Song I can't stop listening to...

A new year...

We celebrate every New Year's Eve with a big celebration, elaborate decorations and laughter, lots of it! Surrounded by people we love, family and friends, having a great time. And at midnight, we all count down together, and ring in the beginning of another year. Usually, I'm tired but happy, and filled with anticipation for the new year and all that it will bring. This year, not so much. I am a little more apprehensive about the new year than I am filled with anticipation, to be completely honest. I don't know what this year will bring. December seemed to put a bit of a damper on the end of 2012... And as I contemplated the start of this new year, I felt a little overwhelmed by all the worries, big and small, that were occupying my mind. And then tonight, I heard a sermon that can only be described as an answer to my prayers. A reminder - to trust God. Reassurance that no matter what we face in this world, nothing is too big or scary or complicated for Him. It's a few days late, but I'm ready to take on the new year! Grateful for so many blessings. Hopeful, because of miracle after miracle that God has done for me. Ok 2013, let's go! Ready for new things, whatever they may be! Happy New Year!!!

Gnocchi fail...

Gnocchi - starts off like this...

I love being home from work! Love the luxury of time to do things you have been needing/wanting to do for months. Like sweep up all the lint dust bunnies that cover my laundry floor. (Check!) Or make gnocchi from scratch and revel in my success. There are few things in life I adore as much as gnocchi - it is absolute perfection, the way I see it.

And ends up like this... ideally!

Well, not the way I made it. I will probably try again. As soon as the disappointment of watching my little dumplings dissolve into floating lumps of potato lessens slightly. At least I can say I've tried it! Here's how it went:

Me: They might not work. I've never done this before.
Hubby: They will. Everything you make works. Except for that one time.

NOTE: There were actually two times - the time he forgot, I cooked a delicious steak with the BBQ closed (hazard of being raised by practically vegetarians, no idea how to cook red meat!), and it shriveled into a tiny, jerky-esque piece of crispiness, so we went out for dinner. And another time, I tried some spanish lemon chicken recipe I found online and it honestly tasted like poison. Either there was a typo in the recipe or I misread it, but it was hilarious becaue we'd been arguing and it was completely feasible that I'd be trying to poison him - we laugh about it to this day.

Anyway, the water boils, the gnocchi are plopped in and...

Me: It didn't work :( We should get take out!
Hubby: What do you mean it didn't work? I mean, can we still eat it? What would it taste like?
Me: Really soggy, lumpy mashed potatoes
Hubby: Yum!
Me: We are NOT eating that.

A bag of penne saved the day, sauced with the sauteed mushrooms in brown butter sauce that I'd made for the gnocchi. I'm not quite ready to try again yet!

Snow day!!!

I'll admit it - I was the naysayer. It started raining before we left and I said they'll NEVER let us up the mountain. We're going to need chains. Thank goodness they didn't listen to me. I mean, it would have been smart to have chains, but the fact is, we arrived at the perfect time, spent a few hours in the most beautiful, magical snow and drove (slid) very carefully down to the city again. I could get used to living someplace like that. Where the air seems cleaner, world seems shiny and fresher and all the problems and challenges of real life are a thousand feet below... I don't know how a little Aussie who spent six years living in the desert of Arizona ended up being a snow bird at heart. But I LOVE it. Best day of vacation so far.



Winter wonderland!

Christmas Eve...

Most years on Christmas Eve, I'm as excited as a little kid. I cook a big dinner, we have friends over or just make it a dinner for two. This year, I am laying next to a cozy fire, feeling a little blue... There's no one reason, it's a combination of things. Like the annoyance of having a broken sump pump and therefore a flooded driveway. Like the exhaustion that can only be expected after a successful, two night run of 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' - it was amazing. Like the 'headache' in my eye that I recently discovered is shingles. Like the many responsibilities of being a grown-up becauce let's be honest, Christmas really IS for the kids. Like the fact that I never got to decorate a mantel this year, because it seemed a little complicated for us to build a mantel... Whatever the reason I'm feeling a little blue, the truth is a cozy fire, Christmas music and a beautiful tree are the best kind of remedy... That, and a reminder that this night, we celebrate the miracle birth of our Savior. Which makes me believe that in the midst of our busy, mundane, overwhelming, ordinary lives, miracles can happen for us too! Merry Christmas!!!

Speechless

There are few times in life when I feel like words escape me. But there are no words. Only tears for the parents of those sweet children, heartbreak and a sense of overwhelming sadness. When I look at their little faces, their happy, carefree smiles and think of their presents wrapped and waiting for them under Christmas trees...

There are no words.

Oh Christmas tree...

We finally got one today. I took a terrible blurry picture (which blogger isn't letting me upload now! frustrating!!), and my eyes are itching (in serious denial about my Christmas tree allergy :P), but right now, with a fire burning, music playing and hot chocolate in hand, I am happy.

Working on it...

 

The next few weeks are going to be crazy. CRAZY! It seems like every time I look at my emails, I get a mini anxiety attack, between knowing how much has to be done for work, Christmas, and the Christmas musical I'm directing for church, those little 'Last Chance to by...' and 'Order Before it's Too late...' email headlines send me into a bit of a tailspin. I LOVE Christmas, but I can't help but think that this year, it's going to be a little crazier than usual. I have already accepted that I might not get to make tamales, bake and decorate cookies, or host a Christmas party. I just have to keep calm and carry on - and remember the REAL reason for all this hoopla!!

Saving the best for last...

So thankful for my wonderful hubby. It's funny to think that we have been making memories together for more than twelve years! That seems like a loooooong time. I love spending time with him, whether it's just running errands together, traveling the world, or everything in between, he makes me laugh more than anyone else I know, helps me find my adventurous side, and has a way of making me feel like together, we can take on the world.

We had a nice little date night tonight, with some gift cards we'd been saving for a rainy day (and it kind of WAS a rainy day too!). As I sat across the table from him, eating and laughing and chatting, I was reminded of just how lucky we are, to have found each other, to be building a life together. Some people can only dream of what we have, and it's a good reminder not to take each other for granted. Thankful for him. Every day!

So many reasons to be thankful!!

This whole month of gratitude has been a LOVELY of just how blessed I am, and of how important it is to make my perspective one of GRATITUDE every day. Focusing on the wonderful things in life has a way of reminding me that I am living a pretty wonderful life - imagine that! Thankful that Christmas is right around the corner! It's the MOST wonderful time of the year!

It's easy to be thankful...

When your day includes a visit to Burke Williams Day Spa... The truth is I hadn't been planning this visit, just found myself with an open afternoon, a gift card and a sudden urge to visit. Spontaneous spa day! The cherry on the top of it all was when I discovered my favorite facialist had an appointment open! I spent a few hours circulating between the sauna, the eucalyptus steam room and the cool misting room. Sigh. BLISS! My facial was perfect and I left feeling relaxing, happy and determined to return SOON! So many things to be thankful for today :D

A million reasons to be thankful!

On Thanksgiving, we all meet at my Mum's house for lunch. My sister and I bring various side dishes, we help my Mum set the table beautifully, and decorate the turkey platter. The boys sit around and eat shrimp cocktail. We all eat. And then we just hang out. All day. Until it's really late. Sometimes we play games, other times we make little clay figurines or balloon animals, or we sing and chat... We just hang out. And more than once, every year, it crosses my mind that there is NOWHERE else I'd rather be, NO ONE else I'd rather be with, and NOTHING else I'd rather be doing. Surrounded by the people I love most, who love me back, I KNOW I am blessed. So thankful for my amazing family ♥ 

More gratitude...

Thankful for true friends ~ they are hard to find, harder still to keep when you move around the way I have and that makes them all the more precious... Especially thankful for my best friend, who I know I can always count on no matter what. He makes the best things better, the worst things more bearable, and always makes me laugh! That he also happens to be my hubby is just an added bonus :D

Rock the Vote!

I'm thankful to live in a time & place in history where I have the right and duty to vote! Never mind my thoughts on whether or not the system works, never mind my questions about the electoral college and how candidates can win a popular vote but lose the election. It's not perfect, but it's a democracy, and people have suffered, fought and died to have the right I was born with.

 

~ Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote ~

Thankful for my little rooftop garden...

It makes me smile in the morning. And makes me feel like an urban farmer - my Papa is a farmer, so it's in my blood :) And it grows even when I forget to water it.

It's going to be over 90 degrees today in LA, so I took some time this morning to water my little garden. I really need to set aside some time to replant/prune etc. but haven't done that yet. I have been kind of neglecting my summer garden, as I knew I'd be planting some 'fall/winter' crops soon, and I was pleasantly surprised this morning to find one last tomato of the summer. Lovely - and five or six flowers on my other tomato plant, which is thriving despite it's neglect.

I love growing my own food, and love having a little balcony oasis - love my rooftop garden!!! And I'm really looking forward to my fall tomato harvest...

Grateful...

Thankful for my wonderful church, filled with friends who are like family, my pastor (ok so he actually is family :P) and an extra hour of sleep this morning!

Some of us ~ eating icecream/shaved ice - yum!

Thankful for...

Lazy Saturday mornings with my hubby!

 



Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 4 pieces of bread
• Maple syrup

Directions

1. In a small bowl, beat the eggs, then add milk, sugar and vanilla and mix well.
2. Soak bread slices in egg mixture for 30 seconds.
3. Cook on greased, hot griddle until golden brown.
4. Serve with maple syrup.

Enjoy!!!

Today I am grateful for...

My job ~ just having one in this economy is something NO ONE should take for granted. But having one where you get to do what you enjoy, with people you like working with - I feel pretty blessed! I am grateful for an amazing boss (makes a HUGE difference), an endless supply of reading material, and a cozy comfy office that feels like home away from home.

Fall for a day ~ another perk of my job :D

Gratitude...

November is HERE! And hopefully it will soon bring cooler temperatures for good! With rain :) In honor of Thanksgiving, I'm celebrating with a month a gratitude! I have a friend who once told me that every night before she goes to sleep, she lists five things she's thankful for in a gratitude journal. It seems like such a great idea, a perfect way to put the day in perspective, no matter what went on. While I haven't commited to going quite that far, I am planning to post one thing I'm grateful for, each day this month...

So with no further ado... I am thankful for my little blue Honda Civic! It confuses children (wait, how to the windows go down - well, you wind them down!), is a little bashed up (NOT my fault, someone scraped the whole side of my car last month and I'm still not over it - and they didn't leave a note!), and it needs gas (mental note to stop after work!), which is probably why it's on my mind today. But it's paid off (finally - LOVE not having a car payment!), reliable and is my lil 'Blue Angel'. Don't judge - yes, I name my cars. Actually my Dad named this one. Anyway, today, I am THANKFUL for my car!



My lil Blue Angel is dirty... So this pic will have to do :P

Dressing up...

One of the bummers of being a grown up (and not having kids yet) is realizing that dressing up is really for the kids... Unless you're my hubby, who is basically just a kid at heart. He went to work dressed as Clark Kent today! Anyway, I couldn't stop smiling this morning when I saw this pic:

 

I mean have you ever seen anything quite so adorable?! I'm sure my little sister had more fun taking pics than this little guy did wearing the costume, but I totally get it. As much as he resents it, little Mumfie (AKA 'The Wolf'), the handsomest young pup I've seen, really wears a costume well. For as long as you can keep it on him. Like this one:

I mean... Superpup?!?!?! He looked so hilarious and cute in this costume... But as soon as it came off, he got back at as for this. He disappeared for about 10 minutes and went potty in the house, and left it for us to find. That was a few months ago. And you'd think we'd have learned our lesson about this little pup and costumes. But nooooooo. I did warn my sister to hide her leather purses though! This pup totally understands payback! :P

I am not dressing up... except for my nails. I figured they could be a little fun and fancy for the day.

I kinda love how girly and pretty they are!!! Maybe they can 'dress up' like this more often :)