7.18.2011

MONDAY REALITY

Has a week really already come and gone? 

I haven't been in a blogging mood this week.  Work stress pretty much mentally wore me out, but weekend down time revived me.  It was just what I needed:
  • relaxing together on the patio in the afternoon sunshine
  • grillin' out dinner (teryaki chicken, grilled fresh pineapple and jasmine rice)
  • watched 'Life As We Know It' on DVD
  • nibbled dark chocolate with almonds
  • shopped on Saturday
  • got the Jeep washed and ran our errands
  • Bruce made his homemade spaghetti sauce in the crockpot (warm sourdough bread and red wine)
  • watched the new episode of 'The Closer' that we recorded

We stayed up too late last night...

Waking up was hard to do.  I can't emphasize that enough. 

7.11.2011

CRAZY EXHAUSTING MONDAY

Today was an exhausting day. 

I got out of bed at 5:15, jumped on the treadmill and completed my 30 minute work out and got ready for my day.  I sipped on iced coffee while I put on my make-up and I finished early enough that I was able to paint my nails before I left the house for my orthodontist appointment. 

Had to stop at the gas station to fill up the Jeep...it was only $3.65 a gallon today. A few weeks ago it was $4.08.  How much is it in your neighborhood?

So, here is my Invisalign update.  My orthodontist said my teeth are tracking very well and she gave me 4 more sets of trays, which means I don't have to go back again for 8 weeks.  I was really pleased with the good news reflecting that I've been wearing my trays as many hours as I am supposed to and my teeth are cooperating.

Traffic was bogged down on my route from my orthodontist's office to my office.  I thought maybe there was an accident, since it  was bumper to bumper and at a crawl.  It is usually an easy drive at that time of the morning.  Nope, no accident.  Just slow.

When I got to work, things were already off to a rough start at the office with our network server down and it just got crazier as the day wore on.  The phones were ringing off the hook and whatever could go wrong, did.  I was never so glad to see 4:00 so I could go home. 

Home from work and we were off to Costco.  Dinner consisting of a Costco dog and a soda.  Then we went inside to complete our shopping off of our list and a few impulsive purchases.

Home from Costco and unloading the Jeep. 

Watching the Home Run Derby.  Blogging.  Taking deep breaths and recovering from a Monday. 

It's good to be back home.

7.10.2011

THE REST OF MY WEEKEND

We enjoyed another lazy morning at home sipping coffee.  But, this morning I got into gear a bit earlier.  I headed out to do our weekly food shopping and stopped to pick up some dog treats for Kona.

Got some more things done at home and started our laundry.  I toasted an energy bar that I picked up at the grocery and ate that for breakfast/lunch, although I wouldn't call it brunch.

When Bruce got home from checking in with the guys at the tournament (he is still taking it easy with his bum knee), we got in the pool and floated the afternoon away.

We're almost ready to put some dinner on the grill and settle in for the night.  We're probably going to watch some more of Season 6 of 'The Closer' and make an early night of it. 

I am going to get on the treadmill tomorrow morning as soon as I get up. As I was reminded by a personal trainer I follow on Facebook, it is time to awaken the 'sleeping lion' and begin to work out hard again.  I'm ready.  I'll have some extra time in the morning to work out and get ready for work because I have an orthodontist appointment tomorrow morning and I am going to use that time to my advantage with a workout. 

I am 6 weeks into my Invisalign treatment and I'll write a post with an update after my appointment tomorrow. I am anxious to see what my orthodontist has to say.  I can see a lot of movement on the upper teeth, and some movement on my lower teeth--it's just not as noticeable to me.  I still have 26 weeks of treatment left to go.  I am 1/3 of the way along. 

We are finally getting a nice warm summer here in San Diego.  Last summer was truly cold.  I know I have complained a lot about it.  But for someone who enjoys the changes of seasons, I love summer weather and everything that goes with it.  

I love summer weekends!  

7.09.2011

SUMMER SATURDAY

We slept in late.  Our Saturday started with coffee.  The day began to warm up by the time we were finished and it was time to get going.

After a haircut (for hubby) and we both had showers, we headed up to Temecula to pick up our wine shipment and enjoy a glass of wine on their patio. The sun was out and the day was already heating up by mid morning.

We hadn't eaten any breakfast, so on our way to Temecula, we stopped at Rock 'n' Jenny's for some lunch and chowed down some delicious deli sandwiches.  It was much hotter in Escondido.  It was still a bit muggy, but in some weird way, the heat felt good.

Thankfully, it was a bit cooler in Temecula up at the winery.  Leonesse sits up on a hill looking out into a small valley and there was a constant breeze to keep us cool. A nice pause in our day. 

We were home by mid afternoon. Dinner.  Yard watering.  Started watching Season 6 of 'The Closer'.

Our night is coming to a close. 

7.07.2011

ANOTHER HOT NIGHT

It's been a hot day. 

Actually, it's been a hot week.  Hot and humid. All week long.

Today, when I left work at 4 p.m., it was 81 degrees, downtown--somewhere that has cooler temps than where we live and which is cooler than anywhere else in San Diego County.

I came home to a heated house. Ugly hot. 

Time to open windows, open the front door and get this house cooled off.  We changed into shorts, sleeveless shirts, shed our shoes and padded barefoot outside to plant ourselves on the patio in the shade for awhile.  What to do for dinner...leftover Gazpacho?  Nothing sounded good, so tonight Bruce ran back out and picked up some Mexican food from Maritza's (the very best 'fast food' mexican food on the planet).  You have to call ahead or be prepared to wait 15-20 minutes for your food and it is worth every minute.  In the meantime,  I made us two ice cold margaritas.  Neither of us felt like heating up the kitchen, or even grilling anything.

BONUS:  I had some leftover half and half, whipping cream and whole milk, so I whipped up a batch of ice cream in our Cuisinart ice cream maker (ICE-20).  It's the kind that you keep the tub in the freezer and make a simple mix (ours was vanilla) and dump in in the frozen tub that sits on the motor and turn it on for 25-30 minutes.  I put the creamy soft serve mixture into another container and put it in the freezer to harden.

It will be a delicious treat for us later with some leftover chocolate sauce from the other night.  Or maybe some ice cream with our chocolate sauce.  We love chocolate sauce.

The ceiling fans are all on high.  And we have a standing fan going in our room off of the kitchen and the house is cooling off.  The good thing about living by the beach is that by night time it is usually perfect for sleeping.  Granted, we have had a few summer nights that were hard to sleep through, but they are rare.

We're gonna speed up the cooling down part of this scenario for us with a dip in the pool tonight.  We ordered some Papasan Spring Floats that were delivered today.  We didn't expect them until next week, so it was an unexpected surprise to see the box on the front porch this afternoon. 

Best of all tomorrow is Friday....nothing like a Thursday night followed by a Friday, preceded by a Monday holiday.  Right?

7.05.2011

HOT DAY -- COLD SOUP

The temps climbed today and this afternoon when I got home from work, our house was hot.

I had already planned on making Gazpacho for dinner and it sure hit the spot for us to have on a hot summer night.

Gazpacho is a cold tomato juice based soup that is full of fresh finely chopped vegetables-- 2 whole cucumber, 2 green bell peppers, 1/2 onion, 1 large peeled tomato, 2-3 stalks of celery and avocado (to add on top of each serving).

I'm pretty sure I have written about this soup and posted the recipe, but here is the gist of it in a nutshell because I have tried to find it and am just too dang tired and lazy tonight to look for it again.

GAZPACHO

Begin with 1/2 cup of olive oil and a 1/4 cup lemon juice whisked together.

Add to that a 64 oz bottle of tomato juice and chopped veggies (see above), 2 teaspoons salt, pepper (I love pepper and use a lot) and some Tabasco sauce (you decide how much depending on whether or not you like heat (spicy) added to your food).  We like heat and add a generous amount, but it does not come out spicy.  Add a few dashes and taste.  Chill for two hours (or less if you are really hungry, like we were tonight).  Serve with tortilla chips.

We enjoyed a delicious and healthy dinner that was quick to throw together and didn't heat up our kitchen!

7.04.2011

INDEPENDENCE DAY

We'll be celebrating Independence Day tonight at my parent's house.  We're making homemade ice cream and watching fireworks from their deck.  I've cooked two different recipes for ice creams. 

We are making a batch of Burnt Sugar Ice Cream, which (in a nutshell) is made from sugar that has been melted and browned in a skillet and added to your custard base.  It's very, very, very, very good.

I would always look forward to a bowl of Burnt Sugar ice cream when we would stop for the night at my Aunt Grace and Uncle Jimmy's house in El Reno, Oklahoma on our summer cross country trip to Kentucky (and back home).  We went every year to spend most of our summer staying with our grandparents, and spending time with all of our aunts, uncles, cousins.  I have precious memories of my summers spent with family in Kentucky.

We are also making a batch of Moolicious Vanilla Ice Cream, which is chillin' in my fridge. It's ready to pour in the ice cream freezer and freeze.  I cooked up a recipe of rich chocolate sauce to drizzle over the ice cream, too.

We'll be doing our laundry and floating in the pool today.  It is supposed to be a bit cooler today--but still in the mid 80's--so I am gonna be in the water.  

We're throwing some Mahi Mahi on the grill for Naked Fish Tacos for an early dinner on the patio.  Naked Fish Tacos are Fish Tacos without the tortillas. They are just as tasty and filling. 

NAKED FISH TACOS

Grilled Mahi Mahi, marinated however you like and topped with the following:

shredded cabbage (we like to use the angelhair cabbage)
pico de gallo (chopped onions, jalapenos, cilantro, tomatoes and lime juice)
shredded mexican cheese
avocado slices

and Crema drizzled over the top

Crema

half sour cream
half mayo
lime juice
Tapatio hot sauce for heat

Mix together to taste.  Make as much or as little as you need.

Muy delicioso!

7.03.2011

TWO DAYS DOWN

Yesterday we spent the afternoon in the pool.  We got lots of sun (even a tad too much) and grilled out baby back ribs for dinner. The weather was warm.  It felt like summer and we enjoyed every minute of it.

Today we spent the afternoon  at our neighbor's summer party.  There were a lot of people there and so much good food to eat. Sangria, appetizer platters, dips, chips, crackers, teriaki beef kabobs, cream cheese stuffed jalapenos wrapped in bacon, asparagus wrapped in prosciutto, pork ribs...raspberry brownies....oh my.

Now we're home relaxing with a Netflix movie. A quiet end to another great day.