This is the end fence of our little cozy back yard. We love to sit here in this area. Very private and so pretty with all the green foliage this time of year. I put little hot shots of red in wherever I can in our outdoor areas. I finished cleaning all the pea gravel and stones yesterday which sit at the other end of this ity-bity yard.
We had such fun afternoon and evening yesterday. Hubby surprised me by getting home early. It was such a hot afternoon and breezy but I just put up with the itchy eyes so I could get my outdoor chores done.
After hubby came through the door we had a ice cold beer in hand and headed outdoors to our little back yard. Honey put the sprinkler on the grass where it just barely touched our toes. The beers hit the spot and he went to shower off his workday dust and we headed down the street to his sis's as our niece had just arrived home from Europe she has been gone almost a year. There was a big crowd assembled in Liz and Joe's back yard. Joe was making very impressive margarita's in honor of Cinco De Mayo. So we spent a couple hours trying to catch up with Sarah which was not easy as everyone was vying for her time. Then on home to make chingalingas. I made these often when we were first together over thirty years ago. You mix shredded chicken with chopped green chili's a little red pepper flakes and green taco sauce. Roll them in warmed flour tortilla's and secure with a toothpick then deep fry and cut into chunks and dip into sour cream, salsa and guacamole. Very tasty indeed. So we feasted on a platter of those little darlings. We sat in our little backyard early evening and listened to the birds and watch the night seep in. Then we each sprawled on our individual sofa's and listened to Pink Floyd and watched the lava lamp do it's thing. Just like we did years ago. Fun :)
Sarah will go back to Switzerland Saturday and continue her nanny commitment until August 1st. Then she goes directly to Edinburgh Scotland where she is enrolling at Edinburgh University one of the best in the world. There she will get her masters degree and also take advanced studies to enhance her chances of landing a high paying job in the UK. She is a very smart girl and only took the nanny job as she had just completed four years of college and felt she needed a reprieve. While doing her nanny duties she has taking classes in German. She does not let a blade of grass grow under her feet!
My husband left early this morning and so here I am once again filling my day. But I have a busy day today. Laundry once again, a trip out to the farm for the weekly produce, office duties(always when we are busy) and whatever else I have time for there is plenty to do.
Tonight we are going to have the chicken pomodoro as we decided at the last minute we wanted Mexican fare last night.
I will be making my menu today also for the following week. I am going to share this recipe as I will be making it in a few days. So easy and simple and so perfect for summery weather.
Pasta with fresh tomatoes.
3 medium ripe tomatoes
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. fresh basil
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. red pepper
1 lb. uncooked pasta
1.4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
Combine all ingredients except pasta and cheese in a covered container in fridge for 2 to 24 hours.
Prepare pasta as directed on package drain(I like to use penne pasta or radaitore)
Immediately toss with the tomato mixture. Serve immediately and sprinkle of parmesan.
This is especially good with juicy just fresh picked tomatoes from your garden.
That will be a while yet however. So I will get tomatoes on the vine from the farm today.
Well with all I have to do today I had better get to it.
Ah..... it is Monday after all a work day.
Later.
Tonight in Zo's Kitchen I will be serving up Chicken Pomodoro. This is one of our fave meals and it is quick and nice enough for company.
Chicken Pomodoro
2 boneless chicken breasts, cut in half and pounded into cutlets.
salt and pepper
all purpose flour
nonsitck spray
2 Tbsp. canola oil
1/4 cup vodka
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
2 Tbsp. heavy cream
1/3 cup sliced scallions
Season the cutlets with salt and pepper then dredge in flour. Coat a saute pan with nonstick spray and add oil and heat over med high.
Saute cutlets on both sides. Transfer cutlets to a platter, pour any fat from the pan.
Deglaze pan with vodka away from heat return to heat and cook until nearly evaporated.
Add broth and lemon juice. Return cutlets to pan and cook on each side about a minute until done. Stir in cream and tomatoes heat through. Serve cutlets with sauce ladled over and sprinkle with scallions.
This recipe is so good and rice is the perfect accompaniment Put any remaining sauce over your serving of rice......yummy, do try it and enjoy.
What a wonderful Sunday!!! A perfect day. There may be a breeze later but right not a stir. I was out early this morning to tidy the deck and water flowers. I did some touch up spray painting on the birdhouses and old milk can. I have planned on doing this little chore for several days now but the wind has been up, not conducive to painting.
The house is now tidy and the day calls to me. Hubby was off early this morning as he is running behind now because of that power outage yesterday. If he can manage a couple long days he may have a short day Wednesday. If so we plan on going out to lunch.
There will be no fishing trip Thursday now as he has picked up another job in that time frame. As we always say work comes first and when it is busy we must make the most of it as there are times that are dreadfully slow. We will get that little boat in the water at some point.
I am missing my husbands company today. Sunday's I like to do nothing much but we have fun cooking, playing games etc. But today will be one of my choice entirely.
There is a small triangular space at the corner of our back lawn and in that space is pea gravel and colored glass stones and shells from the beach. I must remove all but the pea gravel and clean out the dead leaves and wash the glass stones and shells and replace them. So I will do that little project today.
The coming week is to be a little cooler but still lovely for May. Actually it was too hot last night in the house. I did not want to run the air conditioner though it probably would have helped my itchy eyes. But I dislike starting the air any sooner than need be.
This morning hubby opened the doors to get the night air into the house and I still have the blinds closed to the sunny windows. We have four ceiling fans in this house and I have them all a whirring. That will help some.
I will go now and enjoy my Sunday and make the most of a day of my life. I am so fortunate to be healthy and live a good life with a husband that adores me and family and friends that love me and I must remember to always be grateful and be happy in my life.
A photo of my grandson Tyson last summer. I just heard that as of today he has his national EMT certification. Way to go Ty! He needed this to be qualified for the PFD. This also opens the doors to many other opportunities for him.
Tyson is so level headed, solid,centered,caring and understanding that he will make a great EMT.
This is a grand day in Eugene and here I sit in the house because of the tree pollen. There is just enough wind that it is stirring everything up. My eyes have been stinging and itching for days now. They are getting so sore from scratching and rubbing them.
There are a few things I still want to do outside however so I will probably just suffer the consequences. Actually my entire face itches and also at my hairline. My hubby does not have the itchy eyes but he has a raw and scratchy throat. Tree pollen count is very high now and I am more than ready for this stuff to be gone!
Hubby called earlier and has landed another couple of jobs. This is going to be a very busy month for him working practically every day. We can certainly tell the economy is picking up and house sales are doing well. A healthy housing market is what drives our business installing and refinishing hardwood floors.
Speaking of my husband he just now called. The power is out where he is sanding a new hardwood floor he installed. He is out in the Mohawk valley it is windy there like here and it is an area where there are a lot of trees. So there is more than likely a tree over a line and as it out in the country it could be a while before the situation is rectified.
This will make a mess of his schedule if he cannot complete the sand today as he is booked tight with jobs now one right after the other. I surely hope the power is restored ASAP.
My and daughter and her man are at Belknap Springs this weekend. My husband and I have been there more times than I can count. We went quite frequently in our RV while living in Bend and here in Eugene. Now that we have no RV we have went but once. We really do not care to stay in the rooms at the lodge as there are only microwaves and small refrigerators. There is no where close in the area to eat which makes it difficult. The cabins have kitchens but they are not on the river. Where we camped was just adjacent to the lodge and right on the river bank. I am hoping next year we will have our travel trailer and go again there to that beautiful area. There are many trails to wander about on and a hidden secret garden with waterfalls and pools, picnic areas with tables, flowers and exotic trees and plants abound.
Well the wind seems to have died down a bit so I am going out to finish up a project.
Have a lovely weekend. I know the sun in the northwest is smiling on us all this weekend.
Ciao
Today I am preparing baked potato, ham and leek soup. I still have one small package of Easter ham tucked in the freezer and must use it up.
Soup sounds easy on the tummy and I cannot ignore the fact that I have almost twenty pounds of potatoes sitting in the pantry. Will I ever get through them? That is the question.
Here is what I do for this tasty potato soup. I make potato soup in about a half dozen ways depending on what I have in my pantry and fridge.
Select six large russet potatoes or more depending how large of a pot of soup you wish to make.
Bake the potatoes, cool, peel and cut into pieces. Set aside.
Dice pre-cooked ham set aside.
In the soup pot add a dollop of butter and drizzle of olive oil. Add 3 ribs diced celery and two leeks sliced white and light green parts only. Saute until celery is tender. Reduce the heat and add the diced ham, the potatoes. Add equal amounts of chicken stock and half and half. Use as much or little as you like depending on how thick you like your soup.
Season with salt and pepper and whatever seasonings you prefer. Slowly heat until all is hot and well melded. Do not scorch.
Serve in deep bowls with a spoonful of sour cream grated Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.
I will serve with a hot crusty sourdough boule.
Our taco's last night were yummy. It was joint effort. I made the Louisiana red beans and rice and hubby made up the ingredients for the taco's. I browned the meat with onions and taco sauce and he fried the shells. Dinner was made in no time!
We were both very tired last night and went to sleep early. I was told I fell asleep sitting up with my mouth gaping open......good grief!
Hubby had worked hard on his two days off. All the gravel was spread, all area's weeded, garage apron hosed and cleaned, lawns mowed and edged. A big day!
Today my husband is off installing a hickory hardwood floor and I am cleaning house and doing laundry and catching up on paper work. Feels like a Monday instead of a Friday.
It is a another stellar day here in Eugene. Woke to bright sun sneaking in through the slats of the wood blinds. So this afternoon I hope to do some more things outdoors. My bird houses need another coat of red paint as well the old milk can I keep on the back deck. And I must put new potting soil into the ceramic pot I place every summer on the front steps to hold the bright red zinnia's I plant.
So with all that to do I had better make haste.
Do have a lovely May 3rd. I love the month of May, the lush surroundings, the warmer weather and everything so fresh and newborn.
Till tomorrow.
Flowers from my daughter, just lovely. Yellow roses and daisies.
I received many calls and an abundance of birthday greetings on FB. It truly made my birthday special.
Of course hubby treated me like his queen all day and evening. A very good birthday indeed!
Now back to the daily routine.
I have the washer a whirring and am catching up on household chores.
Hubby is out spreading the last of the gravel he had delivered. Then he will mow lawns and edge them.
He is starting another round of jobs tomorrow.
Last nights dinner was good but the best thing was that creamy silky chocolate pie. We both finished off the evening by having a small piece with the last dredges of red wine in our glasses.
Tonight for dinner we are having taco's and red beans and rice Louisiana style.
Tomorrow I am going for more books. I am sure I will finish the one today I am currently reading. It is an amazing book full of intrigue, interesting characters and certainly a page turner. So that is my plan for after my to-do's are out of the way. I want to read and relax as I am rather lazy today.
The next day my husband does not have a job we are taking the pickup and little boat and going to Fern Ridge crappie fishing. Hubby is so looking forward to taking his little boat and wanted me to go on the first trip of the season. So I will ride along in the Little Jack as we call it. The seats are decent though I may tuck in an extra cushion for comfort. I will not fish but read and just gaze at the scenery and birds. This is a huge bird watching area we are going to.
Of course I will pack us a yummy lunch which we will enjoy at the little day park there. So a small adventure for us.
I will leave you with this quote.
I am an optimist. It does not seem too much use to be anything else.
Sir Winston Churchill
May 1st 1942 I came into the world at 12:15 a.m on a Friday, weighing 7lbs 9 oz. I was born in Chehalis WA. my family was living in Vader WA a little tiny berg. Dad and Mom moved there from the east coast to be near my Dad's mother. My Dad bought a entire city block and moved into the best house in town.......well there were not many....laugh. It was a cute house with big front windows and lots of wild roses a deep wide porch and pretty yards. My brother Jack was already 12 years old. My mother and my father were very gorgeous people. They looked like movie stars. When I was two we moved to Portland and then when four we moved to the farm at Goble where I lived until I was eighteen.
The photo above was taken on a typical weekend at our farm. My Dad's brothers would bring their families out. I had four boy cousins we were all born within a couple months of each other the same year. In this photo I am the little girl to the left of the photo standing between my aunt Lila and uncle Albert both seated on the ground. My father and mother are standing behind us and then my uncle Roy and wife Aliene and their two children Patty and Joey.
Sometimes all of my uncles, aunts and cousins would be there for the weekend. Dad had four brothers all living in Portland so at times it was a full house and barn full at our farm. My folks always had bunks set up in the big old barn usually for the men but sometimes the kids.
Good memories of a loving family that I will always cherish.
Back to the present. Today is a wonderful day in Eugene. We woke to bright sun and the sky is flawless today. After I finish this post I am going to get my to-d0's out of the way and go to the deck to set it up for our fun filled day. I am looking forward to those strawberry marg's as hubby makes them so special.
I need to make my chocolate pie this morning. The rubbed seasoned steaks have been hanging out in the fridge doing their thing since yesterday.
I am going now to write in my journal, my wishes, goals and plans for the coming year as well as my gratitude's. I do this every year as it centers me.
So off I go to enjoy my birthday day. I am so happy I am still alive and enjoying life! I have many things to be thankful for and I do so appreciate my life.
Here they are again my little darlings. I always seem attracted to the same colors. I adore the purple and yellow.
Today is cloudy but oh so mild and no wind. Yesterday was divine. I pulled some weeds late afternoon after the sun left the front of the house. Today when hubby gets home late afternoon we are going to pull weeds together......how fun, not. But we need to get the weeds out of the gravel area that connects to our driveway apron. We must get our newly purchased pickup off the street. Hubby will also have to trim back a tree that is taking over that area.
I managed to take care of all my most needed chores yesterday. Today I have a couple special projects to finish up and then a run to farm for veggies and some fruit. Yes the farms are now open and I am so happy.
Tonight for dinner I am being lazy. But first of all I need to say that dinner last night was so delish. That pork loin was cooked to perfection and so juicy. I cut it into thick slices to be dunked into horseradish sauce. The gravy was rich and loaded with flavor. I am sure my husband is enjoying his big fat pork sandwich with zucchini relish for lunch today.
So tonight's easy fare is pre-made ravioli's with Classico Vodka sauce, a green salad with Zo's creamy Italian dressing and french bread slices coated with a little olive oil and rubbed with a half clove of garlic and a smear of fresh tomato. So an easy Italian dinner this evening.
I had a lovely visit with my daughter yesterday. I so enjoy our phone visits. She is planning on coming in two weeks time. It will be lovely weather then so we can sit on the deck and have drinks and dine. At least I am assuming it will be nice weather. But it is getting into our warm southern Willamette valley sunshine time.
My birthday is Wednesday. I am not sure what we will be doing. I told my husband I would be content to stay home as we just got back from a trip and much eating out. I said I would make us rib eye steaks on the grill with iceberg lettuce wedges topped with my mommy's blue cheese dressing and crumbled bacon. I can detect though that he feels he should take me somewhere and wine and dine me. I will leave it up to him as I really do not care. I would be happy to stay home as the day is to be in high seventies. Oh happy me!
Well I had better finish my projects for the day and head to farm before my honey gets home so we can have a gay old time pulling those weeds......
Ciao
