Summer Checklist

Though summer doesn't technically begin until late June, it has begun for me now that fire season has started. Joe and his crew have left for their first assignment near Julian, California. It isn't as large as some of the fires in other parts of the U.S. right now, but here is a link to information about it.

{Courtesy of NBC San Diego's Facebook page}

Since my summer has begun, I thought it would be fun to make a checklist of all the things I would like to do this summer. Some things will take planning while others can be spontaneous. I'm looking forward to a warm summer with lots of gatherings with family and friends. 

1. See a production of Shakespeare by the Sea

2. Go on a few hikes to different places each month

3. Plant herbs in our mini backyard

4. Eat dinner outside at least once each week

5. Ride my bike more often

6. Read more (classics & new works)

7. Go to a Drive-in movie

8. Change my nail polish color each week 

9. Write and submit work for publication

10. Adopt a dog and have doggie dates

What are your plans for the summer?

Flea Market Find

{If only I had a real reason to purchase this beauty.}

My dad loooves going to yard sales on Saturday mornings. He has quite a collection of bicycles and guitars, and a few of the decorative pieces we incorporated into our home came from yard sales that my dad went to. 

I had been to Long Beach Antique Flea Market once before, and this month I told my dad I wanted to take him in case he'd run into something he liked. My oldest sister also joined us, and she left with two bracelets. My dad didn't buy anything, but he enjoyed looking around. I took a few pictures of some cool items I saw, but the highlight was the 90 year old Singer sewing machine I left with for... are you ready... $60!!. I've been looking for one at an affordable price as a keepsake since my grandmother had one in Mexico, and my mom learned to sew on a similar one. 

{I love Ernest Hemingway. He is one of my favorite authors.}

{Have you read or watched The Diving Bell and the Butterfly? If not, you should. It is a moving true  story about the Editor of Elle Magazine who suffers from a stroke and is almost totally paralyzed. This old Navy diving helmet reminds me of a few scenes from the film.}

 {I think old school gumball machines are the cutest.}

{There were tons of chandeliers.}

{The helmet on the left reminds me of an Ironman helmet.}

{Bringing it home.}

{I love the details on the machine. It's beautiful.}

{Zoe scoping our the sewing machine in its new home.}

Disneyland is for Lovers & Everyone Else

A few weekend's ago, Joe and I decided to spend the whole weekend together since his fire season was going to start that Monday. We were going to go camping, but because we decided to do that so late, there were no available campsites; instead, we got Disneyland annual passes. We had so much fun! Since we got passes, we didn't feel rushed because if we didn't get to go on a ride, we knew we had the whole year to do it. Annnnd we made a deal to try a different restaurant each time we visit either of the parks. Going to the parks will be great alternative to watching Mad Men whenever we have free time together.

Soda Pop Cupcake

In my last post, I mentioned that I did some baking last weekend. In addition to the Pie Pops, I also made Soda Pop Cupcakes. They were moist, and the frosting was light and fresh--Perfect for summer! I've included the recipes below.

Ingredients

Cupcakes:

-1 Yellow cake mix

-1 (6 oz) Package strawberry jello

-1 (12 oz) Can strawberry soda

Frosting: 

-1 Box of instant vanilla pudding mix

-1 1/2 Cups cold milk

-1 (8 oz)Container cool whip

Recipes

Cupcakes:

1. Use foil cupcake liners, and bake according to package. **Avoid filling them up too much because the jello/soda mixture will pour more easily if the cupcakes are level and not mounded**

2. After you take the cupcakes out and they're cooling, punch holes in the cupcakes with a round toothpick or skewer.

3. Heat soda to boiling and dissolve jello in the soda. Pour jello/soda mixture over the cupcakes and let it soak in.

4. Cool in the refrigerator before frosting.

Frosting:

1. Beat pudding and milk to smooth consistency.

2. Fold in whipped cream mixture and frost the cupcakes.

3. Keep refrigerated & enjoy!

Cherry Pie Pops

I did quite a bit of baking this weekend for my best friend's birthday and for Mother's Day. I followed these directions for the Pie Pops, but I also sprinkled sugar on top just to make them a tad bit sweeter. Out of the 32 I made, only 26 stayed on the sticks because some slide down the sticks if they're too heavy... Point being, if you decide to make some, make a few extra in case a couple break off or slide down. Enjoy!

{Don't roll the dough too thin, or the filling will break through while they're baking.}

{This was the first batch, and I put about 3 cherries in each one, but I soon learned that they can really only hold 1 large cherry and possibly 1 small cherry.}

{Don't mind my Coca-Cola glasses; they were the only ones tall enough to hold the pops without damaging them.}

Update # 6

I mentioned before that a lot happened since October, and I've blogged some updates, but this will be my final update; everything I post after this will be current. For those who are friends with me on Facebook or know me and my family, you all know that my mother had been battling cancer for a few years now, and in March she passed away. It isn't an easy subject to talk about, write about, or think about especially on Mother's Day. Rather than dwell on how unfair the illness is, God has allowed me much peace in her passing. I know that she is in heaven and is no longer suffering, and that brings me great comfort. She was an amazing woman to say the least.

-She grew up in a rural area, and her family owned land, which they used for growing crops. When she was a young girl, she helped her siblings pick tomatoes after school.

-She could balance a bucket of water on her head as she carried it from the creek to her home.

-When it was "Picture Day" at school she was very adamant about wearing clean shoes; however, the pictures were only from the waist up.

-She taught herself how to sew. Her first project was a blouse she made to wear on Easter Sunday, but she didn't let anyone know what she had been working on until it was finished.

-Her eldest sister always wanted to go to the dances that were held Saturday nights, and my mom was in charge or ironing each weekend. My mother made a deal with her sister to have the dresses ironed in time for the dances if she would grind all the corn for the week.

-She grew up across the street from my dad.

-She gave birth to my sisters at home. Only one of those labors was with a doctor present.

-She has always stood behind my dad.

-She made my wedding dress.

-She has always supported me and all of my ideas.

-She never lost hope.

January 3, 1945 - March11, 2012

Update # 5

Christmas! I love Christmas! Joe and I worked our butts off to make the house look as complete as possible before Christmas Eve because some of our family was planning to stop by and see the place. I am a neat-freak at times, and leaving the house a mess was not an option. So, we got it ready in time and spent the rest of Christmas Eve with Joe's family and Christmas day with my family. Now, a Christmas is never complete without tamales! My eldest sister, my dad, and I made my mom's tamale recipe. She wasn't feeling well, so we did our best to replicate her amazing tamales... and she agreed that they weren't too bad either ;)

*If you scroll to the bottom of this post, you'll find my mom's tamale recipe!!*

Ingredients:

10lb masa - prepared

 Sauce for the Meat

 1/2 med. onion

 1 tomato

 2 garlic cloves

 1tsp oregano 

1/2tsp comino (ground)

 1/2tsp cilantro (seed)

 1/2tsp pepper (seed)

 1/2cup jalapeno juice

 
5 chile pasia (boiled, peeled and seeded)

 Combine all in blender and puree

 * You can put aside some sauce to add to the masa if desired. 

 Meat 

5lb Pork (trositos/stew meat) 

1tblspn salt 

3 garlic cloves 

 Boil until cooked then shred and add the sauce 

 Veggies  

5 Potatoes (peeled and cut into strips) 

6 Carrots (peeled and cut into strips) 

Black olives
Raisins (optional) 

Jalapeno slices (optional) 

 Corn Husks (clean and soak overnight in water to make them plyable) 

 Putting them together 

Spread the masa onto corn husk, place meat and one of each of the veggies (jalapeno optional), tie ends/or fold and
steam until cooked (2-4 hours). 

Once cooked let sit to firm up.

Enjoy!

Update # 4

From mid-November to mid-December, Joe and I had been working on our new place and slowly moving things in. We didn't sleep there until the night we returned from Oceanside. After that, we unpacked, organized, and made it our little home. Here are a few pictures: 

{Joe picked this Bob Marley quote: " Don't gain the world and lose your soul, wisdom is better than silver or gold."}

{This bookcase is in our living room, and is packed with books}

{Words to live by}

{The first thing you see when you walk into our home... Except that the color of the wall in the picture looks aqua, and the actual color of the wall is a bright greenish turquoise}

{The focal point of our dining room--when there is no food of course}

{Our seasonal collage--also in the dining room}

Update # 3

Okay, so soon after our cruise it was Thanksgiving! My best friend, Allie and I made mini pumpkin cheesecakes using a similar recipe to this one. They were delicious; however, I admit that I think a graham cracker crust would have been better than the gingersnap cookie crust. Something about it took away from the cinnamon and nutmeg flavors of the cheesecake. In addition to the cheesecakes, we also made chocolate ganache-dipped brownies. I'll be honest, I didn't have time to make mini pumpkin cheesecakes and brownies, so here is my confession: I bought the brownies at Costco... dun dun dun! I love their little brownie bites, so all I did was make the ganache and top them with a raspberry. They were super rich and everything that Thanksgiving food should be. Unfortunately, my pictures of the mini desserts have disappeared. But my pictures from Oceanside didn't! 

At the beginning of December, Joe and I went to Oceanside with his family for a few days. The weather was great, and the sunsets were absolutely gorgeous. It was a nice little getaway with only a 2 hour drive. We had a bonfire, watched movies, went on a treasure hunt, rode our bikes, and I tried a new crochet stitch for a slouchy beanie I wanted to try. All in all, it was a wonderful trip.