Thanksgiving

Just a few pics from Thanksgiving in the valley. Tim and I were in Fresno this year with the Richards. It was great to see the family and be with the grandparents. My 92 year old grandma even made it! We've officially started splitting the holidays between the families. So this year it will be Christmas in Orange County with the Romano Family. It will be awfully weird waking up on Christmas morning without the fog we know as our "white Christmas" in the valley, but it might be a nice change of pace to see a little more sunshine.

A Warm Central Coast Weekend

Tim and I decided to put aside the house projects this weekend and get outside to enjoy some great weather. It was so warm in SLO (Close to 90) so we headed to the beach. We started at Montana de Oro, then walked around Baywood Park, (Los Osos) climbed Black Hill in Morro Bay, and took a stroll on the beach in Cayucos.

Fall Fun

Just a few pics from a fun weekend with the fam. Tim's parents came up for some fresh apples from See Canyon, some wine tasting, and of course to see the kids. I thought I had better post these before fall is over. It seems like Christmas gets here earlier and earlier every year.

Our Energetic Lab

Well, it's been a while since we have updated anyone on the dog. This was her status last week after our lovely $200 vet bill. Cali decided to stop eating, moving, and started having very irregular bowel movements. We never did find out what was wrong with her, after about three days she just snapped out of it. We were worried to say the least, and it made me think about having kids and how the worry-o-meter must rise with a sick child. I started to even tell myself that it would be ok if the dog died because we just got the dog a few months ago not years ago. That logic would not work on a child and who was I kidding, there would definitely be tears if Cali was dead.
She is feeling much better this week. She even pulled one of her regular Houdini tricks. Cali has been having regular play dates with her pit bull friend Coral while we are away at work. This way she tends to stay out of trouble. Well the strangest thing happened today. Coral got dropped off in the morning as usual to play, but today Coral decided not to stay for long. Keep in mind all gates were shut, Coral decided to escape and literally head home. She walked across busy intersections over the railroad tracks and back to her owners home to sit and wait for him on his doorstep until he got home for lunch. Meanwhile, Cali (who is a runner when let out) decided she would stay and sleep in her doghouse. It was a relief that she didn't escape as well because we know she would have been long gone. So now Houdini officially has a sidekick and we have come up with endless stories of how Coral got out. But in the end, we'll never know the truth no matter how many times I ask Cali to fess up.

Oh, Vegetables....

I must say that I have eaten more vegetables in the last two months than the last two years. You wouldn't know it by this picture. This was dinner the other night. It was one of those lazy nights where I got home from work late, and I decided to settle on the Mac and Cheese (yes, with a giant sausage for protein of course) And Tim went for the brussel sprouts. Tim and I have subscribed to getting an organic veggie box for the last two months through my school from a local farm. Each week we receive a new box full of vegetables in which I sometimes recognize and sometimes do not. I am receiving quite an education. I am just not a vegetable person and would be perfectly content eating a bowl of cereal every night for dinner. (Which I often did, not too long ago, before we were married) So our fridge is overflowing with greenery. The funny thing is the different viewpoints that Tim and I have about these veggies. Since receiving our weekly box (did I mention I split the box with a friend so we only have to endure half?) our fridge constantly seems to be full. I open the fridge in search of food, and deduce that we need to go to the grocery store, while Tim opens the fridge and assumes that it is full of food just because it contains about 10 different types of vegetables. What more could you want? I also find it shocking that Tim has grown to like the taste of lettuce and therefore will not put an ounce of salad dressing on a salad. Isn't that why they made salad dressing? To mask the taste of lettuce? I have discovered fennel for the first time as I dipped it into peanut butter and took a large bite mistaking it for celery. Not recommended! I am, however, becoming more open minded about vegetables as I learn to cook them. Two weeks in I told Tim at the dinner table I wasn't sure if I could handle any more veggies. Now we only have two weeks left in our subscription and I am finally beginning to enjoy it. So I will leave you with a recipe for beets that I have learned to enjoy. Warning: beets will turn your bowell movements red. Don't be alarmed.

Cooked Beets

Preheat oven to 400
Wrap beats in foil (like a baked potato) enclosing all steam inside
Bake for 45 min-1hr
Let cool and peel off the skins
Enjoy with oil and vinegar.