Apple Picking

That guy that I like so much was gone for the weekend with his college students and I am settling in to my new reality...a super quiet house.

Now, I LOVE me a super quiet house during the weekdays.  That seems normal to me.  But weekend quiet?  That's a whole new bird.

So I painted.  

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On Sunday the boys that still live in my little house on my little street and I drove kinda far away to church so we could listen to that guy that I like so much's choir.  

And after...we drove into the hills to pick apples.

I will say...it was hot.  As in, HOT.  90 degree hot.

Isn't it Autumn yet?

 The boys, well, they weren't thrilled to be going.  Even after feeding them HUGE burgers and fries and sodas, they continued to grumble.  

In fact, their dad had to throw out the 'DON'T ruin this for YOUR mother!' statement...which totally cracked me up.

I wasn't too worried...I knew it would happen.  Full bellies, fresh air, lots of room to run (just as important for teen boys as it is for toddler boys) and suddenly the smiles were found.  And the rotten apples, which are (supposedly) fun to throw at each other.

Sigh.

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We came home with TONS of apples and I have bowls of them all over the house.  OH, and the most amazing pie ever...is there any better smell than that warm appley, cinnamony smell?

On the way home the boys totally crashed in the backseat,  so that guy that I like so much and I even got a date out of the deal.

Bonus.

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This Week, from my camera

I can't keep up.

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Desserts for one of that guy that I like so much's choirs.  I made all the cookies,  had them cooling on the counter and ran to the store to get a few things...in the meantime, enter Alex and a bunch of his friends.  HUNGRY friends.

Lesson learned...always put a note on things you don't want eaten.  Lesson #2...don't EVER leave freshly baked cookies on the counter and run to the store.  Lesson #3...find the joy in the whole thing and be OK with baking second batches of everything.  They're just cookies after all...

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Bible study began this week, too (Jonah, this time around...I'm excited!)...but with that comes precious girl time with a friend.  

Throw in a cucumber lemonade and a caramelized onion, fig and gorgonzola tart and, well, life is complete.

These boys...each of them responsible for a few of the grey hairs on my head (mine is in the back seat who you can't see), are true friends.  Since KINDERGARTEN.  Having moved tons as a child (7 different schools in 12 years), I love this.  

My new job has me working from home more, but every so often I am out in the field training crossing guards to be...well, crossing guards.  Good ones.

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This is one guards corner...check out that view.  Amazing.

Laguna Beach, early in the day.  Ocean at your back, hills in front.

Yes, please.

Late night snack of champions...pizzelle and nutella.

(can't add anything to that except a big 'ole SIGH.)

Thanks, Jeanett!

What was YOUR week?

The Lime Truck...Again. And Again.

I'm not sure if you've been catching The Great Food Truck Race on Food Network, but my favorite food truck guys are in it.

We've been stalking the Lime Guys since their beginning days and are probably some of their biggest fans...they're just really cool guys who make and serve the most amazing food.  In a truck.

I'll be honest, I'm not exactly thrilled with the way they are choosing to portray themselves on national TV...but then I wonder what I would come across like, so who am I to judge?

Their food?

Still amazingly awesome...though I am looking forward to the day when they start varying their menu a bit again (boys...please bring back the roasted beet salad.  And the arancini.  Please?  For me?) and also start showing their smiley faces again.

It'll happen.  I know it will.

In the meantime, we had tacos last week.  Not just any tacos, but shredded pork that cooked for 9 hours...with roasted peppers on the side that were salty and kinda spicy and kinda sweet.

YUM.

I will say that since appearing on the tele, their lines have trippled...so I guess people don't mind the green headbands and purple pants and kinda rude comments.

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Still rooting for you Lime Truck...hope you brought home the big money!

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Quiet Weekend

In the last week we've been reintroduced to schedules and structure...I'm not complaining because for as much as I thrive on the freedom that summer brings, I also like the routine of having regular supper times and bedtimes.

I have a dual personality.

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I remember when my boys were small and I would day dream about quiet and would relish in those moments where I could sneak in a quick afternoon espresso or tea or diet coke...but even now that my boys are big, I find it is just as important to take those moments and just be.  

To recharge.  Refocus.  Say thanks.  

 Saturday morning a storm rolled through southern California...a THUNDER storm (we don't have thunder out here.  I KNOW...isn't that weird?) and as I was huddled on my couch with a blanket listening to the majesty of it, I had to laugh when the warning came on the television.

Us SoCal'ers can be a tad bit dramatic.

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Once the storm blew over, that guy that I like so much and I hung out in our little garden playing cribbage and sipping cocktails...we had boys milking this weekend for every second they could as it's the last one before real life knocks us for a loop  (basketball season starts next weekend!) so they were in an out.  And in an out.

We both worked lots...me, inputting school and sports and work schedules into my computer calendar and that guy that I like so much preparing a big lecture on Berliotz (whose music gives me goosebumps), but it was nice to be sitting outside and working on stuff at the same time.

And throwing in a game or two of cribbage...and yeppers, those were really our hands!  I didn't notice until just now...  =0)

This week...my little house on my little street needs a scouring.  I am training lots of new crossing guards this week, making cookies for a rehearsal tonight, figuring out how to stretch the groceries until payday, removing the old tomato plants from the garden and also taking a moment here and there to enjoy a coffee in the backyard.

And just be.

A Little Date

That guy that I like so much was able to end his work week early (the boys spent the day at the water park) so we climbed into his car, put the top down and headed up PCH to Belmont Shore.

Sounds fun, eh?

In reality, we were both actually super grumpy so it started out kinda ugly.  There wasn't a smile to be found.  I'm blaming it on low blood sugar, a shattered full jar of pickles on the kitchen floor and a free spirited teen...not necessarily in that order (but close).

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So first up...lunch at Le Creperie in Belmont Shore.

I actually veered from my normal crepes and had a croque madam...which is now my most favorite thing there.  SO AMAZINGLY AWESOME...and worth every single calorie.

In the midst of lunch, happiness and harmony reappeared and all was well in the land.  

Love how that works.

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After, we hung out in the bookstore where each of us got lost in our own sections.   Music for him.  Gardening for her.  Travel for both.

 One quick stop on the way home for a new wand for that guy that I like so much...he gets paid to wave that stick around, after all.

Wand?  Baton?  Same thing.

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And that was that.  Back to real life.  The floor was still sticky and the teen was still free spirited, but my blood sugar was once again in a normal range which made everything seem a bit more manageable.  

Thankfully.

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Labor Day Weekend

I'm sitting on my couch, trying not to look towards the kitchen where the counters are piled full of dirty glasses that all need to be washed by hand.

Whose idea was it to use the all those glasses that don't fit in the dishwasher?

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In between dinner out with friends on Friday night and the above after party kitchen mess, we grilled pizzas for our own little family.

One was topped with steak and gorgonzola, arugula and shaved parmesan...but my new favorite?  Mixed cheeses (goat, asiago and fresh mozzarella), fresh figs, proscuitto, and arugula.

Oh my.  Tell me...would you eat that?

Today we're hanging out at home.  Aside from washing all that glassware and scraping some wax off the patio from a bunch of drippy candles last night, there is not one thing on the docket for day.

Bliss.

Last night we had friends over for a party in our pretty little garden...an end of summer party, but also a reunion party of sorts.  It had been awhile since this particular group had broken bread together and lots has happened in all of our lives, so this get together was healing.  And good.  And fun.

It's interesting how friendships evolve.  Some fade away but others last through earth shattering events and I'll be the first to admit, I'm not one to let too many people into my friendship circle.  I've got my core group...some live far but are a simple phone call/text/email away; others I see on a day to day (or week by week) basis.

And some that have faded away end up coming back into light again and you wonder why they ever faded away in the first place.

One word.  Blessed.

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Happy Labor Day...I hope you are enjoying your long weekend!

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Just A Bunch Of Stuff

1.     I wear a lot of black.  I like black.  It goes with everything and I am such a fashion nightmare that even I know that you can't screw up with black.  Right?

2.    I eavesdropped on a conversation between Alex, my 17 year old, and that guy that I like so much...they were discussing what Alex had read in Revelations the night before.  And to quote him, 'Dad...it's nice to know that God has my back.'

(grilled veggies drizzled with olive oil, balsamic and basil)

3.    I love Danielle Steel novels.  There, I said it out loud.  I like that they are predictable...they start out fine, have a tragedy and then everyone lives happily ever after.  And I love that I can read a whole one in a day or two.

4.    OK...while I am at it, I love Bachelor Pad.  Smut TV at it's best.  Drives that guy that I like crazy and yes, it does go against everything that I believe...but it is SO entertaining!  

(grilled bread topped with goat cheese and olive oil)

5.     I wear old fashioned hard contacts.  It's so convenient to be able to pop one out, spit on it, and then stick it back in your eye without a mirror...though I don't recommend doing this right after eating.  That would be gross.

6.     I use the phrase 'you people' a lot when talking to my houseful of boys...things like, 'you people are driving me crazy' and 'you people need to stop wrestling in the house' and 'if I catch you people drinking out of the milk carton again...'

(the perfect summer meal!)

7.        School starts in one week.  Yep, we're STILL on summer vacation.  It's actually kinda fun and while I am ready, I'm not.  In fact, I'm kinda mourning this year knowing that next year will be a big year of change for us.

8.        I love jigsaw puzzles and want to work on one.  Badly.  Unfortunately, there is no spot to leave one out in our little house on our little street because we, well,  live in a little house.

(chocolate croissants and an asparagus frittata) 

9.       Nutella was put on this earth to make me happy.  I believe that wholeheartedly.

10.      My youngest (who will be 13 this week) asked me to make a necklace for a girl he likes and he wants it to say 'angel' on it.  Lord help us as we raise boy #3 through adolescence.   (FYI, it isn't happening.  The necklace, that is.  Unfortunately, adolescence is inescapable...)

(Nick's...where everybody knows our name.)

11.  The above picture?  A pizza from Nick's, which is HEAVEN in pizza form.  

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