss of myself and this marriage?

That's a new one... I haven't felt sad over this before.

But back to moving day...
Prior to the divorce, at the time of moving into the apartment over the garage, I was experiencing regular anxiety attacks. I was experiencing 3 or 4 attacks a day. Looking at the picture in my hand, I had been married for about 8 months... and our marriage would last another 6 months or so.

I didn't trust these men standing in my living room. I didn't trust my own response to them. I couldn't sleep through the night. I couldn't keep up with their expectations on my life. And I had felt forced to take on a full time job (and drop all my college classes) so that my husband could take an unpaid sabbatical because he was stressed. Why was he stressed? Maybe because of his family's expectations on his life?

All the while I was torn. My faith told me I had to do my best to be a woman of integrity, faith, honesty. And if I lived up to their expectations on my life I couldn't be those things also.

Fast forward to the Fall of 1996...
Immediately following the divorce I felt FREE. I had worked so hard to keep those people happy all the while trying to keep to my morals. I don't know when it happened, but at some point I became sarcastic and jilted about that period of my life. I had a popular saying: "It sucked to be a Hoover!" Yes, my married name had been Hoover and I loved playing up the whole "suck" factor in light of the popular vaccuum company. I even took on a theme song "I Haven't Got Time For The Pain". Thank you Carly Simon! You were a big part of my life for a long time.

Being honest about it now... I knew our marriage was over before it ever began. Literally, I almost called it all off 6 weeks before the wedding. It's a bittersweet thing to say... but I'm glad I didn't. Through this time of my life I was blessed with a "sister" and niece who I still consider family. Many friendships were strengthened through this period of my life... and God gave me a ministry in talking with other women about the devastation of divorce and healing from such a tragedy.

Still I am convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that I gave it all I had to give. I did my best to make our marriage work. I did my best to honor my husband. In fact, I gave more than I had to give. And in the end their expectations are what caused the marriage to crumble. Their expectations on how my husband should control what his wife says, how she acts and why she does what she does caused him to leave me one day while I was at work. They talked him into deception. And deceive me he did.

And I'm here to report that I sat on the living room floor last week for nearly 30 minutes... the tears kept coming. I cried more tears than I thought were still there. My heart broke... and healed in those same minutes. I am ready to say a final goodbye.

Fast forward to healing...
I rose from the ashes of that marriage/divorce with a stronger integrity, a stronger faith... a renewed sense of speaking up for those who can't speak for themselves.

To this day I celebrate my own personal FREEDOM DAY... every October 20th. I take some time away to think about the lessons learned, the bittersweet times with that family, the renewal that God brought about in my life. And the woman He's created me to be.

And I think this year I will have another bonfire to "rid up" the rest of this junk.

Anyone have a fire pit I can use?

Edited note from author:
To the credit of my ex-husband... several years after our divorce he called me to apologize. Whether or not he truly meant it, or if it was a ploy prior to asking me to consider giving him another chance, I truly believe he recognized how horrible he allowed our life to become. Don't get me wrong, neither of us were perfect in this marriage. But we did have the opportunity to clear the air.

Fast forward to today. This month I celebrate a 7th anniversary with my wonderful husband, Lee. I am blessed beyond BLESSED to have found a man who loves me, encourages me, supports me and wants the best for me. We have weathered some pretty tumultuous storms and come through them even stronger and more in love. I love my husband!

Welcome Fall!!!

2010-09-12T06:53:00.000-07:00

How I love this time of year... orange tones and yellow hues... ahhh!!!

In this picture you'll see an herb bowl (thyme, oregano and italian flat-leaf parsley), a yellow gerber daisy, my new gardenia bush and my angelonia. I love that little plant... with little white blossoms...

It was time to spruce up around the house because with Mom and Dad coming in for a visit ... well, I just had to welcome them with some good ol' downhome hospitality.

I even placed a bouquet of some of her favorite flowers in the guest room, aka "The Beach House", so she could wake up to some pretty stuff.

Too bad they weren't here long enough to actually relax and enjoy their time. Maybe next time... this trip was simply too brief.

nevertheless, Life Is Good...

We went for a drive...

2010-09-04T20:48:00.000-07:00

I can't remember exactly WHY or where we were going... but we got in the car and went for a drive. This was about a month ago now. My memory is obviously failing me.

We stopped in Carlsbad ... again, not sure why. It was just one of those days. We didn't want to be at home...

We stopped to take in the coastal breeze... this is looking west over what is typically the Carlsbad Flower Fields. But the flower season is gone. It's just tilled up soil at this point.

At this point, I cannot remember what we did after taking this picture. We probably had dinner somewhere? Nevertheless, it was enjoyable evening w/ my hero-of-a-hubby.

I love my handsome husband...

Making headway...

2010-09-04T08:15:00.000-07:00

Quite often in the afternoons I get to enjoy this: spending time at the patio table, putting the feet up for a rest, reading a book and sipping on a glass of wine.

And it is exactly what I've hoped it would be...

I've been waiting for this yard project to be completed for a very long time! Unfortunately I cannot say I've been very patient through this process. However, I CAN say, we're so pleased with the headway we're finally making!

If you've been following along over the past year you'll know that we've put extra efforts into finishing our back yard... once and for all.

We planted an herb box, with a single rose bush right in the middle of the box.

The aromatic medallion tea rose provided a new blossom this week. I think it's going to survive. While it's been a mellower-than-usual summer, the two weeks of extreme heat we had was tough on this rose... it still has loads of scorched leaves. But there's also over a dozen new areas of growth all over the plant. I'd say it's thriving!

So, it's now time to go out and do some clean up back there (before the sun creeps over the hedges) so I can continue to enjoy the bounty of our hard work.

How are YOU enjoying the work of your hands and the blessings of our heavenly Father?

Life is good...

Fun with Lee's co-workers

2010-08-30T06:22:00.000-07:00

The group of people Lee works with had a post-work party... and they invited the spouses this time. They had just completed a week at work that required a lot of extra blood, sweat and tears. (OK - they'd never admit to the "tears" part... but I had to include it.)

So one of their team offered up his house for a little party. And what a beautiful place they had... a sprawling backyard with eucalyptus trees, vining roses, a pool, lots of little places to sit and ponder life.

I asked them if I could move in.

Lee looked at me strange...

I got to meet his co-workers and their spouses. We ate, we laughed, we had a good time.

And then I took a walk towards the roses. They were calling my name...

I think I'll just sit here a while and ponder life... Lee wants to take me home tonight. So I'll soak it up while I can!

I'm sure glad the guys worked hard so we could have a party to celebrate...

My lil brother... Captain Haraldsen

2010-08-05T06:40:00.000-07:00

My little brother came back home for a short visit... and we drove south to visit Grampa.

They talked about airplanes, Wisconsin, Loren's daughter/Grampa's great-grandaughter, etc... the men talked.

I enjoyed watching them talk... it was just nice to have my brother in the same room. It's been too long since we laughed together...

Then I dropped him off at the airport ... and took a minute to look at the view of San Diego. What a beautiful city I live in!

Can someone reminde me WHY Loren moved away from here?! He was C-R-A-Z-Y!!! (Crazy in love, that is... with a woman and his job. You know... the trivial things in life.)

Life is good...

Today...

2010-08-01T19:08:00.000-07:00

I woke up with a migraine. I wasn't all too happy about it. This was the 3rd migraine in a week. This is sometimes a normal thing for women... and I don't need to say anything further about that topic.

Migraines make me weepy. (Have YOU ever had a migraine?! You want to cry so you don't pull your eyeballs out. You think maybe that crying will relieve the pressure. So you just keep crying. You think you'd really like it if you could order another head and attach it in place of the defective one. And at times you want to involuntarily bang your head against the nearest wall.)

So I bet you're wondering what some spilled flour and a teaspoon has to do with a sappy migraine day. I'm glad you asked...

Not only was I weepy today... I was also homesick. I bake when I get homesick. Hence the teaspoon and spilled flour... that's what my day looked like.

I made Mom's Banana Bread and Berry Good Blueberry Muffins.

Sidenote: I also made the yummy Chile Relleno Quiche (which makes an appearance in our kitchen about every other week). This week is rather busy and this will make for a few quick breakfasts and snacks.

Now I'm chillin' with my hubby... and still feeling homesick. The baking and cooking didn't cure any of that.

But the migraine is gone.

And I've got breakfast ready for the next 13 days...

Hidden legislation... unbelievable Administration!

2010-07-24T06:45:00.001-07:00

Did you know there is clause in the new healthcare reform stating there will be new taxes on buying gold bullion?!

Administration hid this clause in the 3000+pg document... and it has NOTHING to do with the healthcare legislation.

amazing...

simply unbelievable...

In our backyard recently...

2010-07-08T20:02:00.000-07:00

To start with, I will say that when I first peaked out my back window and saw this creature sitting on my fence... I was bewildered. What kind of bird is this? It has a different looking head and beak than I've ever seen before.

At first I thought it was a hawk...

But several friends tell me it's a Peregrine Falcon. I guess I'll have to take their word for it. I know nothing of hawks or falcons or most birds in general... but I'm learning now I've been graced with the Falcon's presence. I understand they are not all that common in this area.

Then I think I spooked it ... it quickly flew away through the branches of the neighbor's jacaranda tree.

Everyday since I've been wanting Beautiful Falcon to come back for another visit...

In the meantime, I've been busy. Ahem, rather... Gardener Johnny has been busy! (tee hee!) OK I helped a little... but only a little. Over the past few months I've been collecting some flora to be planted in the new garden bed.

Last week "we" got the herb/rose box done. Rosemary, basil, rose-scented geranium, euphorbia and my new medallion tea rose.

This week I helped Gardener Johnny work on placement of the mexican sage, 3 canna varieties, african iris (re-purposed from another friends' yard) and agapanthus.

I couldn't stop grinning from ear-ro-ear to finally see greenery in the large flower bed! I turned on the sprinklers and sat down with my book to enjoy the cool Southern California weather...

Life is good...

Stealing a glimpse...

2010-07-05T20:47:00.000-07:00

From our driveway we can see the top half of the fireworks show from Downtown. We can also hear the Big Band ...

There might be power lines in this view... but we don't mind. We got to stay home in our pjs, we didn't have to fight traffic and we could go outside when the fireworks started instead of sit around and wait for them to start. Talk about spoiled...

And for some Independence day quotes to inspire...

This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave. ~Elmer Davis

Liberty is always dangerous, but it is the safest thing we have. ~Harry Emerson Fosdick

It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you. ~Author unknown, sometimes attributed to M. Grundler

Life is good...

Our UNpet, the one-eyed wonder...

2010-07-03T21:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday you were introduced to the "one-eyed wonder" (aka the possum missing the right eye) in the last post. Tonight we heard some strange clicking noises outside... and this is what I found when I looked outside the front door.

I think we've determined this is "mother possum". And did I mention yesterday I think she's rather old? Well, she's back...

And what was the clicking noise? I'm glad you asked! It was the mother making a clicking noise with her mouth. And then we heard a clicking noise on the other side of the chain link fence. Then more clicking from mom, carrying 3 babies on her back. Again she would click her mouth then we'd hear more clicking from the other side of the fence. Interesting...

Kinda gross... but still interesting.

I didn't stick around to see her figure out how to go over or under or through the chain link fence... but I did snap a few pictures.

Did you know possums only have a 13 day gestation period? Check out more info here: Possums (That is, only if you're interested.)

Some time in the yard yesterday... and a few surprises...

2010-07-02T21:10:00.000-07:00

I'm going to start this post with a pretty picture... you'll thank me for it later!

Today I got to spend some time in my yard... which is unusual. I got out of work several hours early. Got home and did the "lovely chores", took a nice nap and then moved to the back yard with a book and my camera.

Our yard is currently under construction (and it's been that way for about 6 months). The grass is in (although it already has some brown spots - so we're working on that). Some herbs and a Medallion Tea Rose are in the ground. The inherited calla lilies from my Gramma's back yard are finally thriving. However the larger flower bed still isn't completed - we need to fix the sprinklers first. Then we'll put in 3 types of cannas, salvia leucantha, african iris, euphorbia, agapanthus, and some other pretty things whose names I've currently blanked on. These items are all currently in a safe spot of the yard awaiting their "new home".

If you've ever seen our yard in any one of it's renditions (there have been many over the past 10 years) or even in it's most REPEATED and COMMON rendition (4-foot high weeds) then you'll be as happy as I am when I say it's FINALLY getting done right!

Oh how happy it makes me to go outside and spend time in our little piece of GREEN (instead of brown, dying weeds) ... except when I round the corner and see this!

And yes, it scared the liver out of me!

Then I remembered I brought my camera outside with me (but I didn't want to turn my back on this thing). Man, it was ugly! He was moving slowly, hadn't bared his teeth at me yet and wasn't playing dead from fear of me scaring him. So we were ok, for now...

I snapped off a few pics and he started moving out of the yard... he crawled behind the shed, up a 3 foot wall (HOW do that do that?!) and sat down under my car.

And I got a few more shots... and while I was looking through the lens I noticed... is that ? Really? This thing only has one eye?!

Then I was literally grossed out... and happy he/she was leaving the yard.

If you were wondering, NOW is when you thank me for that beautiful rose picture! Here, let's look at it again!

OK - so back to the beauty of my half-done yard! (Oh, by the way - you're welcome!)

Once I was convinced he/she was long gone, I was finally able to relax. I kicked up my feet and read for awhile. This IS the life...

I loved looking at my freshly planted pot of herbs: flat-leaf italian parsley, greek oregano, lemon thyme and cilantro. Mmm... makes me think of dinner cooking in the crockpot!

While we're at it, let's get another good look at that beautiful rose bud! Like I said earlier this is a Medallion Tea Rose. I fell in love with the variegated apricot colors and the mellow scent. And to my surprise, this hybrid rose was officially registered in the year I was born! It was meant to be...

Then I heard a familiar sound... the wild parrots that come back to the Old Escondido area every summer! I hadn't yet caught a picture of these guys... but not for lack of trying! Every summer since I moved here (in 1999) they come for a visit. Almost every night (during the warm months) I hear them squaking as they fly over. I'm not sure where they go for the day (or night) - but it is rumored they take up residence in a tree just a few blocks away.

Ahh.... I caught them... well, on film at least. They were quick though - I almost didn't get them!

And now for their close-up...

It was a nice day... started off with 12 miles on the bike, followed by a short day at work, I enjoyed the best breakfast burrito in town (thank you, Nicos!), soaked up a much-needed nap, and enjoyed God's beauty in the yard-that-may-never-be-finished!

I'm one lucky girl!

Psalm 27:4
One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.

art imitating life...

2010-06-05T15:48:00.001-07:00

Recently returned from a road trip. Drove to South Lake Tahoe to be with family (which I get to see about once a year). One day while Dad, Mom and myself were driving around the hills of Tahoe (we were NOT stalking the rich and famous!!! we weren't!!!) we found this stunning chateau. I took a quick shot of it from the passenger's seat as we were rounding a sharp corner.

So, I'm currently scanning through the nearly 1000 shots I took while "on the road"... and ran across this one!

I just had to post it...

I may or may not have taken pictures in this manner from the driver's seat on the way up there (and the way back)... no comment!

May '10 road trip - leg 2

2010-06-04T19:37:00.000-07:00

May road trip, leg 2... Clovis to Lake Tahoe. On the road again...

Driving north by northeast... and lovin' life...

...the music was cranked up, my water bottle next to me, and a map on the passenger seat. This is what the central valley looks like...

See that snow? That's where I'm headed, eventually... see you in about 5 hours!!!

Confession time: my road trips are 100% about In 'N Out burgers and grande lattes and sunflower seeds. Need proof?

And now it's time to turn east and head into the mountains... yippee!!!

About now is when I rolled down the windows... how I love the smell of the pine trees!!!

As I'm driving up the road I realize I've never driven this stretch before. There's something extra pure about a road trip when you're charting new personal territory. (I've been in Tahoe before - but my Dad was driving the car at that point... I believe I was about 12 when I was there last.) However, me driving... this was new and exciting!

Oh wow... breathtaking...

Almost there!!! Almost there!!!

However, it was time to stop for another venti iced vanilla latte... and then it's just about time to meet up with the family!!!

Ahh.... "home" for the week...

View from the driveway...

- looking to the left (up the hill) we see the slopes, above

- looking to the right (down the hill) we see the Lake, below

Do you want a peek of the Lake? Here you go... more to come soon...

life is good...

Time in the kitchen with some cuties!

2010-06-03T20:40:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, I visited an old friend. I take that back, she's not old - she's the same age as me (ahem!)... but we have been friends for over 20 years!

I had some help making one of my favorite breakfast treats: My favorite sous chef. Hadley just loves "ciMM-a-mon-non"!!!

And once they finished baking... we ate them! Look at the wide-eyes and the licking of the fingers...

But first, Declan... I think he had at least 3 of these! Oh ...

And Camden? He wanted so badly to eat the whole thing...

But for the life of me... this is all I could get out of Hayden. (She reminds me a little of me... I really don't like it when the camera is pointing in my direction!)

But Hadley on the other hand... she loves the camera! Just as much as she loves "ciMM-a-mon-non".

Again, Hadley, THANK YOU for being my sous chef... I hope you have many years of fun in the kitchen, I hope you learn a lot, and I hope you don't get sick from eating all of those monkey muffins!

Now, it's my turn...

Friday night in Clovis

2010-05-31T06:02:00.000-07:00

Last Friday I had the opportunity to check out another farmer's market: Old Town Clovis Farmers' Market

Our first stop (oh wait, after the tri-tip sandwiches - which I didn't get a picture of because my hands were drippy) was the corn! Oh - did we search out the corn...

And wow - this is some special corn! It's fire-roasted in the husks, then stripped and cleaned. Next, the corn starts to receive layer after layer of tasty-goodness: starting with butter, followed by mayonnaise, followed by parmesan cheese and lastly followed by cayenne pepper!

Exchange it for a few dollars and you're off to enjoy the rest of the farmers' market...

Let me introduce you to my friend Heather - she likes the corn! (And that's an understatement!)

Take a walk with us... see what we saw!

If you haven't had the chance yet... find a farmers' market near you! They are full of people-watching opportunities, yummy fresh produce and some really great times!

But don't take my word for it... check it out for yourself...

And if you want to read more about some of the other farmer's markets I've visited, go to my food blog: http://lorijeancooks.blogspot.com/

enjoy your time in the kitchen...

May '10 road trip - leg 1

2010-05-30T06:23:00.000-07:00

May road trip, leg 1... San Diego to Clovis, CA. It's time to hit the open road...

I love this view... 5 freeway, headed north. Blue skies, whispy clouds... and the music is cranked up! Let's get this show on the road. I'm headed north to meet some family for our annual time share week. The 2010 vacation will eventually take me to Lake Tahoe. But tonight? I'm crashing on the couch of a friend from junior high... thank you Heather! You're the best!

The car was packed the night before. First, a half-day at work and then I got on the road about 10 am. Not bad...

Driving north on 5 from San Diego you'll go through Camp Pendleton and then past San Onofre nuclear power plant (seen above - although our family has many other names for this landmark), then through the beautiful San Juan Capistrano and up into Los Angeles. Just north of Los Angeles you'll head into the hills... oh, I can't wait to drive through those rolling hills.

But first, you can count on me running into some major traffic through L.A... even at 11:30 am. Grrr...

This is the approximate location I vowed to NEVER EVER again take the 5 freeway through L.A. There are so many other freeways to go norh on - WHY, oh why, did I insist on this parking lot?!

Never again will I have to see this truck... may as well take a picture of it...

Now, THIS is more like it... let's get a move on...

And, yes, everytime I drive these parts I ALWAYS stop at the In 'N Out in Santa Clarita. No question about it. It's what you do on road trips!

And here is where the rolling hills start... up, up, up... (or is THIS considered a mountain?!)

wow... the beauty... what a beautiful day...

... and then we descend to head into the southwest portion of the Central Valley. This is a part of California that is near and dear to my heart. Sometime in the early '70s I was born in Fresno, Ca. (My apologies - I will not disclose the year in such a public location.)

There are fields and fields of all sorts of livelihoods...

Driving through this part of California makes me proud to have learned the importance of hard-work and an honest days' wage. And yet, my hard work is NOTHING like what these ranchers and farmers and growers experience every day... I'm so thankful for living in California, for being an American citizen... and for being allowed the freedom to take a drive like this.

It's such a rush...

And then I see the signs for Fresno/Clovis and get off of the freeway... time to roll the windows down again and enjoy the fresh air.

So looking forward to catching up with my friend Heather... seeing how her 3 kids have grown and spending family time with them.

I just wish my hubby could have come along on this trip with me... he had to stay home at work. But that wasn't going to prevent me from this long awaited trip. Thanks honey - for understanding. (Plus, you'll appreciate my cooking all the more when I come back. Until then, the mexican food joint down the street is appreciating your business, I'm sure!)

life is good...

more family time ...

2010-05-08T15:41:00.001-07:00

We recently got together with some of the relatives... the crazy ones. And oh how we love our time with them...

My Aunt Sooz was in town... and she couldn't wait to get her hands on little boy London!

So we met up at Uncle Paul's house... and what did we do? We ate... and talked... and laughed... told stories... watched the kids play... laughed some more...

And we took pictures...

And more pictures...

This is my Gramps. He's "The Big Man!"

London loves kicking the soccer ball...

And this is Brooklyne and her mom, Sarah (my cousin)...

How I love hanging out with these people...

I wish we had more time together...

Gramps has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer's... in my opinion it's rather advanced. For the first time, he didn't recognize me. And even when told my name I don't think he clued in that I was his granddaughter. It was a bittersweet visit...

But I still love my Gramps. My heart is broken ever so slightly though...

And in true form we continued to sit around and laugh a while... told jokes... caught up...

And then this happened... we got the hint and took off...

Until next time...

my joy over-floweth...

2010-04-27T12:51:00.001-07:00

Today, I am ever so proud of my niece... Hillary

I love you like you were my own... you're going to have to believe me on that one!!! My heart swells with love and joy for you!!!

Jim Carrey, Tiger Woods and his wife Elin

2010-04-13T16:25:00.000-07:00

So apparently the media is blasting Jim Carrey for his tweeting about "Elin had to know Tiger was a cheater" (paraphrased)... and he's right.

In my opinion, if a wife is paying attention to the needs of her husband she'll know when something is amiss. And for the amount of cheating Tiger did... Elin had to know. Or maybe she knew just enough not to care?! Not to pay attention?!

Just a thought...

A yard in the making...

2010-04-01T15:16:00.000-07:00

After 10 years being at this piece of property we're ONCE AGAIN re-doing the lawn. This time we're having someone else do it. Here's this week's progress...

The flower beds will come next...

...followed by a few more re-dos, I'm sure. Stay tuned... there will be more pictures to follow!

All about my sabbatical...

2010-03-30T11:17:00.000-07:00

My to do list for sabbatical
- take a nap everyday
- type hand-written recipes into computer
- burn rest of the music cds to computer
- dust silk plants in house
- sort boxes of photos
- shred old documents
- enjoy some lunches with friends
- overall, get organized
- take some day trips for photography purposes

What I did...
- sorted through 10+ years of photos
- painted the bathroom
- cleaned out/painted the laundry room (top to bottom)
- took the long road to/from my errands
- went out on a few day trips for photo fun
- stayed up late, later than i've seen in years
- slept in late, later than i've seen in years

What I thought I would do... but didn't...
- get a daily nap in
- exercise more regularly

What I lost...
- shredded 10+ years of old documents
- purged stuff from closets and under beds
- 8 large trash cans full of junk

What I gained...
- knowledge of many things (caught up on reading)
- desire to be at home more
- inspiration
- appreciation for routine

Did I spend the 6 weeks like I thought I would? No
Would I change any of it? Maybe just a few things
Do I wish I could have travelled somewhere? Sure ... but being at home during the late winter/spring isn't all that bad when you live in San Diego!

Am I the luckiest girl in the world?! Yes! My company gives me paid time off every 5 years and I get to use this time however I want to... on top of my regular vacation benefits. Such a great benefit.

I love my job. Seriously - I know full well that not most people can say that. I love how my strengths are put to work and my weaknesses are challenged. I love how it makes me grow as a person and a friend and an employee. I am far from perfect when it comes to how I do my job, handle conflict or work on a team - and for those things I'm grateful that I'm where I'm at. They give us room to grow and the opportunities to stretch our wings doing what we love to do.

Yes, I'm the luckiest girl in the world! I get to do what I love in so many areas of my life...

A quick rant...

2010-03-29T07:27:00.000-07:00

For the record, I have no problem shopping at WalMart. But only before 8 am. I can't stand it when it's so busy that I can't walk through the aisles. Why can't I walk through the aisles? I'm glad you asked! Because of some dimwit who is so oblivious to how his/her actions are affecting other shoppers. Mainly because said dimwit's shopping cart is completely blocking the aisle and his/her 3-8 children are running around like banchees... or the banchees are climbing the shelves and pulling puzzles down on to the ground and blocking the aisle. And I don't shop there for everything... just a few things once a month or so.

OK - now that I got that off my chest... you can see why I shop at WalMart early in the morning, before the masses wake up.

Go ahead and start throwing your rocks. I know that quite a lot of people truly HATE WalMart (and I'm sure this blog post will garner some comments to remind us of a few of those reasons)... but it's been good for my wallet. Call me a cheapskate, call me selfish, call me a sell-out, call me un-american - but I do not want to pay almost double for my shampoo or cleaning supplies. And the big box company has provided a lot of jobs for local people... for quite a few people whose smaller companies laid them off. WalMart has even posted some pretty successful numbers through this rough economy.

I am not the type of person to drive across town to get shampoo for $0.50 cheaper. But I am not going to buy it full price just because it's at the store I'm currently at - unless of course I'm having a "shampoo emergency" and just don't have time to wait for the monthly WalMart stop. But when I can save $15-20 on a few select items (shampoo, conditioner, light bulbs, tissue and toothpaste) you can guarantee I'm going to make a stop in to WalMart.

But, WalMart may have just convinced me to look elsewhere for my savings...

The first sign I read when walking into WalMart yesterday morning was a clothing line in the section for young men (ages 10-16), by "Jesse James". The shirt display was right on the aisle, at the front of the section... as if to say "TAKE ME HOME TODAY!" Across the olive green t-shirt was scribbled "JESSE JAMES" with a grungy looking swirl and paint splatter on it. Very stylish! And a bit funny as well...

The news on dirt-bag Jesse James broke about two weeks ago, right?!

Just checking...

Yes, that's the t-shirt I'd want my 13 year old son wearing (if I had a 13-yr old son)... I'm sure WalMart is going to sell out of those t-shirts real quick!

Good reminder, when we idolize people (aka humans) we will be disappointed...

more blossoms in my yard...

2010-03-26T09:16:00.001-07:00

If you've seen my back yard in the last 2-3 years you'd be surprised that anything is even alive back there. And yet I find these blossoms randoming dispersed in various corners of my parched yard.

And the calla lily that I tended to week after week, and hasn't blossomed in nearly years?! Look at it now... all it needed was a few years of neglect (oh yeah, and the wettest winter we've had in years!)... ;-)

This plant started as a bulb from my Grandparents' yard. They moved out of the area in 2003 and left me with a few bulbs. Gramma will be happy to hear and see that there is finally a blossom on her plant (no thanks to my efforts)!!!

What does the rest of the yard look like?! Glad you asked... ok, maybe not so glad...

(Ahem) This is the yard shortly after we had the 3-4 foot high weeds cleared out. Yes, we neglect our yard. Shame on us... but starting on Sunday we have a "gardener"!!!

Woo hoo! My prayers have been answered! More pictures to come soon... which will include sod, flowers, plants and working sprinklers!

To my surprise...

2010-03-26T08:52:00.000-07:00

My hyacinth has a 2nd blossom springing out...

Have I yet said how much I love spring?!

More of God's creation...

2010-03-22T11:20:00.000-07:00

... right in my own backyard!

Life IS good...

Spring has sprung! I have the proof!!!

2010-03-20T08:08:00.000-07:00

On Thursday I hit up Trader Joe's for some food goods... and couldn't resist buying myself a hyacinth. When I brought it home it was only a tight cluster of green knobs sitting atop a stem.

By Friday morning around 10:15 am this is what it looked like! I count about 9 open blossoms. It was rapidly coming to life... but there wasn't much of a scent yet...

Later on Friday afternoon (around 3 pm) I noticed there were even more blossoms... and it was starting to smell like hyacinth in my kitchen! See?! Now I count about 13 open blossoms.

And today?! Look at what I woke up to!!! And on the first day of Spring...

Isn't she beautiful?!

I've moved her from the kitchen window sill to my Grandma's old table next to the couch... where I currently sit and enjoy my Saturday morning. The birds are chirping outside, rays of sunlight are streaming through the windows and Southern California is waking up to a beautiful first day of Spring.

And me? I'm the most blessed girl on the face of the planet. I'm in love with life...

What a beautiful day...

2010-03-19T08:06:00.001-07:00

I decided to go for a drive today...

To look at California Lilacs ... and I was surprised with so much beauty!

Not sure why I was surprised... but once again my soul was touched by the beauty of God's creation!

He created this?!
He gave us all of this?!

Just to show us a glimpse of Heaven?!

To remind us of His love?!

As encouragement to keep trusting Him?!

After all, if He cares enough to feed these plants precariously perched on a hillside... no human waters them, fertilizes them... prunes them.

Just God himself...

And if He cares for the wildflowers... who do not verbally lift praise to Him, testify in His name or serve Him through walking in faith...

How much more is He going to care for us?! Take care of our needs?! Feed us and "fertilize" us... "prune" us and shape us...

What an amazing God...

That He can orchestrate this beauty...

Matthew 6:30-34
"If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Tuesday is when I visit the Farmers' Market, downtown Escondido

2010-03-03T16:05:00.000-08:00

If a picture is worth a thousand words... then today I'll be brief.

refreshing...

2010-02-20T16:49:00.000-08:00

thesaurus.com says this about "refreshing"...

Main Entry: refresh
Part of Speech: verb
Definition: make like new; give new life

Synonyms:
brace, breathe new life into, bring around, brush up, cheer, cool, enliven, exhilarate, freshen, inspirit, jog, modernize, prod, prompt, quicken, reanimate, recreate, regain, reinvigorate, rejuvenate, renovate, repair, replenish, restore, resuscitate, revitalize, revive, revivify, stimulate, update, vivify

Many months ago I started thinking about what I'd do over my work sabbatical. This most amazing employment benefit (which most companies don't even consider)! It's a rockin' benefit that we stick around for in our firm. And then after we return to work - most of us keep stickin' around for the next sabbatical!

Here's the nitty-gritty details on our benefit (without all the legal garb stated in our employment contract):

- After 7 years of full-time service at our firm employees receive a 6-week paid time-off sabbatical (yes, in addition to our regular vacation days)
- After an additional 5 years of service, we earn this same benefit again...
- And after an additional 5 years of service... yes, you guessed it!

So, this is my 2nd sabbatical! What does that tell you? I've been with the company over 12 years... in fact, this May I will have been at the company for 13 years! That's a long time. And I still love what I do...

You might ask what I did on my first sabbatical? Well... check out these links...

Honeymoon in Florence and West Coast Road Trip
(We had a great time... and now our coffee table holds some pretty hefty scrapbooks to prove it!)

So, what will I do for THIS time off? How do I WANT to spend this time? How should I make the most of this time? Will I go somewhere? Stay at home and be productive?

Since my hubby's job just changed he can't really take any time-off right now. So I started another list: what I want to do in my free time. Take a nap every day, do my daily exercises, get a massage, try out some new recipes, be crafty, read a good book or two, have lunch with a few friends and do a bit of deep-cleaning around the house. (We're also putting our house up for sale... so I'm packing, de-cluttering, shredding, purging, making trips to storage... the lists goes on.)

While most days off are spent relaxing... this sabbatical time is a time of renewal and refreshing. And that involves a little bit of fun play and a little bit of hard work... wait a minute, isn't that the point?! Can it be possible that these sabbaticals were created to help us find some work/life balance?!

Play a little, work a little... it's all part of the process. Isn't that just how life goes...

today we start packing...

2010-02-13T08:34:00.000-08:00

We've decided to try to take advantage of the cheaper real estate prices in Southern California. We hope to buy a slightly larger home ... the point is to "upgrade" in the current under-valued real estate market.

Unfortunately that means we have some work ahead of us! We start with the Mt Everest of packing boxes and then we collect as many newspapers as possible (thankfully my co-workers hoard their Wall Street Journals - 'cuz we're now set).

And then I pull out the kleenex... ok, that's a bit dramatic.

But this place, currently being dubbed "The Tisdale Bungalow", is so full of memories. We've had lots of fun had within these four walls. Oh - if the walls on this 1,400 square foot home could talk you could hear memories streaming from every open window. We could go on for days and recount times from the annual Gringo de Mayo fiestas, the surprise wedding... stampfests, cigar nights, fondue/birthday dinners, 10 Christmases, anniversaries, painting parties... pillow fights, movie nights, countless dinner parties, long discussions deep into the night and many friendships built and sustained! Over the years I've shared this home with 6 different roommates... and now my loving husband.

Good times!

The builders of this 1929 home may not have known it was in for such a long ride... we've enjoyed our time here, we've left it better than we found it, and we'll always have a fond place for it in our hearts...

But it's time time to move on ... we will continue making memories with each other (friends and family alike)... and bequeath it to the next deserving soul. Anyone looking for a unique home in the historic district of Escondido? It's a lovely 3 bedroom (including den/sun room), 1 bath, eat-in kitchen with built in hutch, laundry room / storage room and original hardwood floors (under the current carpet) throughout a part of the house... it's quaint, it's quiet and it's perched up on a little hill looking over Old Escondido.

Stop by for a visit and stay a while...

I simply adore La Jolla on Saturday mornings...

2010-01-30T13:05:00.000-08:00

This morning was gorgeous... and intriguing because I ran into these guys...

This is what they were looking at... so I stopped and watched it with them...

The powerful sounds of the waves reminded me of a personal epiphany from my high school days. I was spending a solemn afternoon at the beach, watching the waves ... once I could drive, this is where I spent my downtime... sitting cross-legged in the sand (trying to find a quiet spot at the beach in San Diego can be a task all it's own...)

And the epiphany? Water (whether it be in the form of placid lake water or the almightly ocean waves) is a lot like the power of God's love. Like God's love, the ocean waves continually roll... they come in, and go out, and come in and go out... God's love is supreme, consistent, dynamic, sovereign, enveloping and comforting.

Some of the larger ocean waves can be painful, and destruction ensues. You might be tossed about (experiencing something in life that doesn't seem "fair") but if you keep swimming then the next wave comes and picks you up and pushes you forward again. You may be humbled and more relient on Him than ever before... or shattered to pieces by fighting against the force of the waves.

At other times the water is more serene... like a calm lake or gentle stream. The water gently rolls... soft and peaceful, calm and comforting. Consistently the waves lap up on shore and remind you of His gentle love.

His love endures... figuratively, even more so than the longest river known to man (the Nile).

His love runs deep... figuratively, deeper than the deepest point of the ocean: "Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench is the deepest point in Earth's oceans. The bottom there is 10,924 meters (35,840 feet) below sea level. If Mount Everest, the highest mountain on Earth, were placed at this location it would be covered by over one mile of water. The Challenger Deep is named after the British survey ship Challenger II, which discovered this deepest location in 1951." (Source: www.geology.com)

I have found that when I need a good kick-in-the-pants, spot of encouragement or even a relaxing afternoon... the ocean is where I want to be. There is something so peaceful about the sound of waves washing up on shore and then draining back out to sea.... slowly trickling over the tiny shells and rocks and wet sand.

Refreshing, invigorating yet peaceful, cleansing and gritty and just downright rad.

Ever grateful am I to live in Southern California...

Adam and Ashley - congrats!

2010-01-30T12:45:00.001-08:00

Hey two gorgeous people... congratulations on your engagement!!!

May your wedding plans go smoothly, time with family and friends be fun and the future holds lots of great surprises for both of you. My hubby and I have been married for just over 6 years and every now and then he learns something new about me. May your life together be sweet!!!

i love these gals...

2010-01-15T12:55:00.001-08:00

Last weekend I went on a team building retreat. What did we do a lot of? Planning, brain-storming, crying, being vulnerable, learning to trust - deeply, sharing and getting to know each other - even more.

And laughing... a boat load of laughing...

What did we do LITTLE of? Sleep... but it was great! It was amazingly beautiful, in fact...

See that kleenex box? It was practically empty... but it was amazingly beautiful!

Wasn't it gals?!

With or without our makeup, braces and all... I love you gals... our time together was transofrmational for me. So don't get mad at me for posting these pics... I love your soul, not your looks. (No offense... )

a new member to the family...

2010-01-15T12:20:00.001-08:00

My hero-of-a-husband bought me a gift this week! And I love them...

Usually the first thing I do when I walk in the back door is kick off the shoes. But about 2 hours after I got home yesterday I realized I still had these on...

I love my new "New Balance" kicks and I have whole-heartedly welcomed them to my world! And broken them in with a few cardio rides on the bike! Nice, eh?!

Hold on tight, kicks. You're never know what you're going to see in a days' time... you... just... never... know...

Goodbye Christmas!

2010-01-01T08:37:00.000-08:00

We hung out... there were good timess... and some tears! We hung out with friends (in the living room) and conversed with family (on the phone)...

Until next year...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2009-12-31T07:42:00.000-08:00

At least I'm consistent on some things - see my earlier post: I don't do resolutions.

I may not do resolutions... my years typically have a theme, or a motto to them. Some of the themes have hit me right away in January... while other years it may take until May/June to realize what the theme is for that year. Any way, here's a few from the recent past...

"RENEW" - Lori's 2007 word of the year
Part of Speech: verb . Definition: start over; refurbish.
Synonyms: begin again, brace, breathe new life into, bring up to date, continue, exhilarate, extend, fix up, freshen, go over, mend, modernize, overhaul, prolong, reaffirm, reawaken, recommence, recondition, recreate, reestablish, refit, refresh, regenerate, rehabilitate, reinvigorate, rejuvenate, remodel, renovate, reopen, repair, repeat, replace, replenish, restate, restock, restore, resume, resuscitate, retread, revitalize, revive, spruce, stimulate, transform.

"PEACE" - Lori's 2008 word of the year
Part of Speech: noun. Definition: calm, serenity.
Synonyms: amity, calmness, composure, concord, congeniality, contentment, equanimity, harmony, hush, lull, peacefulness, placidity, quiet, quietude, relaxation, repose, reserve, rest, silence, stillness, sympathy, tranquility

"INSPIRE" - Lori's 2009 word of year
Part of Speech: verb
Definition: encourage, stimulate.
Synonyms: affect, animate, arouse, be responsible for, carry, cause, embolden, enliven, exalt, excite, exhilarate, fire up, galvanize, give impetus, give one an idea, give rise to, hearten, impress, infect, inflame, influence, inform, infuse, inspirit, instill, invigorate, motivate, occasion, produce, provoke, quicken, reassure, set up, spark, spur, start off, stir, strike, sway, touch, trigger, urge, work up.

My 2010 word of the year? I don't know yet... so far I'm pondering "grow", "discipline", "lighten", "listen", ... and a few more. Over the next few days I'll see if I can find a word or phrase (a mission statement, if you will) that could cover my theme for the year. We'll see what I come up with...

Do YOU make resolutions, set goals, write out a mission statement, find a theme... and start the year out with the intent of that being your focus? Do you struggle keeping up with that, like I do? Any tips on making that resolve last?

A new sabbath...

2009-12-29T18:47:00.000-08:00

The past few days I've been thinking over this word: sabbath. And the thoughts take me back to writing about being an adrenaline junky, earlier. And I think back on how far I've come ... but recovering from that addiction has been a struggle, partly successful and yet something I'm still working on.

I have learned it was about more than just "saying no" and "slowing down" and "sitting still"... it was about dealing with WHY I couldn't say no, slow down or sit still.

Doubting this is scientific, I have a theory on addictions: my behavior became an addiction in that moment in time when I made the decision that THIS (addiction) is better than THAT (physical/emotional pain that I was running from, etc).

Let me take a step back... I do not pretend to know the scientific background on addictions... I just know what the issue was for me.

And for me... I became an adrenaline junky because I didn't want to deal with the traumatic happenings in my life. Why exactly were they traumatic? I'm not quite sure... everyone gets hurt... but why was this hurt so traumatic? I don't know... it just was. And I was blind-sided by it. I was not prepared to deal with it. I could not wrap my head around the blow to my life.

So, I found something else to take my attention away from the trauma. I stifled every last feeling and emotion... and I became strung out on "to do" lists, only 3 hours of sleep a night, espresso and not being able to see straight. My house fell apart: the house work wasn't getting done, the bills were hardly being paid (because I simply forgot to pay them), etc. I was "too busy working" to hang out with family, meet friends for coffee, etc. In effect, I used this excuse as a way to keep from getting involved and being hurt again.

Having admitted I had a problem was the first step... and now I think I'm on the upswing. I now get over 6 hours of sleep a night, I go on vacations with my family, I take days off of work to hang out with my husband, I meet friends for coffee/glass of wine, walk through farmer's markets, go on scrapbook retreats and connect regularly with some really great people. I have picked up the hobby of cooking... and love taking treats to friends at work, church, etc.

I now allow myself to cry... I allow myself to be happy, sad, hurt, confused, ecstatic... simply put, I allow myself to have emotions... without feeling guilty or ashamed.

And I'm loving life... and I'm up for a second sabbatical at work and very much looking forward to taking some time off to rest, relax, read, sleep more than 6 hours a night... I'm ever so blessed to have the opportunity to refresh like this...

I wonder when I'll finally get around to doing the house cleaning ...

I met some new friends this week...

2009-12-26T07:45:00.000-08:00

oh wait, i think i just posted the wrong pics... let's try that again...

Shirley called me a few weeks ago to see if we could do some family pics when her son and daughter-in-law came in from Colorado (for Christmas)... well, of course we can, if the weather holds out!

And wow... the day was lovely!

Thank you, Oney family! I enjoyed myself... and I enjoyed the opportunity! MERRY CHRISTMAS to your family... hope it is a great time together!

my quiet Christmas morning...

2009-12-25T08:42:00.000-08:00

This morning I woke to a start... WHAT TIME IS IT?!

It was 4:36 am... and I was now wide awake.

WHY?!

I tried rolling over and going back to sleep - but after a few minutes of staring at the wall, well it was time to get up.

So, I've been catching up on various blogs, watching the "yule log" channel on tv (yes, the one that shows the fireplace, with the video set to Christmas music)... but I've got the tv on MUTE. Instead, I'm listening to Pandora's "Swingin' Christmas" station. GOTTA LOVE IT!

And I picked up around the house. Lee and I have plans to be here all day... and I didn't want to putter around in a dirty home. So I cleaned off the dining room table, did the dishes, lit quite a few candles and finished wrapping the last presents.

I love mornings like this... they rock my world!

I've taken some new pics of my house this morning too! There is a generous pile of gifts under our "Christmas ficus"... and our walls are adorned with cards from our friends and family. Some of the cards are photos (we SOOO look forward to seeing how big your kids got over the past 12 months), some are cards with letters in them and some are handmade. We love them all equally! Let it be known - we are an equal opportunity card-loving family!

It's kinda like being here with us... welcome to our living room... it's Christmas at the Tisdales...

Deck the halls...

2009-12-13T19:10:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year... I pulled down the dusty boxes and unpacked some goods. Not a lot of goods... 'cuz we don't have a lot of room. In fact, we don't even make room for a Christmas tree. But we do have a ficus in the corner... so we put the tree skirt under it and bling it up a bit... and voila! Christmas has arrived... plus I do a few more things in the living room and the kitchen...

wanna see?!

We like our little house (Christmas tree or not)... and I have boxes full of Christmas decorations I haven't been able to use yet because we simply don't have the room. But soon... hopefully soon, I can set up the 22 Nativity sets around the house (I do not lie)...

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year... from our little house to yours...

i love the smells and sights of Christmas time...

2009-12-05T09:02:00.000-08:00

As I type this, my house smells like Febreze's "Cranberries & Frost". And I'm looking at a large pile of pine cones that were spray painted and glittered-to-the-hilt for our Women's Christmas Event at church (it was held last night). Lucky me - I got to bring home some of the pine cones and will now be using them in my decorations at home! But, I'll write more about that later...

Do you want to see what last night looked like? Enjoy...

Along with some great friends we enjoyed some good food, beautiful singing, lots of fun memories and laughter... and some touched hearts. Women desire to be connected... to see a heart in someone else that they can relate to... and once that connection takes place a friendship buds. And in friendship all sorts of great things take place... and we saw some of it last night! What a great night with my friends ...

Just a sneak peek...

2009-12-04T05:19:00.000-08:00

Last night some of the gals from church decorated the room for our women's Christmas event (happening tonight) at Mission Hills Church ... here's a sneak peek!

And it's just as pretty outside ...

We truly are the most blessed people on the planet... we get to be creative, meet great friends, learn from each other, grow with each other and be there for each other. Talk about a fulfilled world we live in... we are blessed beyond belief.

what I took away from Thanksgiving...

2009-11-29T20:09:00.000-08:00

... was a sugar rush! Can you see why?!

After all the yummy food... was dessert. And there were enough desserts on the table... we each could have had one to ourselves.

Simply... too... much! Wow...

Thanksgiving was over the top...

2009-11-28T06:22:00.000-08:00

... and we are ever so grateful for our blessings!

First we started off with a slice of Heaven. A Holiday sourdough treat that I discovered for the first time this year. My friend Claudia told me about these scrumptious treats... thanks Claudia! You helped make the day. There's nothing like some GREAT sourdough on the holidays!

We packed up our goods and drove to my Aunt and Uncle's house out in Alpine. They live about an hour away ... and if you know me well, you know I love hitting the road and going for a drive! We packed up our stuff... and an hour later walked into a house that smelled like this...

Yeah, words cannot explain... except to say that turkey had been bathing in a brine of wine. So you know how I feel about that.

And from the kitchen, this is the view...

Seriously! How can one get any cooking done when the view looks like this?! That's El Capitan Reservoir. Doesn't it make you want to get int he car and go for a drive too?!

So, we took one last pic and then put the camera down. It was time to soak up God's beauty, laughter with the family, and the smells coming from the kitchen... we are so blessed... can you see the tear in my eye?!

Happiest of Thanksgivings to you, from Lori and Lee ... now, it's time to break out the Christmas stuff, get wrapping those presents we send to Oregon and Texas, and light the "Frosted Berry" candle. Hmmmm.....

RECIPE: onion dip on steroids

2009-11-27T12:32:00.000-08:00

Recently, a friend of mine turned me onto this recipe: Pan-fried onion dip. Thank you, Barefoot Contessa... this dip is sooooooooooooo stinking good. You didn't have to share this recipe with the world... but you did! Thank you for that!

And I've made it a few times and it's a great hit... from a house-warming party to the office to a Creative Getaway... the dip is a hit! Again, Barefoot... thanks for helping me look so good. But I have decided to raise the bar... just a couple extra steps. Take a stroll through my kitchen and see for yourself. Here's how I do it:

First, I fry some bacon in my All-Clad... I love the way that pan crisps up the bacon!

While the bacon is frying, I slice up two medium-sized yellow onions.

And like the recipe calls, I add some butter and oil to the pan WITHOUT removing any of the bacon grease. (I just reduce the oil by the approximate amount of bacon grease left in the pan...)

The heat is set to medium heat, and I'm stirring those onions around like there's no tomorrow... ok, but only because I'm scraping off all the bacon goodness from the bottom and sides of that All-Clad pan. Go ahead, I dare you... oh, and don't forget to add those spices. The cayenne pepper is a perfect fit!

And while Barefoot Contessa's recipe says to brown and caramelize the onions for about 20 more minutes... I let mine hang out on low for almost an hour. Just makes them a little darker... and a little more fantastic!

Next? Well, let's back up for a second... before I started slicing the onions I took out some cream cheese to come to room temperature. To that I added some sour cream and mayonnaise... yes, it's that creamy!

And then it's time to bring it all together. First we add caramelized onions to the creamy goodness...

And then we crumble about 4 slices of bacon in there... and keep stirring...

And that's it... it takes some time... but it's oh-so-worth-it!!!

So, can you blame me?! I crust up some bread under the broiler (drizzled with a little bit of olive oil)... and start dipping...

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all...

2009-11-26T10:50:00.001-08:00

Today is the day it's mandatory to be grateful... but I find that if you have the right perspective in life, everyday is Thanksgiving.

We live in America... we are blessed people. We are loved. What more could we want...

I love my job...

2009-11-26T07:12:00.000-08:00

Well, let me rephrase: I love my job and I love my hobbies. And sometimes the two worlds collide! Last weekend I had the opportunity to take pictures of a co-worker and his family. It was time for the annual Marshall family photo shoot. They pick a different spot each year... and while this post is more about the scenic pics I took than their pics, I'll share one of my favs of their family with you... aren't they cute?!

We didn't know what the weather was going to be like. http://weather.weatherbug.com/CA/San%20Diego-weather.html?nav_section=1&zcode=z6286 was calling for rain. But we arrived at our destination and the glorious sun was shining! It was just beautiful!

This is what the drive there looked like - and yes, I confess, some of these pics were taken while driving. (Do you call that DUIC? "Driving under the influence of camera"?) Enjoy ...

The 209 fwy South takes you through Point Loma and into Cabrillo National Park. As you are driving south, on the left is the bay of San Diego. You can see: the airport, Coronado Bridge (in the last pic - it's right in the middle of the shot), Coronado Island and tons of sail boats. Simply breathtaking...

And then you start the descent to the coast line...

And then you find a parking place and step out of the car. But watch your step...

And from here, as long as you have a good sense of balance and a willingness to slip and fall... it's all good... (some of us fell on the slippery rocks, some of us got drenched, and some of us knew better... i dare not expose our identities... )

So, you can see why I say "Life is Good!"... it's days like this that I am reminded of how blessed I am to live in Southern California. (And the traffic didn't even bug that me that much today... must've been happy I wasn't one who slipped/fell near the cliffs... )

An early Thanksgiving... for traditions long lost...

2009-11-15T21:20:00.000-08:00

So, here's a tad more of an update from our family time together in October... in Oregon.

We like to stay at Eagle Crest Resort which is in the Redmond/Beand area. This year we had the opportunity to spend about a week together ... and decided to celebrate a family Thanksgiving together. It wasn't quite November yet... but we still enjoyed turkey, mashed potatoes and all the fixin's... yummy! I think it's been over 10 years since we've had a Thanksgiving together... does that sound right?!

And when I saw we enjoyed all the fixin's... that included black olives on our fingertips!

Grampa & Gramma Haraldsen sure do love to take care of us... they are great hosts and we enjoyed our time together immensely.

What a great time together we have in the high desert in the Fall... sure hope we can keep enjoying these times together...

We love you guys...

Dear Husband Lee and my Papasita...

2009-11-09T21:05:00.000-08:00

The Haraldsen side of the family got together last month. First we converged on Salem, OR... we packed into the Gene & Janie Haraldsen homestead. Mom had decorated the house up so beautifully for Fall... it smelled great and it looked great and it felt like home.

We gathered, we enjoyed time together, we had a big breakfast with amazing waffles and a whole pile of bacon. Life is good. Have I said that yet?

My hubby and my Dad... posing for the camera... aren't they cute?! I think I'll keep them ... both!