My Birthday

I love birthdays...mine, others.  Doesn't matter...I just think it's a pretty special thing to have a day just for you.  Mine this year?

Sweet.

My middle boy gave me the gift of labor.  I'm telling you...this kid built and shoveled and hauled for hours and hours in 90 degree heat.  Best. gift. ever.

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Coffee with girlfriends followed by lunch with another girlfriend.  Got to see lots of special people that day.

That guy that I like so much had a casual, not so little concert in the middle of the day and towards the end?

They sang to me.

Pays to know people, I tell ya.

My big present this year?

All my boys came home and we went to dinner at Nick's.  It was such a great, fun night.  The moments when we are all together don't happen all that much so I savor them when they happen.

And the spumoni?

YUM.

Saturday night I got my 2nd birthday wish...dinner at our Turkish friends.  I say it over and over and OVER...but they are truly the best cooks ever.

All their kids?  Out for the night.  All mine?  Crashed when they heard Alev was cooking.

We seriously owe them a quiet date night.

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She made all my favorites and even after eating until I could eat no more, all I wanted to do was lick my plate.  Seriously...you want a killer moussaka?  Hit me up and I'll see what I can do for you.

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It was a really, really nice weekend.  I'm thankful for so much...here's to another year.

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Not Sleeping Much

Nothing much to share around here...the days begin early, as usual, but have an extra little jolt thrown in (literally) because Brian drives us both to his school at 5:30am.

Who needs coffee?  

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Sleep has been nonexistent around these parts...I fall asleep just fine and then at 1:30am, like clock work, I am wide awake.  Or at least my brain is wide awake.  Sometimes I get up, sometimes I don't, but I seem to just doze on and off until the alarm goes off at 5:00am.

Yawn.

Today the big garden is being planted...not the best of times as it has been HOT here.  Like really hot.  97 yesterday and windier than all get out.  Hot again today but this garden is already late and I've got a car full of lumber waiting to be built into raised beds.

Having a houseful of boys?

Convenient.

That guy that I like so much?  Working day in and day out.  I start early; he works late.  We're like ships passing in the night.  His summer vacation is soon to begin; mine is not too far behind...I can handle crazy schedules as long as I know there is a break coming at some point.

And the break is coming soon.

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Raedy For Monday

It's Sunday, late afternoon, and I'm sitting at my kitchen counter having a glass of wine.  The washing machine has been going non-stop, I've driven Brian and his friends back from the beach with a stop off at In n Out, that guy that I like so much is at yet another recital, and I'm feeling sort of lonely.   Quiet time is good until you have too much of it and start over analyzing all sorts of things and end up just feeling sad...you just have to love the female brain and the way it works.

Or not.

It's not easy being a girl. Or is it?

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 Lots got done today...bought a couple of new suitcases that were just begging to be bought at TJMaxx, made a HUGE pan of stuffed peppers, took a bunch of long walks with the dog, and measured out the new garden beds which Alex is going to build for me this week.

Oh, and had a fancy brunch out with that guy that I like so much, thanks to an unused gift card that we had tucked away.

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This week will be another like last week...I am working a bazillion hours and feeling a bit like my head is under water, but this too shall pass.  There just doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day...but there will be enough hours to squeeze in a hike (or 3 or 4) and maybe even a coffee date (or two).  That guy that I like so much is on overdrive, too...but his summer begins sooner than mine.  I'm a bit jealous, but boy does he need a break after this semester.

Oh...and here's the breakfast pizza from this morning.  Seriously...it was absolutely fantastic.  How hard would it be to put a pizza oven in the garden???

Might have to look into that.

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Ready for Monday?  It's going to be a good one.

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Feeling Back To Normal

The morning after a weekend of parties, as I was running the dishwasher for the 3rd time and washing a huge pile of tablecloths, it came to me.

There was no way I could cook a single morsel of food that night for dinner.

And here's the kind of guy I married.  I texted him that I was going to pick up Del Taco or something for dinner; that I just couldn't cook.  His response? 

 "Check your calendar."

My calendar told me that reservations had been made and I was going on a date.

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We went to a new place called Fig and Olive...isn't that a great name for a restaurant?  Oh my.  Sat on the patio, brought our own wine (our 'new' thing...buy a splurgy kinda bottle and pay the corkage fee) and ordered some super fun appetizers.

It felt so good to just sit...and to know that someone else was going to be doing the dishes and washing the linens.

We ordered a whole grilled branzino...they brought it to our table, head and all, and filleted it right in front of us.  It was sooooooo good.

After that, it was back to real life.  There is a grumpy 20 year old at home...he works construction full time but  has a week or two off because they are in between projects.  He's my hard physical worker bee and doesn't do well with being bored, which means we all notice when he is home...my dream would be for him to spend hours in the car teaching Brian to drive but alas, he's not old enough to do that, so in the meantime he is helping me get the big garden up and running.  We're a little behind this year but it's SoCal, which means we are never behind...gardening happens year round here.

Supper last night?

All the leftovers from the fridge were thrown into a simple frittata...with a beer on the side.

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This weekend there are basketball games and concerts...but it doesn't feel too overwhelming.  It rained last night and the air feels so clean and fresh...it's chilly out, too, but I'm still hoping for some time to just sit out back and read in between all the errands.

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Time To Catch Up

The last week was all about lists.  Lists upon lists, checked time and time again so as not to forget any one thing.

Hi there, huge grocery bill.

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 Last Saturday we road tripped it up to Matthew's school...or should I say FORMER school since he now has a Masters degree.  (Sorry...proud Mom moment!)  

Anyway, my (thankfully) clean shaven oldest gave a beautiful recital followed by a really sweet reception.  The food was cooked at home and carted up there...kinda hard planning dinner for 40 - 80 people. It all worked out well...I made a huge pasta dish with pesto and chicken and sundried tomatoes, a massive caesar salad, bread and a bazillion mini cannoli that had me cursing like a truck driver as I was filling them.

Cursing like a truck driver is a quiet talent of mine...not one I am especially proud of, but oh well.

Back to Matthew...he rocked.  I sure do like him.

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The cousins from the North came to the recital and then home with us for Easter.  I just love having my peeps all with me.  We stayed up late and talked and laughed and planned for a trip and it was just a really, really sweet time.

Easter Sunday was church and then a big family dinner in the garden.  I took zero pictures.  Seriously...not one.  

But...we had a nice time.  That guy that I like so much grilled steaks and veggies and while not traditional, the males were just fine with it.  My nieces made the annual bunny cake which we carved apart by whoever wanted whatever body part...kinda creepy but it's tradition.

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 And then Monday came.  We hosted that guy that I like so much's graduating seniors for dinner.  Seriously...three parties in three days.  I'm not quite sure how we pulled this all together but we did...they are such an exceptional group and he is so sad that they are all graduating.

Supper....roasted pork, garlic mashed potatoes, roasted broccoli and a bazillion pizzelle's with all the standard toppings: salted caramel, nutella, fresh whipped cream and raspberries and lots and lots of stories.

Such a sweet group.

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And on Tuesday?

We slept all. day. long.

I wish. 

We all worked hard this week and I even squeezed in a few hikes, a trip to Costco (because all the food I bought last week was for the parties) and I caught up on work emails and paperwork, which is always a good feeling.

I'm in a strange place work-wise right now...feeling kind of disposable.  They haven't said anything and it's just coming from inside my little brain...I'm just in a position where I do what needs to be done and it's all behind the scenes.  I don't get any feed back and usually I don't need it, but, well, maybe I do.

Lack of sleep?  Makes me over analyze.

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And then there's the above guy, who asks to drive all. the. time.  He's doing well...much better than me.  I like this whole parenting gig...but I could do without the fear that comes with having a 15 year old drive me around.  Yes, we could have said 'no'...but don't judge unless you've raised an extremely confident, kinda bossy 3rd child.

And we're older and a little more tired.  So he's driving.

I pray A LOT, out loud, in a constant stream of words.  I start quietly, it occasionally turns into a shriek and then goes back to quiet.

It's not easy, that's for sure.

Let's See...

The slow drip, drip, drip under the kitchen sink suddenly turned into something more than a slow drip, drip, drip this afternoon.  The fancy faucet we put in a few years ago required expensive parts so we are now the owners of a brand new, much less fancy but still quite pretty, faucet.

Hello, emergency water shut off.  Hello, Home Depot.  Hello, emergency credit card.

And as I type, a visit from the emergency plumber (after 8:00pm, sigh) to come install it so that we can do simple things that involve running water...things like showering and shaving and flushing of things that really should be flushed.

So since we're already paying up the kazoo, we're having them do a whole bunch of stuff we probably should've had done a while back anyway...nuthin' anyone else would notice but stuff we notice.

Cha-ching.

Home ownership.  It ain't for sissies.

Before the major plumbing issue?  A road trip to Snooze in San Diego for a rather cozy, rather delicious breakfast...followed by a visit to the outlet mall which in hindsight I wouldn't have visited if I had known I was coming home to an after hours plumbing call.  BUT...I did score a couple of pairs of jeans, a skirt and a shirt or two and that guy that I like so much found a few sport coats on clearance at one of his favorite stores.  

Fun, fun, fun in the sun, sun, sun.

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I can't seem to wrap my head around the fact that this is Holy Week and that Easter is a comin'.  I love this time of year so much...I love Lent and relish that time of renewal that it brings.  It's just such a personal time for me...I know that God is here all the time but there's something to be said for the church seasons.

I guess it just makes me sit up a little straighter and pay attention a bit more...something that I should do all the live long days but tend to get a little lazy about, even if I vow not to.

I'm loved.  I'm forgiven.  Grace is beautiful, beautiful thing.

Tomorrow is a new day.  A (hopefully) dry under the sink sort of day.  A day for laundry that didn't get done, lists that didn't get made, floors that didn't get mopped kind of day.   But first there will be pj's (once the plumber is gone...and if you are in the OC and are looking for a handyman, I found a good one!) and something fun on Netflix and a big, just for me, box of See's Bridge Mix.

I shouldn't but I'm gonna.

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Home All day

In the midst of busyness, there are long walks with the pooch.  We live in the most dog friendly area ever...lots of parks and walking paths.  I love those little breaks in real life; time to just throw on his leash and take a little walk thru the 'hood.

Homemade salted caramel sauce.  Made up a batch for ice cream but it tastes even better on a spoon.  I am happy to report that the jar is now empty...and my belly is full.

Worth it.

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We sat in the garden last night for hours and hours, planning an upcoming trip and just hanging out.  It was so needed in between the big concert last weekend and the events that are coming this weekend...I actually didn't want the evening to end.  We took the pup for a long, late night walk and try as I might, I fell asleep before seeing the blood moon.

Oh well.  The pictures are cool.

Supper last night...a bunch of roasted chickens and a huge pan of roasted veggies.  I can't wait to grow fennel this summer...it's so expensive to buy and we could easily eat it multiple times a week.  I'm trying to clean out the outside freezer...tonight will be some sort of something or other that was frozen into an unrecognizable mass and I won't know exactly what it is until it thaws.  Sounds appetizing, eh?  Tons of veggies to go with whatever it is and a big salad...and I'm in kneading mood, so a loaf of homemade bread on the side.

Today just feels like a really good, much needed, day to be home.  If you come by to visit, why yes, I will be in my pj's all. day. long.

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