Daily Smile, no. 2

Link to Daily Smile, no. 1

Flower Bed Before and After

Over the past two years we (we as in Steve) have been working hard on improving the landscape around our house. Steve has been focusing on the infrastructure in order to get 2.5 acres running smoothly. Think sprinklers, piping, drip lines, water pump repairs, removing infested trees, planting new trees, composting, making a garden, shredding fallen trees, digging, mulching, weeding, mowing, pruning, stacking firewood, spraying weeds, cleaning gutters, burning brush, gopher hunting, rat trapping, stump removal, power line clearing, and the list goes on and on and on and ON! 

While he is busy doing important things, its my job to keep the weeds pulled in all of the flower beds and lets just say I should be fired. I don't really enjoy spending my time weeding, so I rarely do it and weeding is the type of thing you have to stay on top of otherwise it gets OUT OF CONTROL. So, finally during the 4th of July weekend, we (Steve) decided it was time to put fabric down in the front flower beds to help with the weeds because relying on me to do it is a lost cause. We also removed the plants and flowers that didn't make it in Round 1 (oops), and picked out some new flowers from the neighboring nursery to give it a boost of color. Three full days of weeding, planting, fabricing, and home-made-mulching, and very very very sore legs, and we finally have a lovely front flower bed that will hopefully stay that way!  All we need to do is trim the fabric on the edges and finish a rock border on the side bed and Ta Da! it will be perfect!

2009:

2010:

2011:

Side yard 2009:

2010:

2011:

"Making Smart People Smile since 1985"

Starting today, I am going to post a daily Anne Taintor caption for all to enjoy. These vintage images with Anne's interpretations make me laugh, sometimes hysterically, and I hope they give you a bright, cheery smile when you need it most.

I first came across today's feature on my friend Kara's Pinterest board, which linked me to the joy that is Anne Taintor. Hopefully you all find these as humorous as I do.

Summertime Dessert

This is my idea of a summertime dessert:

Friday Favorites - Garden Freshness!

For the last couple of weeks, we've been enoying salads straight from the garden. Steve built two extra raised beds this year so now we have three that are jam packed with goodies. My favorite thing so far, as simple as it sounds, are the leafy greens! We have three varieties: romaine lettuce, bib lettuce, and spinach. I've never had lettuce straight from the garden before and it really makes a huge difference in the crispness of a salad.  These greens snap and crack and melt in your mouth and for the first time in my life, I enjoy the greens more than the veggies in the salad.

Our stone fruit trees are also exploding with goodness and we've taken full advantage! The plums are out-of-this-world delectable and the peaches are..well imagine your favorite dessert...then imagine that dessert topped with your second favorite dessert! Yeah, THAT good! We've had peaches n' ice cream sprinkled with almonds for dessert, peaches with yogurt and granola for breakfast, and just plain ol peaches in between. And our tree has produced so many, I've frozen 4 ziplocks full, just waiting for my Peach Toffee Crisp dessert. Wanna come over?!

What all this time was for

John Mayer released his debut album, Room for Squares, in September 2001, just as I was heading off to college. Since then, every time I hear "No Such Thing" on the radio, it brings back all of the memories of starting my new life in San Luis Obispo. Memories like eating dessert before dinner and how liberating that felt not having a parent around to tell me how wrong it was. Yep, I was CRAZY during my freshman year of college. LOTS of dessert before dinner. 

"No Such Thing" gives a perspective of what its like to leave the safe and sane harbors of high school and  why that first 10 years in the "real world" is where you'll become who you'll really be. The song made me question what I would be like in 10 years. Where would I be living? Would I be married? Would I be successful and enjoy my job? Would I still be friends with people from high school? And I knew that it would take 10 years in the LEAST to really figure out who I am and what my purpose is. 

Ten years later, here I am, living Arroyo Grande, married, successful and enjoying my job! As for High School, I am lucky to have some strong friendships that have made it through the 10 year long distance relationship. I am so very happy where I've ended up, and even with all of the wonderful things in my life, I know that it's still going to get even better.

And finally came the day where that John Mayer song became a reality. My 10 year high school reunion was a few weeks ago and I must say, it was fabulous! Steve, having already been to his 10 year reunion, told me that there would be some people who you didn't ever really talk to in high school but who'd be the most memorable to you at the reunion and who you'd want to spend more time talking to. This was exactly right. I really enjoyed my conversations with people who I didn't hang out with much back then and I realized that those who I may not have noticed 10 years ago, turned into incredible people! There were doctors, teachers, business people, engineers, entrepreneurs, and so many impressive people. And everyone looked great! 

I also reconnected with some friends who meant a lot to me in high school and even long before high school. Friends who were always there for me, who always lifted me up, who standout in some of my best memories of that time of my life. I cherish these friendships and the memories we all created together and I am so happy that I was able to see some of them again and learn how they are doing in their new lives. What a neat experience!! 

Then:

 Now:

Jenner, me, and Catherine at Prom:

Jillian, me and Jenner now!

My dear friend Marissa, the girl who made the entire night happen!

This is how Steve always stands when we take pictures. Facing front, feet together, one arm at his side, one on my shoulder, no smile. I call this his Army pose. 

 I was so happy that my long lost friend Will decided to come last minute. He was my co-ASB president and made high school so much fun!

Then:

Now:

Making of the senior video..chemistry experiment gone wrong! 

Shortest and tallest in the class:

Highschool me:

Friday Favorites - Skinny Girl Margaritas and Warm Evenings!

There's nothing better than a warm Friday evening relaxing in lounge chairs, looking out at the beautiful scenery in our backyard, while sipping on a sweet cocktail. This is what we call heaven.