Status of the Summer Manifesto...

While crickets chirp here... we are off enjoying the summer!  Here's how it goes so far with the Summer Manifesto....

My favorite pic so far this summer -- my Dad beating Brian at croquet.  First and only time that's happened in our backyard so far... ;)

Play with Scarlet everyday | YES. :)
Go hiking | Still on the list....
Go biking | Still on the list.... waiting for the Indian Summer to kick in for this one!
Go explore | Went to the Strawberry Festival and Gizditch Ranch with my parents, my good friend Erin and her niece.
Read a Book | Let's Pretend this Never Happened by Jenny Lawson (hilarious!), currently reading Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks
Spend Time in Our Backyard | YES.  Been playing with Scarlet, playing Croquet, hanging out with friends, BBQing, gardening... so in love with the backyard!
Enjoy our personal Farmer's Market | Tomatoes, onions, carrots, lettuce, broccoli, squash, jalapenos, watermelons, lemon cucumbers, berries, strawberries.... all DELICIOUS!
Go to the Flea Market | Not yet...
Spend time with family & friends | Big, huge YES!  Coffee with my local girls using my new espresso machine (Leti, Anna & Elaine!), lunch out with various coworkers & friends, dinner out with Alli (Tommy's Wok & Pinkberry), dinner with my work team & boss, my parents have visited us twice, BBQ & Tour de France with Andrew & Melissa, stampin' time with Bri and Kat, skype with Zarogina, phone calls with too many to list, Monday night Bachelorette/Bachelor Pad chat sessions.... all kinds of fun with the hubby watching the Tour, running errands, hanging out watchin' our favorite summer shows & the Olympics, trying new restaurants.... it's been a fun summer so far! :)
Make stuff | So far a pile of cards, been working on a baby quilt and a crocheted blanket, jam (red raspberry, olallieberry, mixed berry, blueberry, apricot and strawberry vanilla!)... I'm sure I'm forgetting a bunch of other stuff!
Watch movies | oh no shortage of this either!  Brian and I went to see the new Spiderman (loved it).... all kinds of movies on the Netflix and cable too, but we've slowed down over the last month to pay more attention to the Tour de France and Olympics... now it's hunting season so Brian's off hunting all the time!
Play games | Words with Friends, Matching with Friends, Scramble with Friends and Draw Something on the cell phones!  In real life, croquet and badminton in the backyard ;)
Work on the house | Aside from keeping the garden alive and the house picked up, nothing major yet... this will probably move to the fall/winter!
Go camping | Not yet... probably won't happen until hunting season is over and we are well into fall... sigh...
Try something new | Olallieberries -- YUM!  Gizditch Ranch was also something new to me and a lot of fun -- planning on going back early next summer to pick our own Olallieberries!! Two new restaurants in Salinas -- BJ's Brewhouse and Five Guys Burger.  Pinkberry -- LOVE it!  Gym at lunchtime (also loving this!). 

So we aren't doing so bad on this list... a few more things to be done this summer for sure!  A trip to take, more time with friends and family.... more fun to be had :)

Are you enjoying your summer?!

Brian's Squash Lasagna

Have a mentioned before that my husband is a phenomenal cook?!  Well he is!!  He has taught me so much about cooking fresh food by taste and today is no exception.  He made this delicious Squash Lasagna:

I'm so spoiled! :)  Here's his recipe...

Brian's Squash Lasagna
Makes:  One 8x12" pan of lasagna
 
3 large zucchini squash, cut length-wise into 1/4" slices
2 small onions, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1-2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
pinch of salt
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of tomato paste
1 can of tomato sauce
1 large tomato, diced
1 cup of water (or chicken, beef or vegetable broth)
1 ball of fresh mozzarella, grated
canola oil spray

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and pull out a 8x12 glass baking dish.  Heat a cast iron skillet sprayed with canola oil spray (we usually use Pam or Costco brand).  While heating, put all the sauce ingredients in a blender -- the onions, garlic, spices (Italian seasoning, pepper, crushed red pepper, salt), diced tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, fresh cut tomato and water -- and blend until combined (it will be chunky!).  Pan sear the slices of zucchini until lightly browned on each side.  Time to build your lasagna layers -- put about half the sauce in the bottom of the baking dish.  Layer about half of the pan seared zucchini slices next, then about half of the grated mozzarella cheese.  Your next layer will be the rest of the zucchini slices, then the rest of the cheese and top with the rest of the sauce.  Cover with aluminum foil (to protect your oven from splatters!) and bake at 425 degrees for 50 minutes.  Serve with your favorite salad and bread.  Enjoy!!

A Glimpse of Today...

It's been a while since I've done a random snapshot life around here.... so here's a fun little quick list :)

My new favorite flowers.  Photo from here.

 The last person I sent a card to: My Mom for Mother's Day!
What I ate for lunch today: Carne Asada Tacos with Rice & Beans at Guadalajara Grill in Salinas w/Brian
Something I recently learned: How to make my own mocha :)
My favorite song this year: We Are Young by Fun ft. Janelle Monáe
The last book I read: Let's Pretend This Never Happened: (A Mostly True Memoir) by Jenny Lawson - absolutely hilarious and awesome.  Definitely a must read! :)
What I am wearing right now:  Dark grey jammy pants and a magenta Old Navy tank top.
The last phone call I made: My Mom :)
Inside I don't feel very different from when I was: 18.
The last restaurant I ate at was: Guadalajara Grill :)
My favorite TV show is: Grey's Anatomy.

Summer Manifesto 2012

Because I've been bad about blogging lately...
Because I need a kick in the pants to start blogging again....
Because I want to capture what we want to do this summer...
I'm jumping on the bandwagon and writing us a summer manifesto!

So without further ado...

What do you have planned for your summer? :)

Ten Years Ago Today....

I graduated from UC Davis and I celebrated with family & friends.

And the next day, I packed all my worldly belongings into the back of his truck and moved to into his house.

And ten years later, we are married, love our home and I cannot imagine my life any other way.

Amazing how fast the years fly by. 

I can't wait to see what our next ten years together hold!

Love you baby! xo :)

12 Goals for 2012

I've been wanting to write this post for, well, 29 days!  Seeing as how January is nearly up, I better get this done and posted... :) This year, in honor of 12 months in the year 2012, I thought it made sense to have 12 goals:

1. Find a new job.
2. Learn to make marshmallows.
3. Make 6 quilts and sew myself a shirt.
4. Read 10 books.
5. Run a 5k.
6. Knit a blanket.
7. Frame and hang photos.
8. Finish laundry room and paint the kitchen back splash.
9. Consistently take pictures, organize all our digital photos, scan all the rest and make backups.
10. Go camping with Brian at least once.
11. Do Project Life album and keep up.
12. Blog once a week.

Those are my main twelve goals for this year.  So far, I haven't started, but I'm going to post these so I see them every day and I'm hoping that will help.  What are your goals for this year?

Scarlet & Clark Model Halloween Costumes!

Lately, I've been distracted.  Very distracted.  I feel like this year is starting to slip by me.  I've been wanting to write again and with no place better to start.... better late than never to post this, right?! :)

So one of Scarlet's favorite Halloween costumes... lobster of course!

What if I told you that Clark has the same costume as Scarlet?!

They look mad don't they?!  Like "Why are we both lobsters on the front lawn, this is embarrassing!!" hee hee :)

We think they're pretty darn cute even if they weren't so happy with us on the front lawn!! :)  So once they survived the lobster suits, we naturally had to put them in this year's Halloween costumes....

 

I look at this picture and all I see is her thinking "Why momma?  This is embarrassing too!!"  haha  I snapped this photo really quick while Bri got Clark into his costume...

Arrrg... it's Cap'n Clark! :)

Yep, I think they are mortified that I've shared these photos in public! haha :)

I know I'm biased, but aren't they the cutest?! :)

I'm already thinking that we need to plan some matching costumes for them and take them out this year... any suggestions?!

If I Ever Visit Dallas...

Over my vacation at Christmas, I had the chance to hang out with some great friends.   We laughed.  We ate.  We caught up.  But it was like those 10+ years from our days together in high school had never passed!  So much fun.  Anyway, Anna and I started talking food and travel... and she mentioned that she wasn't finding many things to do in their new town near the Dallas, Fort Worth area. So.... here's where I would go check out Anna if I were to come visit!! :)

First things first, I'd head for the cheese shop.

 

photo from here.

Scardello's Cheese to be exact!  It has a ton of great reviews and I'm a sucker for tasty cheese. :)  I would also hit up one of my favorite online stores that has a store front in Dallas - Penzey's Spices located at 12835 Preston Road, Dallas, TX 75230.  YUM.  You will love this place if you love to cook (which I know you do Anna!!).

 

photo from here.

Of course, I'd do the Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives tour too -- Twisted Root Burger Co. (I'd totally order the Bacon Bomb Burger, Fried Onion Strings, Sweet Potato Chips and a Peanut Butter Custard Shake... mmmm), and  Avila's Mexican Restaurant (I'd order the Flour Nachos - I'm a sucker for flour tortilla chips! - and Brisket Tacos - they are known for them!).

 

photo from here.

My favorite place to search for places to check out is yelp.com and that's where I found Mozart Bakery, which sounds excellent (try a macaron, not to be confused with a macaroon!).  Or try Highland Park Pharmacy -- it's a soda fountain that has been in business since 1912!  One review says to try a grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwich to go with the milkshake.... mmmm..... I totally would!!  Also found Bubba's Cooks Country (the pancakes or a biscuit sandwich?  I love that kinda greasy diner breakfast every once in a great while!).  And I found Bread Winners Bakery Bistro -- looks good for brunch and pastries!

 

photo from here.

Okay so if you make it through all the food... lol ;)  I'd check out a few local places such as the Dallas Heritage Village, the Dallas Arboretum (they have a concert series!), and the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge.  And what's travel without real history?  I would totally check out the Sixth Floor Museum, see the grassy knoll and the JFK Memorial.

 

photo from here.

I'd also check out this Fort Worth landmark, Billy Bob's Texas.  BBQ, live music, real bull riding and free line dancing lessons?  It is also a bar... but it sounds like a true Texas experience to me!! :)  In Fort Worth, there is also the Modern Museum of Fort Worth which sounds (& looks) really interesting.  They have a Friday night dinner and movie event that I would totally check out!!

 

photo from here.

Other things I'd check out:
Lonely Planet's Texas Barbeque: A User's Guide
Dallas Observer's Best of Dallas 2011
Things to Do in Fort Worth, Texas
Things to Do in Dallas, Texas
White Rock Lake (biking, walking trails)
Dallas Farmer's Market (7 days a week!)
Mesquite Pro Rodeo (live rodeos!)
Trinity River Audubon Center (more biking, walking trails)
Stockyards Station (horseback trail rides!)
National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame (you are in Texas... I'd totally soak up some culture! ;))


That should keep you busy for a while Anna!  You'll have to let me know what you try or do -- I'll have to travel Dallas vicariously through you!! :)

2012: A Month-by-Month Prediction

I can't believe it's already 2012!!

 

art found here.

Following yesterday's post, I thought I'd follow up with this today before it got too much further into 2012.  So if you've never checked out this website, that I blogged about here, go check it out!  It's okay, I'll wait :) 

Today, I popped on over there and found this prompt:

Write a month-by-month prediction for this year.  Start with "This month, I will..."

Well, don't have to ask me twice! :)  So here goes:

This month, I will work a lot of hours, as usual! 

In February, we will celebrate Valentine's Day and my birthday. 

In March, we will celebrate Brian's 40th birthday!

In April, I will see my favorite girls for our annual cropulation in Denver.

In May, we will celebrate my nephew Creighton's 4th birthday and my Dad's birthday.

In June, we will camp.  Just floating that out there to my husband ;) lol  Go with my family to a SF Giants game - Creighton's first!

In July, I will do something outdoorsy with my husband.

In August, I will work on the house.  At this point, I'm focusing on the upstairs - the loft and master bedroom/bath/closet. 

In September, I will prepare for the holidays.

In October, we will celebrate 7 years of marriage and, hopefully, travel somewhere fun to celebrate! 

In November, we will celebrate Thanksgiving.  We will go see the last Twilight movie! ;)

In December, we will celebrate Abby's 2nd birthday and Christmas.

This is a really loose list, but that's what it's looking to be!  I also want to fit in the following items:

• A trip to see my brother for 4-5 days.
• A mini vacation with Brian (camping? SF? Yosemite? Santa Barbara?).
• A girl's weekend with my sister and Mom.
• A weekend foodie tour of LA with Evelyn and Drea.
• A couple visits to Placerville.
• At least one 5k run, hopefully with Drea and/or Anna.
• A live concert, musical or comedy show.  Something fun and new to us!

It was fun to think about the year like this. What will you do this year?! :)

My One Little Word for 2012: Enjoy!

 

photo from here.

My one word I want to live by this year is ENJOY.

Enjoy life.
Enjoy time with my husband.
Enjoy time with my family.
Enjoy time with my friends.
Enjoy time with our pets.
Enjoy our home.
Enjoy working.
Enjoy all of it.

I figure I'll tackle my goals in a manageable way over the next twelve months... month by month.  More on that later though.  My words in the past have been Live (2011), Love (2010), and Create (2009).  What are your resolutions this year?